Farewell, Address To His Officers

1st pupil --

       This took place March 15, 1783. In the midst of his reading - for he addressed his officers by aid of a manuscript - Washington made a short pause, took out his spectacles, and begged the indulgence of the audience while he adjusted them, at the same time observing:

       "Gentlemen, I have grown gray in your service, and now find that I am growing blind."

       An eye-witness speaks of the act as being "so natural, so unaffected, as to render it superior to the most studied oratory! It found its way to every heart, and you could see sensibility moisten every eye!"

2nd pupil --

       The speech, by James Otis, against the "Stamp Act," fully illustrates the feeling prevalent against it: "England may as well dam up the waters of the Nile with bulrushes as to fetter the step of freedom, proud, and firm in this youthful land. Arbitrary principles, like those against which we now contend, have cost one king of England his life - another his crown - and they may yet cost a third his most flourishing colonies.

       "We are two millions, one-fifth fighting men. We call no man, Master!

       "Some have sneeringly asked: 'Are the Americans too poor to pay a few pounds on stamped paper?' No! America, thanks to God and herself, is rich. But the right to take ten pounds implies the right to take a thousand.

       "Others, in sentimental style, talk of the immense debt of gratitude which we owe to England. And what is the amount of this debt.  We plunged into the wave, with the great charter of freedom in our teeth, because the fagot and the torch were behind us. We owe nothing to the kind succor of the Mother Country - Tyranny drove us from her, to the pelting storms which invigorated our helpless infancy."

       The Act was passed by the British Parliament, March 22, 1765 - but was the occasion of so much excitement, overt resistance, and such violent protests, that it was repealed the following year, and a little later a "Bill of Indemnity" was passed for the benefit of those who had incurred its penalties.

3rd pupil --

       As indicative of the spirit of the times in which Washington lived, the following extract from Webster's ''Supposed Speech of John Adams on the Declaration of Independence" may be an illustration:

       "Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote. It is true, indeed, that in the beginning we aimed not at independence. But there's a Divinity that shapes our ends. The injustice of England has driven us to arms; and, blinded to her own interest, for our good, she has obstinately persisted, till Independence is now within our grasp. We have but to reach forth to it and it is ours. Why, then, should we defer the Declaration? If we postpone independence, do we mean to carry on or give up the war? Do we mean to submit, and consent that we ourselves shall be ground to powder, and our country and its rights trodden down in the dust? I know we do not mean to submit. We never shall submit. The war must go on. We must fight it through. And if the war must go on, why put off longer the Declaration of Independence? That measure will strengthen us. It will give us character abroad. Sir the Declaration will inspire the people with increased courage. Read this Declaration at the head of the army; every sword will be drawn from its scabbard, and the solemn vow uttered to maintain it or to perish on the bed of honor. Publish it from the pulpit; religion will approve it and the love of religious liberty will cling round it, resolved to stand or fall with it. Send it to the public halls; proclaim it there ; let them hear it who first heard the roar of America's cannon; let them see it who saw their brothers and their sons fall on the field of Bunker Hill, and in the streets of Lexington and Concord, and the very walls will cry out in its support.

       ''Sir, before God, I believe the hour is come. My judgment approves this measure and my whole heart is in it. All that I have and all that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now here ready to stake upon it - and I leave off as I begun - that, live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and, by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment - independence now; and independence forever."

Tribute To Washington

TRIBUTE TO WASHINGTON.

(Recitation for a Older School Pupil.)

by Eliza Cook

Land of the West! though passing brief the record of thy age,

Thou hast a name that darkens all the world's wide page!

Let all the blasts of fame ring out - thine shall be loudest far;

Let others boast their satellites - thou hast the planet star.

Thou hast a name whose characters of light shall ne'er depart;

'Tis stamped upon the dullest brain, and warms the coldest

heart;

A war cry it for any land where freedom's to be won.

Land of the West! - it stands alone - it is thy Washington.

He fought, but not with love of strife; he struck, but to defend;

And ere he turned a people's foe, he sought to be a friend.

He strove to keep his country's right by Reason's gentle word,

And sighed when fell Injustice threw the challenge - sword to

sword.

He stood the firm, the calm, the wise, the patriot and sage;

He showed no deep avenging hate, no burst of despot rage;

He stood for Liberty and Truth, and dauntlessly led on

Till shouts of victory gave forth the name of Washington.

No car of triumph bore him through a city filled with grief.

No groaning captives at the wheels proclaimed him victor -

chief;

He broke the gyves of slavery with strong and high disdain.

But cast no scepter from the links when he had crushed the

chain.

He saved his land, but did not lay his soldier trappings down

To change them for the regal vest, and don a kingly crown;

Fame was too earnest in her joy, too proud of such a son

To let a robe and title mask a noble WASHINGTON.

Abraham Lincoln by James Russel Lowell

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

by James Russel Lowell.

Nature, they say, doth dote.

And can not make a man

Save on some worn-out plan,

Repeating us by rote.

For him her Old-World moulds aside she threw.

And, choosing sweet clay from the breast

Of the unexhausted West,

With stuff untainted shaped a hero new.

Wise, steadfast in the strength of God, and true.

Great captains, with their guns and drums,

Disturb our judgment for the hour.

But at last silence comes;

These all are gone, and, standing like a tower,

Our children shall behold his fame;

The kindly, earnest, grave, foreseeing man.

Sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not blame

New birth of our new soil - the first American.

Questions and Answers About Lincoln

After Washington, who is called the greatest American?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln, who was elected President of the United States in the year 1860, and who was re-elected to the same high position in the year 1864, and was assassinated the year 1865.

What were some of the difficulties that Abraham Lincoln overcame as child and youth in his preparation for a useful and honorable career?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln's parents were poor. They lived in the backwoods among rude and ignorant neighbors in an unfinished, almost unfurnished log cabin. His father could not read or write. They took no papers and had no books except the Bible.

