davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

and moon. For q month, which repre-
sents q lunar cycle, the hare carries her
young, and, unlike the rabbit, the young
Of the hare are born with open eyes; so.
like the moon, which Is the open-eyed
Waterman of the heavens the hare never
closes his eyes. Therefore. according to
mythology, the hare deserves q place In
the Easter festival.
Neither Is the association OF the egg
with Easter SO far-fetched as might seem,
since from earliest times the egg. with
its wonderful and mysterious possibilities
of life development, has been used to
symbolic the creation and resurrection
Of life We trace its use back through
the hands of the Gauls. Romans, Greeks
and Persians to the Egyptians, who held
1t as a sacred renovation Of mankind
after the deluge The Persians exchanged
1t as gift. believing that the world was
Matched from an egg. The Jews suited 1t
to q circumstance in their history. making
it typify their departure flom Egypt.
They used it, also, in the feast of the
Passover. At later period. when Chris
tianity flourished. the egg came to SYM
bolize the resurrection of Christ.
Thy creature of eggs" reads form of
benediction Of the Roman Church, that
it may become a wholesome sustenance
to Thy faithful servants. eating 1t in
thankfulness to Thee, on account OF the
resurrection Of our Lord"
The following quotation from Emil
liaunne's Frauds of Romish Monks and
Priests still further illustrates the
prominence which the early Christian
church and her people gave to the egg:
ION Easter eve and Easter day all the
heads of families sent great chargers, full
of hard eggs, to the church to get them
blessed, which the priests perform by
saying several appointed prayers and
making great signs Of the cross over
them and sprinkling them with holy wa
ter. The priests, having finished the cere-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

than in tho vast expanse of northern
Russia" says a writer In the Saturday
Review, lis this annually recurring les
son Of the physical world so forcibly In
culcated. For there, perhaps more than
anywhere else on the face OF the globe.
the prolonged winter, with its frost and
snow, abruptly disappears and Is replaced
by q verdant spring. almost summerlike
in its suddenness of warmth and sun
shine. With Easter eve dawns the prin-
cipal and most solemn Russian festival
of the whole year. alike for rich and
poor"
is the finest belfry in the land, and it is
only on Easter eve, at midnight. that
these bells peal forth in all their gran
deur. Then, as II In response to the
song OF Joy. the entire city bursts into
light, the tower itself becomes one mass
filled with surging throngs, and about the
churches are piled loads of Easter cakes,
each made bright by taper, which are
placed there to be blessed.
About the only secular Easter custom
distinctive to all countries seems to be
tho ancient one Of appearing in new at
tire Possibly this Easter craze for new
clothes bears a commendable feature.
Yet, on the other hand. witness the de-
spondency Of many q husband and father
on meager salary.
Exchanging Easter cards IL another
pretty way Of observing the day, and In
America its vogue Is greater than in the
parent country.
Most Of these ancient customs are now
extinct. The character Of the day calls
for festival more religious than secular.
The most of the oid-time ceremonies were
not suited to the spirit and have been
discarded 1--WE know that this Easter
day shines on a nobler world than that
q century ago." says Edward Everett
Hale 1--WE know that that Easter was
brighter than that of a century before.
We know that our children's children a
century hence will look back on the
Christian civilization of today, amazed,
indeed, that we should think 1t worthy
Of congratulation."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

THROUGHOUT all
ages superstition
has swayed the
world. In antiquity
g. few of these
prophetic beliefs
crystallized around
the Easter period,
leaving SO deep an
impress upon the
susceptible minds
as to cause them
through the CEN
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

