Morris tribune., 1902-04-05
WHITE LOT EGG ROLLING
Presidents Sons to Join In Eas,
ter Sport at Washington.
RO0sEVELTs GOOD AT THE GAME.

White House Youngsters Are VIM
ming a Store of Eggs From Other
Lads at the Capital-A11 Have
"sKeet'' Eggs, Which Are Good In
Game Of "Picking."
The Easter Monday egg rolling at
the white lot back of the White House
in Washington this year will be unique
in the history of this sport, says the
New York World. All the Roosevelt
youngsters and their companions will
participate. Such an attraction at this
great outdoor festival has not been
known since the practice began many
years ago.
In itself this is wonderful event.
All the children of the city crowd the
beautiful lawns, rolling eggs down the
slopes and then tumbling after them.
Boys in the prettiest and brightest
clothes mingle with young newsboys
and little street gamins. Girls with
nurses and without them help to swell
the throng. All Washington comes to
look on. The Marine band plays.
Thousands of children make it a merry
day, and there will be none gayer this
year than Kermit, Archibald and Quen-
ten Roosevelt, who are collecting a
store of eggs for the occasion.
These boys are now very industrious
at a pastime peculiar to Washington
and which is preliminary to the egg
rolling. Here the boys all "pick eggs"
The last two or three weeks Of Lent
are devoted to this sport. The method
is for a boy to select an egg with
good hard shell. This is determined
by tapping the egg against. the front
teeth, by which method and some pc
culiar knack a boy can tell a hard
shelled egg from a weak one. Armed
with his egg, the youngster sallies
forth.
"Say, will you pickT' he calls when a
likely youngster is met.
After all the preliminaries are settled
one boy takes his egg, covered in both
hands so that only small portion of
the end protrudes between a finger and
thumb. He is careful to guard it so
that the other cannot possibly strike
except against the extreme tip Of his
egg. The other then taps his egg against
it until the point of one is broken.
er end, and when one egg is cracked at
both ends it's owner loses it. The egg
is still in good condition to be boiled
hard preparatory to being rolled down
the lawns Of the White House on Eas-
ter Monday.
The boys resort to many ruses, the
best of which is to get hold of guinea
hens egg. The boys call these 'keet"
eggs. No hens egg ever laid can break
a keet egg. All the Roosevelt young
sters have. keet eggs, and their store OF
Easter spoils grows day by day. The
regular Washington youngster would
not give 2 cents a dozen for eggs
bought in store. He must win them
ter Monday when he rolls them at the
White House.
Baby Mckee used to be the great at
traction on this day, and before him
I1IS Id SS Cu14ul Gil IOOA PAL LII ClS
fun. The young GarfeIds only passed
one Easter in the White House. Pres.
dent Cleveland never approved of bis
children mixing with the throng, but
the young ROosevelts are not hampered
by any E@,Fw:vings on their fathers
part On Easter Monday the whole |
squad of these boys and their chums
\
ngs. They have been promised full |
liberty.
1t is not unlikely that Miss Ethel
nay be permitted to join in the merri-
nent for a time.