What qualities and aids did Abraham Lincoln possess and secure to meet and overcome his disadvantages?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln had a good memory, a great desire to learn, great patience, and perseverance. His mother taught him to read and write. He would travel miles to borrow any book he heard of and would read by the fire-light from the open hearth.

What occupations did he pursue as boy and man on his way from the cabin to the White House?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln was a wood chopper, rail splitter, ferry boatman, flat boatman, storekeeper as clerk and owner, postmaster, surveyor, lawyer, legislator, and congressman.

What was remarkable about the person and appearance of Abraham Lincoln?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln was six feet and four inches tall, very spare, angular and awkward in gesture.

He dressed in plain black clothes somewhat neglected and loose. He wore a black silk hat. His face was very spare, and his eyes deeply sunk, wore an expression of great sadness.

Name a few of the most notable public addresses of Abraham Lincoln.

Answer: The debates of Abraham Lincoln with Stephen A. Douglas made him known to the whole country as the coming man. His address before a great audience at Cooper Union confirmed his reputation as an orator. His two inaugural addresses won him friends and fame. His Gettysburg address ranks with the efforts of the greatest speakers of all time, and though brief, makes a fitting companion piece for Washington's Farewell Address.

What elements of political sagacity did Abraham Lincoln posses and exert, that caused his administration of his great office to be successful?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln had a knowledge of man and when he believed in a man he gave him a fair trial and time to develop and carry out his plans - but he had the courage and firmness to displace the McClellans and Meades, and to sustain the Grants, Shermans, and Sheridans to the end, despite of what politicians and critics hinted or said.

What great instrument did he issue to hasten the end of the war?

Answer: The Emancipation Proclamation, which was followed by such action of Congress as put an end to slavery in the United States.

Why do we Americans admire Abraham Lincoln?

Answer: Americans, with the rest of the civilized world, admire "Honest Old Abe" for his clear foresight, his honest purpose to maintain the union of these states, and his successful suppression of the greatest rebellion under the sun.

Why do we Americans love the memory of Abraham Lincoln?

Answer: Americans love the memory of Abraham Lincoln, the affectionate son of an affectionate mother. He loved the common people, was plain and simple in his life, was kind to the soldier boys, thoughtful for their families, and mourned over the dead.

Lincoln's Birthday

Lincoln's Birthday

by Ida Vose Woodbury.

Again thy birthday dawns, man beloved.
Dawns on the land thy blood was shed to save,
Aud hearts of millions, by one impulse moved,
Bow and fresh laurels lay upon thy grave.

The years but add new luster to thy glory.
And watchmen on the heights of vision see
Reflected in thy life the old, old story.
The story of the Man of Galilee.

We see in thee the image of Him kneeling
Before the close-shut tomb, and at the word
"Come forth," from out the blackness long concealing
There rose a man; clearly again was heard

The Master's voice, and then, his cerements broken.
Friends of the dead a living brother see;
Thou, at the tomb where millions lay, hath spoken:
Loose him and let him go I - the slave was free.

And in the man so long in thralldom hidden
We see the likeness of the Father's face,
Clod changed to soul; by thy atonement bidden,
We hasten to the uplift of a race.

Spirit of Lincoln! summon all thy loyal;
Nerve them to follow where thy feet have trod.
To prove by voice as clear and deed as royal,
Man's brotherhood in our one Father - God.

Sayings About Lincoln

Sayings About Lincoln 

(For Eight Children)

1rst child - He surpassed all orators in eloquence, all diplomatists in wisdom, all statesmen in foresight, and the most ambitious in fame. - John J. Ingalla.

2nd child - Having determined upon the profession of law, he fenced in his mind with the same energy and resolution with which he had split three thousand rails to fence In the field around his father's home.  - Joseph P. Thompson.

3rd child - A poor, plain, simple, honest, laborious American life, with learning drained chiefly from nature, made him healthy, strong, self-reliant, calm, true, honest, brave, diligent, and developed all the true manlier qualities. - Chas. M. Ellis.  

4rth child - He had the heart of a child and the intellect of a philosopher. A patriot without guile, a politician without cunning or selfishness, a statesman of practical sense rather than fine-spun theory. - Andrew Shuman.

5th child - President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was the highwater mark of American oratory. - Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

6th child - Not a sovereign in Europe, however trained from the cradle for state pomps, and however prompted by statesmen and courtiers, could have uttered himself more regally than did Lincoln at Gettysburg. -  Goldwin Smith.

7th child - One of the noteworthy features of Lincoln's wonderful life was the manifestly deepening of his sense of God's presence and providence during those later years when he bore the imperiled nation on his heart. - John H. Barrows.

8th child - I am sure, as millions have said, that, take him for all in all, we never shall look upon his like again. - John W. Forney.

Ode For Washington's Birthday

Ode For Washington's Birthday

Welcome to the day returning.
Dearer still as ages flow;
While the torch of faith is burning,
Long as Freedom's altars glow.
See the hero that it gave us
Slumbering on a mother's breast.
For the arm he stretched to save us,
Be its morn forever blest!

Hear the tale of youthful glory
While of Britain's rescued band;
Friend and foe repeat the story.
Spread his fame o'er sea and land.
Where the red cross, proudly streaming.
Flaps above the frigate's deck,
Where the golden lilies gleaming
Star the watchtower of Quebec.

Look! the shadow on the dial
Marks the hour of deadlier strife;
Days of terror, years of trial,
Scourge a nation into life.
Lo, the youth became the leader!
All her baffled tyrants yield!
Through his arm the Lord has freed her.
Crown him on the tented field.

Vain is empire's mad temptation --
Not for him an earthly crown;
He whose sword hath freed a nation
Strikes the offered scepter down.
See the throneless conqueror seated.
Ruler by a people's choice;
See the patriot's task completed;
Hear the father's dying voice. 

By the name that you inherit,

By the sufferings you recall,
Cherish the fraternal spirit,
Love your country first of all.
Listen not to idle questions,
If its bands may be untied;
Doubt the patriot whose suggestions
Whisper that its props may slide.

