Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1906-04-06
EASTER at THE WHITE House.
Time Honored Practice Of Letting
the Children of Washington Roll
Eggs on Presidents Grounds.

Eggs on RreSfdentS OroundSs
Easter Monday In Washington Is an
event in the lives of the children which
is ahead of any other day in the year
excepting Christmas and Fourth of July.
Why? Because Easter Monday means
egg-rolling. For many years the little
ones of Washington have congre-
gated by the hundreds and thousands
to roll eggs Easter Monday In the beau
tiful grounds surrounding the home of
the President Of the nation. There Is
no sign to keep off the grass and there
are no restrictions. The children own
the place. The green grass of the
White House lawns is covered with
children, children innumerable, rolling
eggs on the grassy slopes.
| .lf the day Is pleasant it is q sight to
be remembered. The children have
been looking forward to the festival for
days and weeks and great has been
their anticipation. But genuine is the
sorrow and many the tears among the
little ones II Easter Sunday should
be cold and rainy with promise of q
bad Monday Yet no weather has ever
been so bad as to keep everyone away
from the White House grounds on egg
rolling day. There are many hardy
little spirits who will not be daunted
by snow or cold or rain when 1t comes
to rolling eggs.
If the day is pleasant and the air
balmy and the turf warm and green,
what time the children have. Such
games as they invent to play with their
eggs-games of infinite variation con-
tanning infinite amusement. The
grounds look more like juvenile fair
than anything else--an egg fair and
the biddy hens around Washington
must needs have been very diligent
for many days before. If the day is
fair, too, the glorious Marine Band.
the finest band in the country, plays
sweet music, and the children dance
and gambol to its strains. Truly 1t is
children's day in Washington.
r., Wonderfully CoIored Eggs.
| BY O'Clock in the morning the
grounds are actually taken possession
Of by the youngsters, little kids with
wicker baskets and vari-colored eggs,
wonderful eggs of green and blue and
red and purple and gold and then
eggs of lovely combination, and with
beautiful figures, such as would make
l w lCc ACA COth ACI uCciQ OA OuC 6l0C
and wonder greatly what happened
to her plain white eggs.
All sorts and conditions of children
find their way to the Presidents
grounds to enjoy Easter Monday. Some
of the children are beautifully dressed
in silks and laces and have French
nurses to watch over them and carry
their eggs for them, while other little
ones are dressed in very shabby gar
ments with elbows out and toes peep
ing from their little shoes. They per-
haps have only three or four plainly
colored eggs boiled in piece of purple
or red calico No French nurses accomp-
any them, carrying eggs with gilt pic
ures, but they can roll their eggs and
themselves on the green grass and soil
their trocks and trousers to their
hearts content, and they will enjoy the
holiday perhaps more than their more
fortunate companions. Usually the
mothers of these little men and women
come with them, tired-faced women
often, looking as though 1t had been
| long day since they had enjoyed such a
time. Here and there are little groups
of mothers and older sisters. talking to-
gether pleasantly, but keeping watch
| full eyes to see that the little ones do
not get lost in the crowd or stray too
far away.
| Not Afraid of the Policeman.
| 1t is good natured crowd. The big
policemen standing around possess no
terror for the little ones on eggrolling
| day. They know that all that big po-
| lieemen are for on Easter. Is to keep
grown up people from interfering with
the little ones who are rolling eggs.
And when the little people get lost now
and then, the big policemen are there
to take them in charge and tell them
not to cry until their mothers and sis
ters find them again. Then there are
great rivalries among the children.
Some of them are regular little gamb-
ers. . One little fellow gets hold
of very hard egg and he goes around
picking eggs with his acquaintances
or acquaintances he finds, and wins
their eggs from them until finally he
strikes some other little fellow who
has harder egg than his, and then he
loses lot of eggs.
And some of the little raseals gamble
on what is "sure thing" with a
china egg, sized and painted to resem-
BILE genuine egg. or with hens egg
run full of plaster Of paris they will
go around. and, of course win all the
eggs they contest for, until some sharp
little fellow finds out the game they
are playing. AS the day advances and
the children get hungry, the peanut
man and the popcorn man and the can
dy man at the gates do a thriving bus
mess. while at noon. many are the
little groups under the trees, sitting
around on blankets and shawls and eat
ing lunches. for they are making a
regular picnic of it and staying all
day.
The Children of Presidents.
President Harrison's two grand chill
dren witnessed, with great enjoyment.
| the egg-rolling from the porch OF the
| White House facing toward the
Washington monument and looking
past and across the Potomac to Airing
ton. the former home of General Lee,
/ hnf uhara y,Ou aro cnrood the cf1auf