The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-04-13
A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT.
The Easter-Monday Egg-Rolling in the
White House Grounds.

The Easter-Monday Egg ROLLING IN the
White House Grounds.
Easter Monday is as much of festival as
Christmas in Washington, and when about II
o'clock the April skies cleared the horse-cars
bore many happy mothers and merry children to
the White House grounds. The children were of
every age, nationality, and color, each bearin
a tiny basket of gayly-colored eggs, or box
full Of them, while mammas were loaded up
with shawls, lunch baskets, umbrellas, and
baby in arms. Thousands were present this
season where there were hundreds few years
ago. Picnics were improvsed on the grass, the
friendly shelter Of clumps of shrubbery screen
ing from sun and the wind. The President at
l o'clock received few thousand in the East
Room before going out on the portico. Among
others received was one little chap, less than
year old, who bawled dismally until he had
been presented to the Chief Magistrate, when
he proceeded to behave beautifully, dropping
off to sleep as mild as lamb Four genera
tions Of the Presidents family were happily
grouped on the south portico. The President
had little Benjaman 10y the hand, and he stood
mupon the pedestal of the column, where the
little man, in gray overcoat, waved his tiny
hand and handkerchief in baby greeting. 1t
was hard to tell which was most entitled to the
complimentary shout-Benjamin Sr., or Ben
iamin, Jr. Grandpa Scott, Mrs. Harrison, and
Mrs Mckee represented three-fourths of the
family genealogy, which little Benia min COM
pleted. Mrs. Russell Harrison and her pretty
baby, Marthena, and Cousin Mary were present.
The fresh grass was dappled over with colored
egg-shells and umbrellas of all the hues of the
rainbow, with here and there toy balloon
| bobbing up and down. The gay coats of the
Marine Band made picturesque color scene
| worth going far to see. rolling was in
dulged in to limited extent only on the west
| side terraces, where the vigilant police, after
| winling at it few times, felt bound to vindi-
cate the majesty of the law by singing out,
| "What's that baby doin' down there by the
fence? What you chaps doin' pickin' eggs and
rollin them under this wire? Come out here
| fore / rest you - And out would crawl a half
dozen frightened little gamins from under the
| guarding wire, and sit them down discon-
solately until the ''copn made off, when they
coolly resumed the old-time sport, which is fa-
miliar to Washington, of rolling and picking
| eggs. The officials estimated the crowd of
| picnickers at from 10000 to $1,000. Viewed
| from one of the windows in the East Room, it
was fine sight, and extended almost to the
| Monument, which reared its mk-white shaft
athwart the swiftly changing April sky. Beds
| of yellow tulips and lines of pink and white
! English daisies bloomed in the grounds below,
and were vertable beds of loveliness, while the
animated scene was shifting as the colors of n
| kaleidoscope.
4
opening the White House grounds to the popu-
| lace on Easter Monday is due. 1t dates from
| 1877, when children were shut out from the
Capitol grounds. Then only hundreds came,
| but from year to year the crowd has increased
with the growth of the city, until children and
| spectators now amount to thousands.
''Last year," said Capt. Phister, ''we took up
| sixteen cart-loads Of paper alone after Easter
Monday, and it took twelve men twelve days to
put the grounds in presentable state. L have
to make requisition for these men from the
| public gardens and grounds for this work, and
they receive from a dollar and half to two dol
lars day. Egg shells? oh, we don't bother
| to pick up shells. They soon go to pieces in the
grass, and being lime, are good fertilizers, but
| the stuff that we do have to gather up and cart
off you would be surprised to see. OF course,
| some of the strawberries get broken, but as rule
| that is accidental Both little and big people
and then boy, who can't resist bit of mischief.
| Our police do a good deal of good-natured wink
ing at offenses that at other times they would be
| strict enough about. Have you seen the guard
| house and the station where lost children are
carried? 1t is that little Toulouse over near
| the entrance from the Treasury. THERE'S always
a fringe of mammas hanging over the fence be-
side it, looking for Bobby or Mary, who have got
ten away from their guardians"
One little fellow, not more than thre years
| old, was picked up by policeman, who asked
him, "What is your name, little man F' and was
| somewhat astonished to hear the little chap re-
| spond, MY name is george Gould, ana lives
at -" naming number and street, "an' Pm
| free years ole, am, am papas little man, an
mammals darlin' sweetheart, an | can't fin
her ~ breaking up into sobs and tears. "Well,
/ can, little chap; don't you cry, for if all the
youngsters had been trained to tell their names
and where they live as you have it would save
heaps of trouble and anxiety" George was
taken to the station" and soon his sweetheart
mamma appeared with the policeman, who had
no trouble in finding her with the child's name
and residence at his command And then there
was pretty scene of love-making.
Very soon Easter Monday will have grown toe
big day for the White House grounds to hold
its myrads of happy little people, but by that
time the Geological Gardens on Rock Creek will
no doubt be at their disposal, and the animals an
added attraction. Sohurry up your "appropria-
tions," good Congressman!