Father! we whose ears have tingled
With the words of doubt and shame;
We, whose sires their blood have mingled
In the battle's th tinder-flame ;
Gathering, while this holy morning
Lights the land from sea to sea;
Hear thy counsel, heed thy warning,
Trust us, while we honor thee.

St. Patrick's Day Index

Above are four shamrock crafts from this blog.

         St. Patrick Day is celebrated in honor of the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he was born near the site of what is now Dumbarton, Scotland. At the age of sixteen he was taken captive to Ireland, but after six years he escaped. Feeling himself called to abolish paganism from the land of his captivity, he studied for the ministry, was consecrated bishop of Ireland, and began his missionary work there in 432. A. D. It is said that he founded 300 churches in the island and baptized more than 12,000 converts. Patrick left an autobiography which he called a Confession, but it was more psychology than historic, and the known facts of his life are few. Legend says he drove the snakes out of  Ireland, and that he worked miracles. "Saint Patrick's day," the seventeenth of March, is celebrated by the Irish people throughout the world.

• St. Patrick's Day coloring pages from The Crayon Palace
• St. Patrick's Day clip art from The Christian Clip Art Review
• St. Patrick's Day clip art from Thrifty Scissors
• Search Our Doll Crafts for St. Patrick's Day

 Artifacts for The Celebration of Saint Patrick's Day:

1. Stories, Books, and Film for Celebrating St. Patrick's Day
2. Ossain Sang
3. St. Patrick's Greatness
4. AEolian Harp
5. Craft Three Age Appropriate Clover Mosaics for St. Patrick's Day
6. The Earth and Man
7. Pattern for stamp box in pyrography
8. "St. Patrick's Day In The Morning"
9. Gracie Og Machree
10. "Oh Danny Boy"
11. St. Patrick's Day Silhouettes
12. Paper Snake Mosaics
13. Irish Lullaby
14. St. Patrick's Day Crafts and Craft Links
15. St. Patrick, Ireland's Patron Saint
16. A Fairy Necklace
17. Flower Fairies
18. Shamrock Song
19. A Sunshine Rainbow 
20. Draw bees and clover for St. Patrick's Day
    
21. A Sky Rainbow  
22. The Ivy Green by Charles Dickens
    

  Vivian shares her leprechaun trap, a common art assignment

in some American schools during the month of March.
Check out Natalie's classroom leprechaun traps.

Easter Holiday Index

Twins hunting eggs at the White House.

       Easter, the festival commemorating the resurrection of Christ, observed in many branches of the Christian Church. By the first Christians it was regarded as continuing the feast of the Passover, at which the paschal lamb, a symbol of Christ, was sacrificed. Hence its name in Greek and in the Romance languages is taken from the Hebrew Pesach, meaning Passover.

       The English name comes from the Anglo-Saxon Eostre, a pagan goddess of light or spring, whose festival was celebrated in April. There was a long dispute in the Christian Church as to the proper time for holding Easter, the Christians of the East celebrating it on the same day as that on which the Jewish Passover fell, that is the fourteenth of Nisan, while the majority of the Church celebrated it on the Sunday next after this day. The controversy was decided by the Council of Nice in 325, which fixed Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon which happens upon or next after March 21. If the full moon happens on a Sunday, Easter is the Sunday after.

• Easter or Lenten Holiday Coloring from Crayon Palace
• Coloring for Easter & Lent at Color The Bible
• Search Our Easter Doll Crafts Index at The Doll Coloring Book Blog
• More about Easter here for poems and here for articles
  

The Celebration of Easter: Much of this content may be used for creating newsletters for parents and teachers. Some of it is good for child recitations. I will be adding puzzles and paper crafts to these posts that are Easter/Spring themed as well. Enjoy!

1. The First Easter from St. Luke 
2. Easter Even - poem by Christina G. Rossetti 
3. Easter Songs in Verse and For Coloring
   
4. Easter Day in Rome - poem by Oscar Wilde 
5. Easter message with chics...
   
6. The Story of Easter Eggs - poem by Christoph Von Schmid 
7. "Easter Greetings" for all God's creatures... 
8. "Easter Lilies" and Window Boxes Too... - poem by Susan Coolidge
9. "Mary" and a Primrose paper cut- poem by Margaret E. Sangster  
10. Why I Love Jesus
    
11. Easter Singers in the Vorarlburg from - "Chamber's Book of Days"
12. Easter Joys, Spring Redresses Nature
    
13. Mary's Easter  - poem by Marie Mason 
14. To An Easter Lily 
15. Medieval Easter Plays - by Henry Barret Hinckley  
16. The Little Boy
    
17. The Day of Victory - poem by Rachel Capen Schauffler 
18. The Stories I Like 
19. The Stone of the Sepulcher - poem by Susan Coolidge 
20. Easter Bells
    
21. At Easter Time  - poem by Laura E. Richards 
22. Easter Message
    
23. Easter Dawn - poem by Frances Ridley Havergal  
24. The First Easter
    
25. Easter Organ Music - poem by Harvey B. Gaul 
26. My Easter Bunny
    
27. Song of Easter - poem by Celia Thaxter 
28. Poem "I Wonder" and Butterfly Paper Craft
    
29. Nature's Easter Music - poem by Lucy Larcom 
30. Easter Secret 
31. How Moravians Observe Easter - poem by Charles H, Rominger  
32. Easter's Brightness
    
