Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-06-01
Egg Rolling at the White
House.

just after Easter we laid aside in
memory happy children's affair in
Washington, but ever since have neg
lected to recall and describe it for our
readers. Now we have found it again
as told by Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, who
may be remembered as the author of
the charming story of Lord Fauntleroy.
There is very delightful thing which
is one of the spring time events of the
city of Groves and Bowers. 1t is not
a social or a political function and it is
an event have never heard the origin
of. It is the Egg-rolling on Easter
Monday. Easter eggs, colored red and
blue and yellow, and adorned with
flowers and stripes are delights known
to the children of many countries; but
think it is only in Washington that
there exists custom-which is almost
a ceremony-of rolling the brilliantly
hued things down the grassy slopes by
way OF festivity.
1t strikes one also as being delight
fully illustrative of the power of the
chiIdren's republic that the place chos-
en- as most suitable for these festivities
should be the private grounds of the
presidential mansion-the White House
itself-and the slope of the grounds
which surround the Capitol.
If one wants to roll red, blue and
yellow eggs down sloping lawn, it
appears that little republican sees no
reason why he or she should not roll
them by the thousands down the lawn
of Presidents back garden. The
slope is just the one required, and no
President so far has been hard hearted
enough to 60 out on the portico and
wave his hand and order the little in
truders away; no Mrs. President has
ever thrown a shawl over her head and
run out to scold them aud say she will
not have it.
So every Easter Monday morning,
there is to be seen an ever increasing
stream of children of various sizes
swarming through the streets, all wend-
ing their way to the grounds of the
White House. There are well dressed
ones attended by heir nurses or rela.
tives; there are shabby little ones
attended by no one at all; there are
some little black ones in a pleasing
state Of excitement; but every body has
a basket or package with colored eggs
ia it. a great many also have some
thing which holds little lunch. There
i great excitement and rivalry about
the color Of the eggs and the number
each little person possesses. In very
short time the Presidents back garden
is shouting, laughing, romplng pam
demonium. The entertainment consists
IN rolling the eggs from the top of the
slope to the bottom of it, There is also
the exciting sport of egg picking
One egg proprietor enters into con-
test with another one. in which one egg
is tapped against the other until one of
the two is cracked. The proprietor
whose egg is rot cracked is the winner,
and the stake won Is the broken egg.
Eggs are rolled and picked" and
broken and eaten.
When the festivities are over the
Presidents back garden and the slopes
Of the Capitol grounds are strewn with
fragments Of bright colored EGG shells
ana bits II paper lett for the White
House gardeners to pick up and many
Inule indigestions have gone home and
to bed il innocent ioyousuess and
tatigrr.
one cannot help wonderi, : whai
would occur if the same number O.
little London children decided to 81
and roll eggs in the grounds o