The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-03-31
OTTAWA FREE IRA DER; SATURDAY, MARCH 81, 1877.


Easter Eggs.
One OF the eggcellept sells that were wont to
be perpctrated by good mammas on very good
little boys was the story that Easter eggs, OF
which he found his hat full on Easter morning,
were laid by good little rabbits; and the good
little boys were as bounden to believe the "o'er
strange tale" as implicitly as they did that OF
Santa Claus still 1t had q suspicious look, very
1t was passi. strange that rabbits should lay
but once year. and eggs so very like men g.
and marked SO very like the pattern OF the ser
want girls dress. Still If French translator
could believe that "Love's last shift IN English
meant "La de,7.ie, cI.eD.t~ de rdnloui" in French.
there is no telling what an innocent child Will
not believe
All skepticsm regarding the origin of the
eggs, however, was soon cast aside in the limo
cent gambling game Of "pitting" egg against
egg-the egg having its shell broken going to
the breaker. This was high old fun, till some
advanced" youth made an egg of maple or other
hard wood, which rather dampened the ardor Of
the uninitated, for in a short time one or two
boys with wooden eggs would own all the hens
eggs in the settlement We imagine this Yankee
trick had not q little to do with the breaking up
of the custom, to the sorrow Of grocers and egg
dealers.
The egg is looked upon Us an emblem Of re-
newal, which sufficiently explains its use a,
Easter. The Egyptians held it as an emblem of
the awakening OF life after the deluge the Jews
the Christians as an emblem of Christ's resur.
rection; and its Use in this sense is traced in
most Of the Aryan races, the Pcrsians, Greeks,
Romans, Gauls Sc., &c.
And it may be interesting TO the little ones,
who may still pit" their colored eggs, to know
that away back through hundreds OF years the
Christians Of the East not only colored eggs,
chiefly red, in memory of the blood Of Christi
but also INDUCED in mild species Of gambling
with them IN this same game of "p,ting" In
deed, the practice Of at least cooring eggs has
been nearly as widely spread as christianity
itself, it having been common custom in Spain,
Italy, Provence, Germany, England, dc. In most
of those countries, however, before manmon
had frightened his grasp on young hearts, there,
was but little gambling, the way Of disposing Of.
the eggs being to give thea away outright, or
to swap as in Russia, where the men even
now, after the manner Of the first Christians, gol
from house to house, saying Christ is riscn"-l
Receiving the answer, "lIe is risen indeed" they
embrace, swap eggs and generally wind up their
with big drink of brandy. In
deed, according to Capt Rurpaby, TIE Russians
idea of keeping any Kind OF feast, from the
death Of his mothcr-in-law to Easter Sunday is
in getting most heartily drunk on strong brandy
In England presents Of eggs are still made, the
eggs being beautied by coloring, and by other
such as the scrapin@ of Of the
dye with peninfe in figures or inscriptions;
the eggs thus Ornamcuted, which are especially
beautiful or dear for the donors sake, are often
for years in memory OF the lost days
of youth" especially by the girls, whose senti-
revolts against the idea of "pittng"
her true lovers eggs against an egg-shapcd
maple fraud.
Ia our own country, however, the egg customs
OF Easter, as well as many other holiday customs
and rural games brought here by our English or
Continental European ancestors, are fast dsap-
pcaring before the march Of American ciyilza.
ton. Whether We are any better for it or wheth-
err, the genial and big hearted Irving suggests,
'thc world is less homebred, social and joyous
than in the old days, is question which we re.
fer to older heads than ours. Certainly We have
gained nothing by this loss Of "thc flavor Of the
honest days Of yore,'
Hoping that this little sketch may induce our
youthful readers to think more of the meaning
Of their colored eggs, and trusting that the gro
GERS will not be so unworldly as to raise the
tariff on either eggs or dyes II the hens did not
ay yesterday, We recommend all to the lines
rom the German;
"All good things are three,
Therefore present you three Easter eggs
Faith and hope, together with charity
And the greatest of these is charity"