33. Poem "Awakening" and A Tulip Border Craft - poem by Rose Terry Cook 
34. "Tis Easter Day".
    
35. On Easter Morn - poem by Edith M. Thomas 
36. "Jesus Knew" and Palm Leaf Paper Cut Border
    
37. Russian Easters - Abridged from The Saturday Review 
38. Easter Day
    
39. An Easter Carol - poem by Christina G. Rossetti  
40. Easter Message
    
41. Easter Even - poem by Margaret French Patton
42. Easter Lily 
43. The Barren Easter - poem by Clinton Scollard
44. A Madrigal - poem by Clinton Scollard 
45. The Bells of Kremlin  - by Augustus J. G. C. Hare 
46. Of The Lord's Day and Easter - by William Cave 
47. Poem "Compensation" and Daffodil Border Craft
48. Singing and tweeting all "Easter Week"  - poem by Charles Kingsley
49. The Apparition of Christ to His Mother - poem by Mrs. Jameson
50. Easter - poem by Genevieve M. J. Irons
51. Easter Day - poem by Josephine Rice Creelman 
52. A Glimpse of Easter in the Azores - by Henry Sandham 
53. Egg Rolling at The White House
54. Easter Morning - by Edmund Spenser
55. Easter Wings - poem by George Herbert
56. An Easter Greeting To Every Child Who Loves  Alice" - by Lewis Carroll
57. Easter Lilies - poem by Mary Lowe Dickinson 
58. After Easter - poem by Mary Lowe Dickinson 
59. A letter from Grandpa about Easter eggs and ducks  
60. Easter Sacraments - poem by Henry Park Schauffler
61. The Resurrection, Or Easter Day - poem by George Herbert
62. Easter  - poem by George Herbert
63. The Easter Joy - poem by Margaret E. Sangster
64. Seek Those Things Which Are Above - poem by William Newell
65. Woman's Easter - poem by Lucy Larcom
66. Day Dawn - A Quiet Talk On Easter by S. D. Gordon
67. The Crescent And The Cross - poem by Thomas Baily Aldrich
68. The Easter Message - by Charles E. Hesselgrave
69. An Easter Song - poem by Susan Coolidge
70. Egg Hunt Silhouettes and Vintage Coloring

May Day Index

Queen Guinevere's Maying, by John Collier
Read more about May Day at Wikipedia

       The first of May, or May Day, has been associated with out-of-door festivities from the days of ancient Rome. The Romans were accustomed to hold yearly processions in honor of Flora, a mythological goddess of flowers, between April 28 and May 3, and it is supposed that the beautiful village festivals of medieval England had their origin in this custom. The English maypole set up on the village green the night before May Day, was bedecked in the morning with flowers, which were brought from the woods by happy young people. Especially joyous was the beauty who was chosen queen of the May, and who honored her subjects by dancing with them around the maypole. Tennyson's May Queen gives a charming picture of this form of merry making. Dancing about the maypole is sometimes introduced very effectively into modern entertainments and school programs.

Floral Artifacts For The Celebration of Spring or May 1rst:

1. The May Queen 
2. Song to The Violet 
3. Craft your very own butterfly kite! 
4. On May Morning
5. The Coming of Spring
6. May-Baskets 

Spring Butterflies & Toads from The Easter Egg Crafts Blog:

1. Tulip Table Settings for Easter and Spring  
2. Craft a Simple Butterfly Mask 
3. Craft a Very Hungry Caterpillar  
4. Frogs, Toads and Pollywogs for Spring
5. Repeating Line Butterfly Design
6. The Living Butterfly
7. A Tisket, A Tasket, A Green and Yellow Basket 
8. Needlepoint a Basket of Violets  
9. Create a Butterfly Yarn Picture
10. "Handy" little butterflies
11. Drawing Butterflies Through Five Progressive Steps 
12. Craft Doily Butterflies 

May Day Coloring Sheets:

1. Dancing around a Maypole and The May Pole Dance
2. Happy May Day! from printables4kids
3. Maypole Dancing On May Day Coloring Pages from tocolor.pics

May Day Crafts from Around The Web:

• May Day craft collection from DLTK's
• DIY Beautiful Curly Paper Flowers
• May Day Woven Basket
• Wrap a yarn covered bottle for paper flowers 
• 3D or three dimensional paper vases with flowers
• Paper roll Spring flowers craft

 A Maypole Dance performed at 

The School in Rose Valley by students

The May Queen

The May Queen 

by Lord Alfred  Tennyson

YOU must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear;   
To-morrow 'll be the happiest time of all the glad new-year,--  
Of all the glad new-year, mother, the maddest, merriest day;   
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.   

I sleep so sound all night, mother, that I shall never wake,   
If you do not call me loud when the day begins to break;           
But I must gather knots of flowers and buds, and garlands gay;   
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.       

The night-winds come and go, mother, upon the meadow-grass,   
And the happy stars above them seem to brighten as they pass;   
There will not be a drop of rain the whole of the livelong day;           
And I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.   

So you must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear;   
To-morrow 'll be the happiest time of all the glad new-year;   
To-morrow 'll be of all the year the maddest, merriest day,   
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

Practice drawing with the use of a grid...

Grid superimposed on top of a sketch of horse and cat.

ENLARGING AND REDUCING PICTURES.

       A simple picture may be enlarged by means of clots and dotted lines to guide the eye, as shown on the next page, where we have a number of compound curves applied to vase forms, which are to be reproduced the same size below and enlarged on the opposite page. If, however, the picture is not a single figure, but contains a large amount of detail, it is best to enlarge it by means of squares, as shown just left. To do this, take the original, and divide it into a number of squares, as shown in the small figure. If the picture is desired twice as long as the original make a square twice its dimensions, or, if it is to be reduced and it is desired to have it only half the length of the copy, then the square should be made only one-half the dimensions of the original. For instance, Fig. above, left is a small picture, which measures two and one-half inches long by two inches wide. We want a picture five inches long, consequently, we draw a square twice the dimensions of the small picture, or five inches long by four inches wide. This large square is now divided into five squares in length by four squares in width, or just the same number as have been made on the copy, but, of course, those are proportionately smaller.
       The eye and hand now have a guide, and by noting the relative position of the outlines in the original to the corners and edges of the squares, and by carefully following this guide an enlarged picture, correctly proportioned, may be made.
       In placing the details of the picture care should be taken to place correctly in the enlarged picture according to their position in the copy. If the eye of the horse is in the corner of a square in the small picture, a correspondingly large one should be similarly placed in the enlarged picture. The cat's tail extends to the upper line of the third row of squares in the original, and should do the same in the reproduction. In drawing the horse's ears, note the proportion of the small square that is covered by them, and by following the same proportions in the large square, they may be accurately enlarged.
       To reduce a picture, make a square the size desired; divide it into squares, and the copy into the same number of squares. This will furnish a guide by which any large picture may be accurately reduced to the size desired, the same as in enlarging. Practice on the pictures given, on loose paper, and do not attempt to reproduce on the pages left in this book until creditable work can be done. Cline

Above you can see the sample grid drawings that I've made from pictures cut and laminated from magazines.
Students may use these to practice enlarging and reducing images on grids during free drawing time in the art classroom.

