The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1889-04-19

shiny redness, and in Immediately white
and stiff pinaforcs that will be sadly discol-
ored and limp before the day is donel Tots
in patched dresses and little pink toes peeping
through their shoes, but happy as chipmunks
on all autumn day! Pickaninny tots. with
faces as black as Michigan soil, hopping and
Skipping with understandable gleel Smutcb
faced totsi Gartercss tots, with stockings
hanging down. But ill Of them deiriously
happy totsl
1t is Easter Monday in Washington, and
the children arc Oh their way to tho White
House grounds to spend the day.
Tho children of Washington have more
genuinely enjoyable time on Easter Monday
than during all Of tho Christmas holidays.
They look forward TO it as the greatest event
of the year: True, during the Christmas
season they are given any amount of plum
pudding, mince pic, turkey and pink and
yellow candy, but the close Of the festivities
usually finds them in u condition Of satiated
disgust and they secretly wish tho thing we're
over.
Easter Monday does not consist i'll the
munching of inciigestibles. 1t is simply
grand roEnp on the undulating lawns sur
rounding the mansion OF the nations presi-
dent
Washington is always beautiful in the
Easter season, The rains Of the early sprins,
have ceaael, and tree and flower havo sud
denly burst into bloom. The air is filled with
the perfume Of the hyacinths that are SO
plentiful in TIN. parks, and tho lilacs, dandc-
lions and snowball5 insert their rich colors in
tho most radiant spring Kaleidoscope to be
seen III the United States. The grounds sur
rounding tho White House arc beautiful in
design and coloring, and tho spectacle of
| thousands Of children dancing over them,
bathc,l in the warm light of the spring sun, is
one Of exquisite picturesqueness The groups
! Of todl!ers tend rs far over as tho Washing
| ton monument, which looks li;o q gigantic
! marble finger pointing into space. Most Of
| tho children with the parents or nurses,
| but it requires the most careful watching to
| Keep the young ones from getting lost in the
ever moving crowd. The children, most Of
whom arc provided with u little fancy basket
Of variously colored eggs roll them down the
slopes of tho many mounds on tho grounds,
and when they are broken they distribute
| them among tho numerous ragged bootblacks
and homeless urchins who stand around and
| eat an enormous number Of eggs without
| turning 4 hair.
In this common playground n!l distinctions
of race. color and previous and present con
tlitou are raZed to the earth. Tho before
mentioned aiiiuent tots will roll and romE
and crack cggs With the contingent from
Toddedo,n in Swampdoodio (one Of Wash
| ingtons rough spots, and before the day j.
over their mothers arc talking contidentinlly
together, comparing tho various points oi
their progeny.
Tho lady Of tho White House usually min
giles with tho children for an hour or SO or
Easter Monday Nellie Arthur, the daugh
ter of the late ex- President Arthur, used tt
tako part in tho egg rolling games herself
Mrs Cleveland ALWAYS made it a point to ot
among tho children on tho White Lot OF
Easter Monday, and would amuso them ant
coddle and coax them with q skill that wa
tho admiration of all tho newspaper CORE
spoudents in Washington.
The spectacle of this most beautiful o
White House mistresses carrying n lttl
ragged girl on her shoulders, Or taking
bunch of voets from her dress to give to
littlo boy who asked for them, would maxi
striking enough pictures to hang on tho wall
OF tho executive mansion. When Gen Gran
was president he used to stroll out to n henc]
in tho White Lot, whero he would sit, putin!
ut Il cigar and watching tho antics of tn
children. Tho fun is kept up without cessa
ton from early morning until darkness be
gins to fall, when tho children, thorough
played out but with Il healthy glow in thei
checks are marched OFT to homo and to bee!
1t takes some days for tho gardeners of til
White House to clear tho grounds of og;
shells
1t is not in the White Lot alono that th2s
Easter egg rollinss take place, but in all of th
larger parks of tho city. Thospacious ground
surrounding tho Capitol used to be n grea
place for the children, but tho great narbl
terrace which is now being completed ha
spoiled the hill for egg rolling.
CLARENCE L. CULLEN.