Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-05

extent to which the latter practice has
increased of late is almost incredible
and these offerings grow more elaborate
and expensive every year.
1t also customary in England's north
ern counties to deliberately ''engraye'
Easter eggs by scraping off the dye with
a penknife, thus leaving the design IN
white upon colOred ground. The full
name of the decorator, with the date OF
his or her birth, is often recorded in this
| manner, and these eggs, being carefully
preserved for generations as ornaments
TO cupboards and NANTES, would doubt
| less present as reliable evidence of dates
| as the records of a family Bible.
The custom of drinking egg-nogg al
Easter is one that has been peculiar to
certain American cities from their earlier
history. The most careful and patient
inquiry on my part has failed to discover
the origin of this usage. There is no
mention of it in any antiquarian writings
and it has no ancient history, nor any
social or religious significance. 1t is not
practiced in any other country, and
would therefore seem to be a purely
American observance, and it is only in a
few places in our own land that egg-nogg
is directly associated with Easter.
A century or more ago both the Eng
lish clergy and laity used to play ball in
the churches for tansy cakes at Easter
tide. The ball playing, part of this
custom was long since abandoned, but
tansy cakes and buildings are still ia
vorte Easter delicacies in many parts of
England, tansy having been selected
from the bitter herbs eaten by the Jews
at this season. Parish clerks in the
counties of Dorset and Devon leave as
an Easter offering at the house of every
parishOner Immediately after the church
service on Good Friday a large and a
small white cake, having q mingled
sweat and bitter taste. This is evidently
a survival of the "bltter herbs'' of the
Passion supper.
At Coles Hill, in Warwickshire if the
young men of the town can catch a hare
and bring it to the clergyman of the par
ISL before 10 O'Clock on Easter Monday
the good man is bound TO give them a
calf's head and hundred eggs
FOR THEIR BREAKFAST,
together with a "groat" in money.
Americans who have visited Greenwich
Hill, near London, at Easter, are ia
miliar with the sight of young men and
women rolling down the hill together
while locked in each others arms. This
was originally one of the customs of May
day, but has come to be added to those
of Easter.
At Guickenham, England, it was long
customary to divide two large cakes
among the young people in the parish
church, but in 1916 it was directed by
act of parliament that thence forward
there should be bought, in lieu of the
cakes, Ioaves of bread for the parish
poor, and from that time it has been
customary, as it still continues to be, to
throw these loaves from the church
tower, to be scrambled for bv the poor
children on the Thursday following Eas-
ter.
An old English name for Easter is
Good Sunday A quaint old folk
song of the middle ages, almost incom-
prehensible by reason of its obsolete
medieval spelling, gives the following
account Of the origin of that name:
Gwen Cryste soc nekid and forlorne,
Had on ye crosse hys goode lymbes torne,
Wen, three dayes after, all men sayde,
'Thys Cryste VS. rysin frome We dede,
Code sayde, 'mye chyldren, 'tys mye waye,
Ye Gale thy5 alwayes Codes Sondaye. -
In the middle districts of Ireland there
is a superstition that the sun dances in
the heavens on Easter morning. About
s or clock of the previous evening,
called ''Holy Saturday - the wives of
prosperous farmers place many fine fat
hen and choice piece of juicy bacon in
the family pot, and woe betide the
Iuckless wight who ventures TO taste be-
fore the cock crow. At midnight, among
universal expressions Of joy, there are
heard loud cries of "Out with the
Lent" Then after a short period of
merriment, the household retires to rest,
rising again by o clock in the morning
''to see the sun dance. Nor is this
superstition confined to the lower and
middle classes, for l have been assured
by persons of wealth and culture in Ire
land that they have repeatedly seen the
sun dance in the heavens on Easter
The use of flowers to decorate churches
on Easter morning, like many other
Christian usages of our day, is derived
from the Druids-those heather priests
of the early Britons. Those WORTHLESS
were accustomed to make liberal use of
flowers and vines in all their ceremonies
and also employed them freely to deco
rate their heather temples. But the
use too of flowers at Easter has a spec
tally appropriate significance, as they
may very aptly be regarded rs direct
emblems of the resurrection, they hav-
ing risen IN the spring from the earth,
IN which, during the winter they seem to
have been buried.
There is a very old superstition that
abstinence from meat on Easter Sunday
will prevent one from contracting a fever
during the ensuing year.
ION Gods Sunday eat no meat,
Fever shall not make you sweat
Is an old folk rhyme in many parts of
England.
In the middle ages troth plighted on
Easter was regarded as peculiarly sacred,
and 1t was customary for lovers to then
exchange poetical addresses somewhat
after the manner of valentines. The
following, rendered into modern SPELL
ng, is by Athelstane Wade, a folk poet
If the time OF Richard l, and is regarded
Is one OF the best specimens of its kind.
IT'S God Sunday, precious one,
That binds your heart in love to me;
Let US, then, all folly shnD,
Be true, my sweet, as 1 to thee.
Iroth plighted on Christ's rising day
IS sacred, holy, good and true;
Let come to me whatever may,
In life or death / II cling to you. -
-lGEoFFRaY WILLisToN CHRISTINE.
THE MORAVIAN EASTER.