A Glimpse of Easter In The Azores

       Even the gray Lenten season wraps carnival's domino over its sackcloth and ashes for these people whose grace turns all to favor and prettiness; only the inevitable statues of the tortured Christ remind one of the season, and soon wounds and bruises are hidden by violets, heliotrope, and pansies (aniores perfeitos, they call them). To fast when one may feast is, in Azorean creed, lack of gratitude to a very good God, so Holy Thursday is a beautiful feast called Almond day, when one eats almond-sweets till he positively sickens at the shrill cry of almond-venders, which goes up from dawn till midnight.

       Good Friday is supposed to be the day of mourning, and in the churches the closing scenes of the Calvary tragedy are enacted. The three crosses rise on a rocky mound before the veiled high altar, whereon life-sized dummy figures are crucified by aid of pulleys and ropes and mechanical devices. The entombment takes place at a side altar, converted into a garden for the purpose, where life-sized figures in armor represent Roman sentinels. The Saturday continues Friday's gloom and darkness with the aid of much dreary chanting, till just at the hour of noon, when the droning clergy, marching round the church, pause before the chapel of the tomb in an instant's silence, there comes a cry of wonder at the discovery of the empty grave, and simultaneously with the cry the veils fall from the altars, and pictures, and the black curtains from the windows, letting a flood of light pour down on the crowded, excited people. The long-silent organ augmented by choir and orchestra, breaks out in triumph, the half-masted flags of the city run to the mast-head, and all the bells clash out their paean of joy. Henry Sandham

Easter Procession

Easter Index/ Previous Page/ Next Page

Easter Day

Green grassy cross for Easter morning.

Easter Day

by Josephine Rice Creelman

Morning
Oh, Easter anthems gladly sing.
Let all the bells from towers ring.
And sun dispel with brightening rays.
The darkness of the Passion days !
Fair lilies with their crystal light
And eager, joyous greetings bright
Proclaim the Lord has risen again,
And put asunder death and pain !

Evening
Now sweet the sound of Vesper-bells,
The hour of evening prayer foretells,
And comes a benediction calm,
That robs the soul of all alarm,
The sky has faded in the west.
The world sinks to its peaceful rest.
The Vesper Star a taper-light.
Shines through the dark of Easter night!

Easter Index/ Previous Page/ Next Page

Easter

Easter

by Genevieve M. J. Irons

Deep in yon garden-shade
The life of all is laid
In death's calm sleep;
Armed soldiers waiting near,
Amazed and full of fear,
Their vigil keep.
Angels, and stars, and the fair moon above.
Look down in silent awe and reverent love.

Through the dark cypress-trees
The gentle midnight breeze
Sighs a low wail;
Breath from the dewy ground
O'er the green earth around
Spreads a soft veil;
Each glade and valley, mountain, dale, and hill,
Echoes the solemn whisper, "Peace, be still."

Hushed Nature sinks to rest,
And on her Maker's breast
She falls asleep ;
Released from human woes.
The Almighty finds repose
In slumber deep ;
But saints are watching through the silent night.
In eager patience waiting for the light.

The mother undefiled
Is pondering on her Child,
Now crucified;
And through her tearless dreams
The cross in radiance beams,
Whereon he died.
Bright visions dawn. Behold ! the darkness flies,
Resplendent from the grave she sees him rise.

John the Beloved stands by,
Gazing with wondering eye
At Mary's smile ;
And angels at the sight,
Pause in their heavenward flight.
To muse awhile.
Yet the sun hides itself in dim eclipse,
While he awaits his full apocalypse.

Peter, who thrice denied
The Master at his side.
The Lord of all.
With penitential tears
And deep heart-searching fears.
Bewails his fall.
There, as he weeps in bitter grief apart,
His Savior's look speaks comfort to his heart.

The lowly Magdalene
(Of penitents the queen)
Waits for the morn.
When in that cave so still
Her task she may fulfill
Of love forlorn;
And first to her Christ risen shall appear,
Though in a form unknown he draweth near.

While he who longed to die
With Christ on Calvary,
Whose love devout
His Master proved and tried
By heartfelt prayer denied,
Must wait in doubt ;
Eight days of solemn gloom in darkness past,
On trustful Thomas he will shine at last.

But lo, the Sabbath ends !
Nocturn with matins blends.
The morning breaks ;
The shadows flee away
Before the rising day,
And Christ awakes !
Angels proclaim the anthem far and near,
" Ye seek your risen Lord; he is not here."

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The Apparition of Christ To His Mother

       The enthusiastic and increasing veneration for the Madonna, the large place she filled in the religious teaching of the ecclesiastics and the religious sentiments of the people, are nowhere more apparent, nor more strikingly exhibited, than in the manner in which she was associated with the scenes which followed the Passion; -- the manner in which some incidents were suggested, and treated with a peculiar reference to her, and to her maternal feelings. It is nowhere said that the Virgin-mother was one of the Maries who visited the tomb on the morning of the resurrection, and nowhere is she so represented. But out of the human sympathy with that bereaved and longing heart, arose the beautiful legend of the interview between Christ and his Mother after he had risen from the dead.

