The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-28
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

Easter
come 30 tie nations capital and witnessed
the merry scenes IL the White House
grounds upon that day. Here thousands
OF children gather. rtch and poor. meeting
On the same level little Lord Eaanfleroys,
Mickey DugaES ard Abraham Lincoln
JohDsIngs, guaranteed every privilege o.
the fourteenth amsncnent.
President Mckinley did more for the
children on Monday last than Grover
Cleveland did any year during his term OF
Office. Not only were the grounds thrown
open to the children. but the Marine Band
was ordered out and gave continuous
open air concert throughout the Gay 10 the
delight not only OF tae children, but or
hundreds OF grown people who came IN a
continuous stream 20 witness the annual
merry making OF the little ones There
are no babies AT the White House now,
bat Judging from the democratic ways or
the present occupant OF the executive
mansion II there were any. they would be
more likely 20 be rolling their eggs with
the rest OF the children than sitting up
stairs looking out Of the windows with
longing eyes at the happy ones below
them. as the Cleveland babies have done
n times past
Poor little Cleveland babies. II IS TO be
hoped that they are having better time
In the quiet village OF Princeton. ~. J..
man tfESg 1A1 Ehc1 AlcA tNfe 80 A@n-A-
ma were living IN the White House. Little
Ruth IL reported 10 have jumped with joy
when she first heard that they were al
going 10 Princeton 10 live and were not
coming back TO Washington any more
We won't take the policeman along. viii
we. mammal she asked. and before her
mother could answer. she vent on: And.
mamma. dear, ! can 20 out In the street
and play With the other children some
times. msyn't -
There you have th- idea Of life in the
v hite House as vieEed from the stand
point OF innocent democratic childhood.
the well-spring OF equal rights and justice
70 Al. uncontaminated b. worldly train
ing which creates the distinction OF caste
and class prejutices that have IN other
countries leG 20 bloody revolutions.
But 70 return 20 the egg rolling.
Here or the beautiful lawns kept BY
the government for the pleasure OF its
chic: executive. ana as a matter. too. OF
national pride. fun realization OF the
principles expressed In the Declaration %
Independence Is noted on Easter Monday.
Prom early morning until the gates were
closed a. shutdown lie grounds were
crowded with children and older people,
too, who took delight I'm looking on. A
detail OF police was there al dsy, not for
the purpose. however. OF depressing or re-
rather. IN the language OF the president,
who requested their presence. ITO protect
the little ones from any one who may en-
deayor to annoy or interfere with their
pleasure"
Egg rolling Is a very simple affair in it
self, but IL affords no end OF enjoyment
and satisfaction TO vast troops of children.
There IS always king bee at the egg
rolling, and he or she. as the case may he.
Is the one whose kind and induigent man.
ma has furnished him with the biggest
basket OF eggs with which to en-
gags in the tinle-honored sport.
The seIni-circuiar grounds TO The
south Of the White House could not
have been more satisfactorily arranged
for the purpose 10 which they are dedi-
Gated on Easter Monday II they had been
laid out with no other idea In view. They
contain some 10 or Is acres and the land
scape gardener who prepared them must
have been born Ia rolling country, for
they are nothing but a succession of beau
tfful grassy hillocks surmountad with
trees. scattered irregularly so as to have
the appearance OK a beautiful natural
park. These hillocks furnished abundant
slopes for thousands OF children to roll
their eggs without interfering with each
other. The chill lren gather In groups. from
two TO score in number, and, taking sta
eggs rolling down the soft green turf. The
only game there is to It is to see how long
your eggs will last. AS might well be ex-
pected, the eggs. which / have omitted
before TO say are always hard boiled for
the occasion. frequently come in contact
with each other in their downward course.
and II Is always the case OF the survival OF
the fittest- AS they crash together the
strongest shell breaks the weaker and a
fGsEf If ~. o.. a..
owner Of the broken egg. while q shout OF
triumph goes up from the child whose egg
comes out OF the collision unframed.
When the children get tired OF the roll
ing, there is another feature 10 the sport.
which is called ''pecking eggs" 1he eggs
are held tightly IN the little chubby hands
and pecked together until one or both are
broken. There is q science in pecking
eggs. Some children have acquired a won
derful knack OF pecking so as to Invariably
break the eggs OF their opponents and at
the same time save their own from injury.
or course. this depends TO a great extent
upon the egg. but not altogether. One
bay who had pecked 10 pieces two or three
dozen eggs ana brought grief to the hearts
OF half dozen or more or his playmates.
suddenly came 10 grief himself. One OF
his victims discovered that the successful
egg pecker was using China egg. The
this victorious Napoleon OF Eggdom met
his Waterloo. A score or more Of his VIC
tins bounced upon him. rubbed hard
boiled eggs over his face and IN his hair
and made him a sight generally. He might
have been even seriously injured II the
police had not interfered TO save him from
the indignant infantile mob.
Many OF the children stayed IN the
grounds al day They didn't need any
lunch. for they brought their lunch with
them in the shape OF the eggs with which
they had their sport. The main object. OF
course, In trying 20 break each others
eggs. was one Of victorious conquest, but
the secondary object was not 10 be lost
sight Of. For. In both the games Of egg
rolling and egg pecking. IS in the great
game OF politics that not infrequeatly
places president OF q different party IN
the White House every four years, Ito tho
victors belong the spoils." The broken
egg always goes to the owner OF the egg
which broke T. In the early part OF tbs
day. before the rapacfous appetite OF
childhood was appeased. the Sictors ate
the eggs which they received from the
vsuQuished IN proud satisfaction without
even so much as offering 70 share. Later
IN the day. however. the vaRquished are
always given half and sometimes the
whole egg.
Not sll the children who gathered n the
White House grounds were possessors OF
egFs. Th~s@ representatives 81 the pow
erty-etricken Cas- became naturally. "a
the1r elders 90 in TIRE grOwn-up world. the
servants Of their richer and more ,ortGn-
ate companions. They STOOD At the foot
OF the siopCs ard when the eggs were
rolled down obtained muc1 enjoyment n
the privilege OF carving them back 20
their oWners shove In this way tbs poor
obtained their Fun. and after while whea
broken eggs we're plenty ard the stom-