Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-04-13
EASTER At THE WHITE HOUSE.
Time Honored Practice of Letting
the Children of Washington Roll
Eggs on Presidents Grounds.

hdSter 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.
II the day Is pleasant it is 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 If Easter Sunday should
be cold and rainy with promise Of
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 it 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 a 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
childrens day in Washington.
Wonderfully Colored 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
a wise hen cock her head on one side
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
pres, but they can roll their eggs ant
themselves on the green grass and sol
their frocks and trousers to theil
hearts content, and they will enjoy thu
holiday perhaps more than their mor'
fortunate companions. Usually tn,
mothers of these little men and womeI
come with them, tired-faced womeI
often, looking as though 1t had been /,
/ long day since they had enjoyed such |
time. Here and there are little group
of mothers and older sisters, talking to
l gether pleasantly, but keeping watch
1 full eyes to see that the little ones d.
1 not get lost in the crowd or stray to,
| far away.
/ Not Afraid of the Policeman.
] 1t Is a good natured crowd. The BIZ
policemen standing around possess n
4 terror for the little ones on egg-rollinl
day. They know that all that big pc
1 licemen are for on Easter, is to kee
grown up people from interfering wit
4 And when the little people get lost nov
! and then, the big policemen are ther
i to take them in charge and tell Their
i not to cry until their mothers and sis
j tiers find them again. Then there ar
great rivalries among the children
Some of them are regular little gamt
ers. One little fellow gets hol
ID of very hard egg and he goes aroun
Id picking eggs with his acquaintance
is or acquaintance he finds, and win
I'd their eggs from them until finally h
ne strikes some other little fellow VIII
has a harder egg than his, and then b
d loses a lot Of eggs.
ht And some Of the little rascals gambl
he on what is a "sure thing" with
If china egg, sized and painted to resen
Mt BILE genuine egg, or with hens eg
N. run full of plaster of paris they wi
,r. go around, and, of course win all th
re. eggs they contest for, until some shar
ed little fellow finds out the game the
g. are playing. AS the day advances an
re the children get hungry, the peanl
IS. man and the popcorn man and the ca
dy man at the gates do thriving Blu
nd mess, while at noon, many are IL
as little groups under the trees, sittir
We around on blankets and shawls and ca
ing lunches, for they are making
ay regular picnic OF it and staying a
vd day.
The Children of Presidents.
'as President Harrison's two grand Oh
sss dren witnessed, with great enjoymer
At; the egg-rolling from the porch of Il
a White House facing toward t
. Washington monument and lookil
nth past and across the Potomac to Arlin
ton, the former home of General Ii
18th but where now are spread the sile
tents of a vast host of the Union arm