       There existed a very ancient tradition (it is mentioned by St. Ambrose in the fourth century, as being then generally accepted by Christians), that Christ, after his return from Hades, visited his Mother even before he appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden. . . . The reasoning which led to the conclusion was very simple. He whose last earthly thought was for his mother would not leave her without that consolation it was in his power to give; and what, as a son, it was his duty to do (for the humanity of Christ is never forgotten by those who most intensely believed in his divinity) ; that, of course, he did do.

       The story is thus related: -- Mary, when all was "finished," retired to her chamber, and remained alone with her grief-- not wailing, not repining, not hopeless, but waiting for the fulfillment of the promise. Open before her lay the volume of the prophecies ; and she prayed earnestly, and she said, "Thou didst promise, O my most dear Son! that thou wouldst rise again on the third day. Before yesterday was the day of darkness and bitterness, and, behold, this is the third day. Return then to me thy mother; O my Son, tarry not, but come!" And while thus she prayed, lo! a bright company of angels, who entered waving their palms and radiant with joy ; and they surrounded her, kneeling and singing the triumphant Easter hymn, Regina Coeli Laetare, Alleluia! And then came Christ partly clothed in a white garment, having in his left hand the standard with the cross, as one just returned from the nether world, and victorious over the powers of sin and death. And with him came the patriarchs and prophets, whose long-imprisoned spirits he had released from Hades. All these knelt before the Virgin, and saluted her, and blessed her, and thanked her, because through her had come their deliverance. But, for all this, the Mother was not comforted till she had heard the voice of her Son. Then he, raising his hand in benediction, spoke and said, "I salute thee, O my mother! " and she, weeping tears of joy, responded, " Is it thou indeed, my most dear Son? " and she fell upon his neck, and he embraced her tenderly, and showed her the wounds he had received for sinful man. Then he bade her be comforted and weep no more, for the pain of death had passed away, and the gates of hell had not prevailed against him. And she thanked him meekly on her knees, for that he had been pleased to bring redemption to man, and to make her the humble instrument of his great mercy. And they sat and talked together, until he took leave of her to return to the garden, and to show himself to Mary Magdalene, who, next to his glorious mother, had most need of consolation. by Mrs. Jameson

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"Easter Week" full of singing and tweeting...

Easter Week

by Charles Kingsley

See the land, her Easter keeping,
Rises as her Maker rose.
Seeds, so long in darkness sleeping,
Burst at last from winter snows.
Earth with heaven above rejoices,
Fields and gardens hail the spring;
Shaughs and woodlands ring with voices,
While the wild birds build and sing.

You to whom your Maker granted
Powers to those sweet birds unknown,
Use the craft by God implanted;
Use the reason not your own.
Here, while heaven and earth rejoices,
Each his Easter tribute bring --
Work of fingers, chant of voices.
Like the birds who build and sing. 

 

        Now draw some birds in their nest in just a few steps, 1, 2, 3... They are singing a new Spring song to celebrate Easter morning for you, God and me!

It's really lots
Of fun to draw;
So let's put down
Some things I saw.

Sketch half a circle
Like this one;
Then several small ones
When that's done.

Some crooked lines,
An eye or two;
And two small birds
Peep out at you.

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Poem "Compensation" and A Daffodil Border Craft

Compensation

by an unknown English poet

The graves grow thicker, and life's ways more bare,

As years on years go by:

Nay, thou hast more green gardens in thy care.

And more stars in thy sky!

Behind, hopes turned to grief, and joy to memories.

Are fading out of sight ;

Before, pains changed to peace, and dreams to cer-

tainties,

Are glowing in God's light.

Hither come backslidings, defeats, distresses,

Vexing this mortal strife;

Thither go progress, victories, successes,

Crowning immortal life.

Few jubilees, few gladsome, festive hours,

Form landmarks for my way;

But heaven and earth, and saints and friends and

flowers,

Are keeping Easter Day! 

 

 Cut an Easter daffodil paper boarder to decorate your home or classroom for Easter.

 

 

       Download and print out the pattern below. The dotted lines indicate where the image will be folded to continue the daffodil silhouette seamlessly after it is unfolded. The number of images "linked" together in one continuous chain is determined by the length of the paper being cut. Use a very thin paper to make your cutting easier. Cut away the areas indicated by the design. (see image above and read text on the pattern below. This paper-cut may be used as a border around a Easter bulletin board in a classroom or as a paper chain for a shelf if you like.

 

An Easter daffodil template/pattern.

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Of The Lord's Day and Easter

       Time is a circumstance no less inseparable from religious actions than place, for man consisting of a soul and body cannot always be actually engaged in the service of God: that is the privilege of angels, and souls freed from the fetters of mortality. So long as we are here, we must worship God with respect to our present state, and consequently of necessity have some definite and particular time to do it in. Now, that a man might not be left to a floating uncertainty in a matter of so great importance, in all ages and nations men have been guided by the very dictates of nature to pitch upon some certain seasons, wherein to assemble and meet together to perform the public offices of religion. The ancient Christians ever had their peculiar seasons, their solemn and stated times of meeting together to perform the common duties of divine worship; of which, the Lord's-day challenges the precedency of all the rest. . . .

