, 1880-03-28

OH elcction-day at the polls may prove most
beneficial to the public interests.
EASTER-M0RN.
The festi:al Of the resurrection OF Christ
will be celebrated throughout Christendom
to-day with appropriate and joyful cereEno-
ny. Every year this queen Of festivals gains
new adhercnts and takes q deeper and
stronger hoid upon the whole Christian
world without regard to sect or creed. AS
will be observed in our religious announce
nlents, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians,
and other denominations, which only few
wears ago made no account Of church fes-
tiy:lls, will to-day enjoy full programs Of
Easter music, and mark their observance Of
the joyful occasion with floral tributes; and
there is probably hardly household so
heathenish that the Easter egg, with its
pleasant symbolism, will not find place III
1.-THE dimensions and expense Of the egg
varying with the dimensions of the family
purse, solne Of them being of a size and
elaboratencss of contents that would aston
ISL the most devotional hen, while others
would be easily recognized by her notwltll-
standing their gaudily-colored dress. It is
a pleasant superstition that the sun will
dance III the sky to-day,-an apt counterpart
to the singing Of the mor1lingestars when
Christ was borny though at the present writ
ing the heavens portend that If the sun does
indulge in that eccentric feat, it will be pus
seul not visible to the naked eye In some
parts of England a gene Of .ball between
municipal corporations Is 4 fayorit Easter
sport, and at Bury St. Edmunds twelve old
women keep up the practice with due ell
thusiasn1, if not with the strength and agility
of the clubs iu the League. In various parts
of the world, more particularly within the
jurisdiction of the Greek Church, the Christian
brethren will salute each other with kiss.
It is not likely that the practice will prevail
to any extent in the New World, owing to
very natural prejudices, and to the opinion
of men in general that a man is not kissable
object under any circumstances. LII certain
parts Of England. however, a very beautiful
practice obtained,-the men parading the
streets on Easter-mOrlling and claiming the
priyilegeof lifting each woman they met three
times, receiving In payment kiss or silver
sixpence, and the women doing the same to
the men the next day. The inauguration Of
such custom in our own country would
make Easter notable festival, and, although
the large men would have a decided adj
vantage over the small ones in the way of
lifting, the latter would undoubtedly make Il
strenuous effort to earn their compensation,
however weigEty the female avofrdupols,
while the average little woman would try
with equal spirit and nerve at the male be-
ing, though he should be as big as Samson.
Among mercenary people like the English
unquestionably much Of the compensation
was taken in sixpences, but among the more
gallant and generous Americans the sixpences
collected on Easter, with such an option before
them, would not materially aid the mission
ary cause. There are, perhaps, few sordid,
lazy hulks who would demand cash down
from very light women, but the large ma
jority would take their pay in OSCILLATION
without protfering change. The practice
would also lend Il picturesque appearance
to our streets, especially in the vicinity Of
dry-goods stores and other places Of female
resort In such places the rule Of three
would, of course, be insisted upon, owing to
the amount Of labor to be performed; but in
secluded spots, remote from public view, this
lifting would probably be prolonged until
the compensation grew stale. The practice
would also. give the fair sex a chance to
compare records of lifts, as it does New
Years calls, while Its humorous phase
comes out in strong light as one contem-
plates the spectacle Of little man strug-
CLING and kicking i'll the air in the clutches
of an Amazon who tosses him up with ease
and salutes him with smack that resounds
like a six-pounder. or, vice versa, Of little
woman held firmly up to the rack three
times by some Colossus and shrieking her
remonstrances.
It is one Of the pretty features of this day
that the female sex will blossom out, like the
flowers, in all their gay colors and new
spring styles. AS the butterfly, Respondent
with rainbow hues, emerges from the dull
clod of the chrysalis, so Ar1minta will
emerge from the soberness and proprieties of
Lent bright with gay colors. The ashes are
carefully combed out of her name. The
sackcioth is laid away for another year. She
comes out Of her cell, where she has morti-
fed the flesh and done penance for her capti-
waiting little sins, like a new creature, fully
prepared for another season of reTel, and
ready to plunge into the designations OF the
world with fresh zest and an appetite all the
keener for her long period Of abstinence.
The churches will be beautiful with their
floral tributes and gay with the richness Of
apparel Of worshipers, but the service
will suffer from the worldly duties
that must be performed in the way of
comparing bonnets, studying styles, and esti
mating expense, and if Araminta finds that
Jessica outshines her, it is not likely that the
music of the Easter anthems or the conven-
tional appeals of the minister will fall upon
very sy1npathizing ears She can hardly feel
that she is a success if she is eclipsed by her
neighbor. But these are only temporary
pangs, and in few Sundays she will warble
her responses as devoutly and sweet]y as it
there were no such yanities in the world as
new spring hats. On this day, also, the
frisky young fellow of the other sex will
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