The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-15

>HE wonderful rabbit which lays the
red. white and blue Easter eggs 10
one Of the oldest Of historical char
acters. In fact, wise men who have
tried TO trace the story to it's source have
gone back far beyond the earliest Begin
nings Of written history only to find us
big. wooliy ears sticking up through the
mists OF tradition and superstition.
But the strangest thing about the Eas-
ter rabbit il that you will find him In every
part of the world-in Africa and ASIA as
well as In Europe and America-and II he
is not laying Easter eggs he is doing
something equally remarkable and note
worthy.
People who think the rabbit only a
timld. stupid and commonplace member
of society are entirely mistaken. They
ought 20 read the volumes that have been
written about him. And as for the chill
drenl Mother Goose may be familiar
where English is spoken, but the Easter
rabbit ia known to the little ones in every
language.
Not even the greatest students have
ever been able 10 learn how II happens
that tho rabbit lays Easter eggs. All they
know is that little children, and particu-
larly little children I'm Germany. make, as
their grandfathers did before them, warm
nests OF hay during Easter week. in which
they find on Easter morning a lot Of beau
tiful coiored eggs, laid there, of course. by
the Easter rabbit. Sometimes the Easter
rabbit even leaves a little candy or china
image Of himself behind him in the midst
of the eggs. by way OF card But really
no proof is needed. Years before the old
est man can remember IL was always said
that the rabbit laid the Easter eggs, and
there n no more reason to doubt 1t now
than there was then.
In America the shop windows are now
crowded with Easter rabbits. and the Eas-
ter cards as often as not show the Easter
rabbits picture Ask somebody why IL Is
a rabbit instead of woodchuek or sny
other animal You will ind nobody that
can tell you. Nobody knows All they
can do is TO make shreWd guesses at II.
Going back behind the first books men
have found that the rabbi, was regarded as
a sacred animal by widely scattered people
all over the world. Even the American
Indians. who had never. 80 far as We know
heard Of Easier had their feast Of the
great hare, or rabbit and In the sixtn
century after Christ, before the early IN
hsbitants Of what Is now England had beer
Christlanized the hare or rabbit is sad to
have been sacred to ostara, the goddess of
dawn and OF spring.
Among the natives OF South Africa there
has been for centuries and sti II a story
which connects the rabbit with Easter In
a curious way. The spots on the sur ace
OF the moon form, az these natives say. the
perfect image Of rabbit. And as the II Jon
sets or dies and rises again every Thirty
days. II sent the rabbit TO take its message
to the children OF men.
90 said the moon TO the rabbit; go
and say to men that. even as | die ans
rise again, so shall they also die and rise
again"
But the rabbit was wicked, and did not
carry the message straight.
1.-THE moon says" the rabbit told the
South African natives, that even 49, 1
die and do not rise again 40 shall yon also
die and not rise again
When the rabbit came back and told what
he had done the moon was naturally angry.
and struck at him with Ratchet The blow
struck the rabbit and split its upper lip
People who doubt the story are asked 10
notice that the rabbits lip Is split 10 this
day And besides having It's lip split the
rabbit was much frightened at the moons
anger, 50 that II ran away and hid In a
hoIe In the ground. and has been umid ever
since.
Going over TO Asia II Is found thai ti,a
rabbit stil holds it's place ms a sacred ami
NAL In China and all other countries
where the religion of buddha prevails the