       The name of this day of public worship is sometimes, especially by Justin Martyr and Tertullian, called Sunday, because it happened upon that day of the week which by the heathens was dedicated to the sun; and therefore, as being best known to them, the Fathers commonly made use of it in their Apologies to the heathen governors. This title continued after the world became Christian, and seldom it is that it passes under any other name in the imperial edicts of the first Christian emperors. But the more proper and prevailing name was Dies Dominica, the Lord's- day, as it was called by St. John himself, as being that day of the week whereon our Lord made his triumphant return from the dead. This, Justin Martyr assures us, was the original of the title. " Upon Sunday," he says," we all assemble and meet together, as being the first day wherein God, parting the darkness from the rude chaos, created the world, and the same day whereon Jesus Christ our Savior rose again from the dead; for he was crucified the day before Saturday, and the day after (which is Sunday) he appeared to his apostles and disciples ": by this means observing a kind of analogy and proportion with the Jewish Sabbath, which had been instituted by God himself. For as that day was kept as a commemoration of God's Sabbath, or resting from the work of creation, so was this set apart to religious uses, as the solemn memorial of Christ's resting from the work of our redemption in this world, completed upon the day of his resurrection. Which brings into my mind that custom of theirs so universally common in those days, that whereas at other times they kneeled at prayers, on the Lord's-day they always prayed standing, as is expressly affirmed both by Justin Martyr and Tertullian ; the reason of which we find in the authors of the Questions and Answers in Justin Martyr. "It is," says he, "that by this means we may be put in mind both of our fall by sin, and our resurrection or restitution by the grace of Christ; that for six days we pray upon our knees, as in token of our fall by sin; but that on the Lord's-day we do not bow the knee, does symbolically represent our resurrection by which through the grace of Christ we are delivered from our sins, and the power of death." This, he there tells us, was a custom derived from the very times of the apostles, for which he cites Irenaeus in his book concerning Easter ; and this custom was maintained with so much vigor, that, when some began to neglect it, the great council of Nice took notice of it, and ordained that there should be a constant uniformity in this case, and that on the Lord's-day (and at such times as were usual) men should stand when they made their prayers to God. So fit and reasonable did they think it to do all possible honor to that day on which Christ rose from the dead. Therefore we may observe, all along in the sacred story, that after Christ's resurrection the apostles and the primitive Christians did especially assemble upon the first day of the week: and, whatever they might do at other times, yet there are many passages that intimate that the first day of the week was their most solemn time of meeting. . . .

       They looked upon the Lord's-day as a time to be celebrated with great expressions of joy, as being the happy memory of Christ's resurrection, and accordingly restrained whatever might savor of sorrow and sadness. Fasting on that day they prohibited with the greatest severity, accounting it utterly unlawful, as Tertullian informs us. . . . They never fasted on that day, no, not in the time of Lent itself; nay, the Montanists, though otherwise great pretenders to fasting and mortification, did yet abstain from it on the Lord's-day. And, as they accounted it a joyful and good day, so they did whatever they thought might contribute to the honor of it. No sooner was Constantine come over the church but his principle care was about the Lord's-day. He commanded it to be solemnly observed, and that by all persons whatsoever. He made it to all a day of rest; that men might have nothing to do but to worship God, and be better instructed in the Christian faith, and spend their whole time without anything to hinder them in prayer and devotion, according to the custom and discipline of the church. And for those in his army, who yet remained in their paganism and infidelity, he commanded them upon the Lord's-day to go into the fields, and there pour out their souls in hearty prayers to God; and that none might pretend their own inability to the duty, he him- self composed and gave them a short form of prayer, which he enjoined them to make use of every Lord's- day: so careful was he that this day should not be dishonored or misemployed, even by those who were yet strangers and enemies to Christianity. He more- over ordained that there should be no courts of judicature open upon this day, no suits or trials at law; but that for any works of mercy, such as emancipating and setting free of slaves or servants, this might be done. That there should be no suits nor demanding debts upon this day, was confirmed by several laws of succeeding emperors. . . . Theodosius the Great, anno 386, by a second law ratified one he had passed long before, wherein he expressly prohibited all public shows upon the Lord's-day, that the worship of God might not be confounded with those profane solemnities. This law the younger Theodosius some years after confirmed and enlarged, enacting, that on the Lord's-day not only Christians, but even Jews and heathens, should be restrained from the pleasure of all sights and spectacles, and the theaters be shut up in every place ; and whereas it might so happen that the birthday or inauguration of the emperor might fall upon that day, therefore to let the people know how infinitely he preferred the honor of God, before the concerns of his own majesty and greatness, he commanded that the imperial solemnity should be put off till another day.

       The early Christians did not think it enough to read and pray and praise God at home, but made conscience of appearing in the public assemblies, from which nothing but sickness and absolute necessity did detain them: and if sick, or in prison, or under banishment, nothing troubled them more than that they could not come to church, and join their devotions to the common services. If persecution at any time forced them to keep a little close, yet no sooner was there the least mitigation, but they presently returned to their open duty, and publicly met all together. No trivial pretenses, no light excuses, were then admitted for any one's absence from the congregation, but, according to the merit of the cause, severe censures were passed upon them. The synod of Illiberis provided that if any man dwelling in a city (where usually churches were nearest hand) should for three Lord's-days absent himself from the church, he should for some time be suspended the communion, that he might appear to be corrected for his fault. William Cave

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Russian Easters, 1916

       Easter begins with a midnight service; but on the evening before, samples of the principal dishes to be used on the following day are brought into the church or placed on the outside steps, in order that they may share the blessing. Among these, truncated pyramids of curds and colored eggs are conspicuous. The streets are deserted, except in the neighborhood of the sacred buildings ; but these are filled to overflowing on this one occasion in the year, so that in the larger towns late comers must be content to view the ceremonies through the glass screen with which the more important churches are provided. At St. Petersburg all the higher officials are expected to attend the Imperial Chapel, which is not large enough to contain a tenth of their number. The rest walk up and down, and form a kind of conversazione outside. All through Passion Week the services have been gloomy, the altar has been denuded of its ornaments, and the priests have appeared only in black robes. Even on Easter Eve only such lamps are lighted as are absolutely necessary to allow the worshipers to take their places in an orderly way. As soon as midnight is past the priests appear in white garments, intoning the Easter hymn; and, when the tones are heard, the altar and the whole building are brilliantly lighted, as suddenly as the means at the disposal of the authorities will permit. The exterior of the building is also illuminated, and where but a few minutes before all was darkness and gloom there is now a little island of light. The men are dressed in their best clothes, the women are all in white. After some ceremonies, the procession of priests passes down the aisle and round the exterior of the building. Everywhere the greeting " Christ hath risen," with the response "Yea, He hath risen," may be heard; and the customary three kisses are given. Lent is over, and Easter has begun. The service, including the blessing of the food and the first Easter Mass, lasts till between two and three; after it is finished, the families return to their homes to break their long fast, and invite such of their friends as they may meet to accompany them. A large table is spread in the greatest room with all the delicacies and customary dishes of the season. In the good old times it was expected that the higher nobles should keep it fully furnished till Whitsuntide, and every one who entered the house was welcome to eat what he would standing by it ; but this custom has fallen into disuse, except perhaps in the most distant districts.

