Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-03
The Many Quaint Old Customs That
Mark the Day.
LEARNING THE LESSONS OF TIE WAR
A Comparison of the Beauties Of
Paris and Vienna.
N AUTOMOBILE EXHIBIT

LONDON, April II, 1900.
Easter has been observed very heartily
in England this year. Christmas was terri
bly, saddened by the deaths in South Africa
that left gaps in so many households; but
Easter. more than Christmas, partakes of
the character of purely religious festival,
and has not so many memories as Christ
mas The weather has been delightful,
though cold for the season, and crowds
have left London to enjoy the holidays
at the various seaside places London has
generally suspended business from last
Thursday until today TuesdaO or in some
cases until Wednesday. All work is at a
standstill and London is at play. Many
quaint customs are observed at this time.
For several hundred years ancient and
needy widows. selected by the vicar of a
certain city parish, pick new sixpences from
the gravestones of the originator of this
singular custom. At another church bags
OF raisins, an orange and a sixpence are
given to fifty poor children. This practice
has been going on, too, for unknown years.
At Westminster School the boys scramble
for pancakes in the great hall, and on
Maundy Thursday the queens gifts Of
pieces of newly minted silver of the value,
respectively, of one, two, three and four
pence are given to sixty poor men and
women In Westminster Abbey. Dozens of
these ancient customs are observed all over
England. Easter Sunday and Monday are
feast days of special interest to the young
folk in the northern counties, notably in
Cumberland, Westmoreland and Northum-
herland. Sunday was "Pasche Egg day." but
the celebrations of the day are generally
left over till the next day, when few chill
dren are to be found who have not received
presents of eggs and oranges, the former
hard-boled and dyed in divers colors. many
bearing the child's Christian name The
market in eggs at Carlisle on Saturday was
enormous Pasche Egg day is one of the
prettiest festivities in the north, for it is
characteristic that upon that day every
child must appear in new clothing. and
luckless is the wean which has nothing
new to dispOrt. 1t Is a practice widely fol-
lowed for children to visit their friends,
from whom they receive presents of Pasche
eggs ard oranges. and in many cases a
penny. AT numerous Sunday schools or
anges are given away on this day, and in
some villages the custom has been adopted
by the innkeeper, who makes liberal pres
ents upon the same lines to the children of
the locality.
kid, Mid and Miseray.
Carlin, palm and Pasche Egg day.
Quaint Easter Customs.
This is the familiar rhyme which guides
children through Lent to the final festival
Easter Sunday has its old customs among
adults well as among youngsters. 1t is
the day for "mulled ale" At most inns IN
Attc county lHIS SPICY DeNtIdSt 10 ~ ne
obtained on the asking in celebration of
the day. Innkeepers. indeed, have much to
do with the keeping up OF the old customs,
for another day on which they are kept
busy is "Carlin Sunday" which happened
fortnight before. Frequenters of the vari-
Gus inns on this occasion are treated to
dish of "carlins,'' which. with butter, ketch-
up. rum, pepper and other concomitants
are so spicy that persons have been known
TO journey specially from one inn to another
and outde themselves with the feast. At
most farm houses, and many houses in the
town. carlins are a favorite dish on the
appointed day, and the streets of Carlisle
on the Monday following furnish evidence
of less pleasant character of the customs,
for the pavements and cutters are thick
with the hard dried peas, which the youth
of the town seem privileged to throw at
their acquaintance as they met them the
preceding evening. The origin of the Gus
tom is left in doubt. 1t is said to pertain
to Carlisle, and also to Newcastle, the
same story being told of each, namely, that
the inhabitants having undergone a siege
which left them famished, were grateful for
a cargo OF carlins, which was the first food
to reach them, and which was brought by
ship up the Eden In one case, and up the
Tyne in the other.
Lessons of the War.
There is little that is new with regard to
the war. Lord Roberts is preparing as fast
as reinforcements and rcmounts can reach
him for some great blow, but no one knows
what the coming movement will be, nor in
which direction. Winston Churchill, in a
telegram yesterday from Bloemfontein,
rather throws cold water on the present
satisfaction of the English people with the
situation. He says that 100000 soldiers will
be needed TO finish the war, and the sooner
the public realizes this the better. The
Beers, he says. intend to fight to the bitter
end, and will give large army plenty to
do, Many lessons of the war are being
taken to heart now. Special instructions
just issued regarding the training of the
Royal Reserve Battalions and the militia
bear eloquent testimony that the lessons of
the war have not been lost and the most
hopeful sign of it is that the authorities so
long bound by red tape, are actually making
some change In the system, the wonderful
system that has not been altered since the
Crimea. Only the best of British officers
have been able to rise superior to the teach
ings of the drill book and to recognize the
changes caused by the Introduction of mod
ern arms. In these instructions Sir Evelyn
Wood is emphatic in pointing out that in the
battalion drill only such operations are to
be attempted will enable the men to be
moved promptly and without confusion from
one point to another, while special attention
is TO be paid to movements in extended Or
der and the advantages of additional care
in advancing are to be impressed on the
men. In the training of the militia much
latitude is to be allowed to company Off
GERS IN terminating ana carrying out their
own schemes of instruction. and Of
ficers and non-commssioned officers are 20
b" encouraged to act on their own initia-
tive and to accept responsibility. Taking
cover is 20 be encouraged. and when blank
cartridges are used an officer in front of
the men and an officer in their rear are to
see that they take advantage of the irregu-
larities of the ground and TO judge of their
method of doing All this is exactly as
it should be. The pity of it is that 1t has
been left to the dearly bought experience
of war to teach the military authorities
the necessity Of intoxicating these precepts.
Paris Versus Vienna.
Many people compare Vienna with Paris
and there is perhaps a suggestion of the
newer Paris along the Ringstrasse, or the
new part of Vienna. Here are the impos-
ing parliament buildings, the Opera House,
the Hofburg Theater and the Town Hall,
reminding one somewhat Of the Hotel de
Vile at Brussels. But no place can, to my
mind, present the numerous fine vistas that
Paris does The view from the arch in the
Place du Carrousel at the Louvre through
the gardens of the Tuilleries across the
Place de la Concorde and up the beautiful
M MI