SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1921. EASTERTIDE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 26 March 1921, Page 4

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1921. EASTERTIDE.

—♦ 2 As the great festivals of our Christian religion come round each year, we wonderif the great majority o f people realise their importance and'the enor ous influence which, :jn spite of individual neglect, and carelessness, they nave for centuries exercised upon the human, race. Yesterday Christian people throughout the .world reverently and >in quiet thought kept in remembrance the attempt of the forces of evil to destroy the Perfect Man; to-morrow, the thoughts of all Christians dwell upon the wonderful victory of Life over Death, the great enemy of the human race. We 'believe that this would- be a wretched world indeed were it not for the 'belief of millions of people in the power of the Resurrection. For if mortal death meant the final cutting off of all human progress and development, then would we be hopeless creatures and most miserable. Man feels, though he cannot perhaps explain it, that he ;s possessed of something far more important than just the breath of life which is common to all animals; he cannot satisfy himself with a thought that death means the com--1 plete ending of his existence. And feecause Jihe. innate feeling of immortality is so strong, so persisting, man in his ibest moments strives to develop and progress. Easter with its glorious message speaks plainly of the triumph of Him whose -birthday each year is hailed with, happy thoughts and feelings of thankfulness, and we think that those who welcome each succeeding Christmas would be illogical if they did not observe with reverence Good Friday and look forward with great gladness to Easter Day, with its message of victory and immortality. Pos-1 sibly there may ibe some people who fail to realise that the progress of the British people has a very close connection with their widespread belief in the teachings of the Christian festivals, but do we not owe it to our adherence to Christian principles that our Empire is to-day held in the greatest honour hy all the world? Did not our .noblest men give their lives to save civilisation from destruction by the powers of evil? Was it not because true British men and women longed for the victory of Right over Might that they passed through those awful agonies of the battlefield? Probably there were many people who, at the time, did-not recognise that the desire

and power to defend the Right had their :birth in the lessons of Christianity. Yet we 4o not .believe that such noble sacrifice, such cheerfulness in extreme suffering, and such forbearance in the hour of victory, would have been possible had it not Ibeen that our soldiers were influenced by the great Christian festivals. The war found our people ready to make very great sacrifices, and selfishness was for the time being Vanished. Thought and work for others, to save mankind from the destroying power of militarism, were uppermost in the minds and hearts of the great majority of the people. By subjecting our bodies and minds to needful discipline our nation and its Allies were able to triumph. But we regret to say that, glorious as was that victory,' many people seem at the present time to have forgotten that life is something far greater than just a materialistic existence; they have, alas, turned their attention mainly to money-mak-1 ing and pleasures; and a much lower standard is noticeable than when Easter Day dawned three years ago. By noible sacrifice the. Prussian armies were defeated; it is only Iby similar sacrifice that we shall defeat the more subtle forces that are threatening our national and individual welfare. The great enemy of the nations to-day is materialism, and unless (people determine as they did during the war to give more attention to high and noßle principles we fear that there will ibe a sad weakening of our national life. Money and pleasures should surely not be the only goal of people whose kith and kin made such enormous sacrifices to defend" noble principles. There is far more to live for than the continual struggle to gain money ;and ease and comfort. Let us all resolve this Eastertide to live for the good that we can do in the/world, for the upholding of justice and freedom, and for the progress and development of those principles which have enabled our nation to reach such a place of honour on .the world. If we do that there will oe no selfish efforts to wring unfair profits from the pockets of the people; fhere will flbe no go slow policies or strikes or demands for unreasonable increases in wages. There may ibe some people who may think that the Christian festivals are a'ighfly observed Oby holiday-making, hut <t?hat their teachings are of no value in this age. We believe, however, that the time will come when, having tried all manner of theories and failed to reach the goal, the civilised nations of the world will find that progress and development are only possible, by the practice of the great principles of Christianity. Try as they will men and women cannot make progress unless they live up to those noble principles given to the world iby Him whose Resurrection .proclaimed the victory over man's greatest enemy. ■