      The peasantry, hospitable as they are always, and more especially at this season of the year, cannot, of course, indulge in such excessive display; but they have observances of their own, particularly in Southern Russia. Before he goes to church with all his family, the countryman must take care that some log is left burning in the stove, or some lamp before the image of a saint, at which the Easter candles can be lighted. To forget this is not only to bring ill luck upon the house, but also to show oneself religiously indifferent ; in short, to be a most objectionable kind of person. Yet even for this sin there is forgiveness. . .

       Whenever a few compatriots are gathered together, when the Russian Easter comes, whatever their political or religious opinions may be, the old table will be spread, the old greetings will be exchanged, and the old dishes as far as possible reproduced or imitated; for, quite apart from the religious aspect of the festival, Easter is for the Russian what Christmas is for the German -- above all things, a family gathering. Both are celebrated with pomp at Court, both are duly commemorated in church, but it is not in these facts that their attraction consists. They are loved and ob- served because they recall memories of childhood -- and because they furnish a yearly opportunity of renewing old friendships and making up new differences.

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The Bells of Kremlin

       Though the tower of Ivan Veliki is the finest belfry in Russia, it has no special beauty, but being two hundred and sixty-nine feet high, towers finely above all the other buildings of the Kremlin in the distant views. Halfway up is a gallery, whence the sovereigns from Boris to Peter the Great used to harangue the people. The exquisite bells are only heard in perfection on Easter Eve at midnight. On the preceding Sunday (Palm Sunday) the people have resorted in crowds to the Kremlin to buy branches, artificial flowers, and boughs with waxen fruits to hang before their icons. On Holy Thursday the Metropolitan has washed the feet of twelve men, representing the Apostles, in the cathedral, using the dialogue recorded in John xii. Then at midnight on Easter Eve the great bell sounds, followed by every other bell in Moscow; the whole city blazes into light; the tower of Ivan Veliki is illuminated from its foundation to the cross on its summit. The square below is filled with a motley throng, and around the churches are piles of Easter cakes, each with a taper stuck in it, waiting for a blessing. The interior of the Church of the Rest of the Virgin is thronged by a vast multitude bearing waxed tapers. The Metropolitan and his clergy, in robes blazing with gold and precious stones, have made the external circuit of the church three times, and then, through the great doors, have advanced towards the throne between myriads of lights. No words can describe the colors, the blaze, the roar of the universal chant. Descending from the throne, the Metropolitan has incensed the clergy and the people, and the clergy have incensed the Metropolitan, whilst the spectators have bowed and crossed themselves incessantly. After a service of two hours the Metropolitan has advanced, holding a cross which the people have thronged to kiss. He has then retired to sanctuary, whence, as Ivan Veliki begins to toll, followed by a peal from a thousand bells announcing the stroke of midnight, he emerges in a plain purple robe, and announces, "Christos voscres!" Christ is risen. Then kisses of love are universally exchanged, and, most remarkable of all the Metropolitan, on his hands and knees, crawls around the church kissing the icons on the walls, the altars, and the tombs, and, through their then opened sepulchers, the incorruptible bodies of the saints. After this no meetings take place without the salutation "Christos voscres," and the answer, "Vo istine voscres " (He is risen). Augustus J. G. C. Hare

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A Madrigal

A Madrigal

by Clinton Scollard

Easter-glow and Easter-gleam !

Lyric laughter from the stream

That between its banks so long

Murmured such a cheerless song;

Stirrings faint and fine and thin

Every woodsy place within ;

Root and tendril, bough and bole.

Rousing with a throb of soul ;

The old ecstasy awake

In the briar and the brake;

Blue-bird raptures -- dip and run --

And the robin-antiphon ;

Tingling air and trembling earth,

And the crystal cup of mirth

Brimmed and lifted to the lip

For each one of us to sip.

Dream! -- 'tis something more than dream,

Easter-glow and Easter-gleam!

Prescience 'tis, and prophecy

Of the wonder that shall be

When the spirit leaps to light

After death's heimal night!

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The Barren Easter

Parable of the seed sower. Those who sow
seed do not always harvest, but must wait
to see God's rewards in the here after.

The Barren Easter

by Clinton Scollard

It was the barren Easter,

And o'er Pamello plain,

Where'er the sweeping eye might rove,

From beechen grove to beechen grove.

Greened neither grass nor grain.

It was the barren Easter;

By vale and windy hill,

Where blossoms tossed on yester year,

Now bourgeoned no narcissus spear,

And glowed no daffodil.

It was the barren Easter,

And toward the grinding-floor,

A store of wheat within his pack,

Along the dreary meadow-track

Went good Saint Isadore.

It was the barren Easter,

And when the sweet saint came

To where a mighty live-oak spread,

A host of wrens and starlings red

Seemed crying out his name.

It was the barren Easter,

And to his ears their cry

Rang plaintively, "O Isadore,

Grant us thy pity, we implore!

Give succor, or we die! "

It was the barren Easter

When wide he flung his store.

And all the feathered folk of air

Sped whirring downward for their share

From kind Saint Isadore.

It was the barren Easter

And onward to the mill

Along the dreary meadow-track.

The empty bags within his pack,

The good saint plodded still.

It was the barren Easter;

He scarce knew why he went,

Save that he did not dare return

To face his master, grim and stem.

Now all his grain was spent.

It was the barren Easter;

When at the miller's feet

He cast the sacks in dull despair,

Behold, he saw them open there

Abrim with golden wheat !

It was the barren Easter;

Oh, meager are men's words

To tell how He that rose that day.

And drove the wraith of Death away,

Helped him who fed the birds!

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