HE association of
the hare and the
egg with Easter
s e e m S a t first
thought so incon-
gruous that their
accounting in this
festival s e q 8 o n
arouses greater in
terest than does
any other of the
Easter objects. The
hare's connection
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

better feed q suffering fellow-creature.
For this act he was transplanted to the
moon In the form Of hare. and there
Another hare and moon tradition tells
No that when Indra was one time dis
guising himself as q famishing pilgrim
and praying for food the hare noticed
him and wished to help, but It had moth
itself into the fire that It might be roast
ed for him. Then INdr4, In q spirit OF
gratefulness, placed the hare In the moon.
h Today the children n IN certain tn. COUNTIES
them the beautiful colored Easter eggs:
In Swabia 80 strong arc these hare and
moon associations that q parent would
be In great distress II his child made q
for It would be the greatest .tsin against
the moon that the child could commit
4 y
The hare and moon belief IL not foreign
even to America. though here the hare is
displaced by the rabbit, The colored popu-
lation Of the south vest great power as q
talisman in the left hind foot Of q grave
yard rabbit killed in the dark of the
moon"
The oldest legend concerning eggs
comes from ancient Persia. Two broth
ers, It is said. had marvellous power In
one Of which contained only good spirits
and the other only evil. Then to mix
good and evil In the world they broke the
two together. The Persians OF today still
honor the memory Of these brothers by
giving one another colored eggs on q
certain festival day near the last OF
March. It Is possible that this legend
gave birth to the custom OF coloring
eggs.
Another egg legend comes from Ger
hut ~, ~ NJ a
the age In which he lived are mysteries.
On Easter a certain prince gave q prin-
cess q huge from egg. The princess did
not receive It Eraciously. She believed
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

TTH the advent Of
the G. h ri 8 t / q n
Easter some pecu-
liar customs ap-
peared. Easter
8 u n d q Y became
everywhere TIL e
Sunday Of JOY"
and in this spirit
people gave them
selves over to i'm
moderate license.
D a n c e 8, sports
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

In 17OS the British Apollo finally settled
the question In the following words:
Old wives. Phoebus. say that on Easter day
To the music o. tn spheres you do caper:
II The fact, sir. be true, pray let's the cause
When you have any room in your paper.
The old wives got merry with spiced ale and
On Easter. which makes them romsnoe:
And whilst in a rout their brains whirl about,
They fancy We caper and dance.
But the conclusion regarding the dancing
sun was not to stand for all time, since
the maidens OF Devonshire today rise
early In the morning of Easter to watch
the sun. Moreover, these extraordinary
maidenS see more than the mere dancing
OF the sun. Their power of vision is so
sreat tnat they can discern lamb and a
nag In the center of the disk
Much more Importance is attached 70
the conduct of the elements Easter day
A piece of Sussex weather lore informs
US that II the sun shines Easter day il
Will shine accordingly every day in the
year, and the same. they aver. is the
case with rain. But other Easter prophets
only go TO the extent of saying that il
Will shine or rain until Whitsunday
"A good deal OF rain on Easter day
gives good crop Of grass, but little good
nay, runs an ancient proverb.
On this day the east wind and water
also have great power to ward off i'll
ness. If the wind blows from this direc-
ton. the people Of many localities hathe
IN water just drawn to avoid the Ill eff
1ects or the east wind during the coming
year. Easter eve on the continent at
Mecklenburg, the maiden spreads a linen
cioth In the garden, and in the morning
II the wind is due east, she will wash
nerself with 1t while 1t is yet damp from
dew. rain or snow, whichever has peue.
trated It. Or in the morning the servant
Will draw water and bring It to the
maiden for her bath.
There is one other prophecy which
since ancient times no woman Of fntelli-
gence would ever entertain the thought
OF disregarding. This is the talisman
virtue vested in new clothes Through
out all times there have been grave
scholars who have ascribed the univer-
sal custom OF appearing at church and
the streets Easter sunday
in new attire to the vanity Of woman.
With all due Difference to the wisdom OF
these sages, woman IL not so worldly I'm
this particular. There happens TO be the
best Of reasons for her insisting upon an
Easter hat and Easter clothes
She may not have taken you into the
inner recess Of her heart and barred her
reason. but she knows II well herself.
The women OF the household know that
good fortune Will not attend them
through the future year II they appear
In clothes that they have worn before.
In East Yorkshire, England. none but
q maiden utterly destitute would refrain
bit Of apparel for she Is too well aware
Of the evil that would attend her with
put her safeguard Try ~ she might, she
could never In the following twelve
months have . dress tha$ would not 30
plucked by hrdA
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

mony. demand how many dozen eggs
there be In every bason.
These blest eggs have the virtue Of
are to be the first tat or fieshy nourisn-
ment they take after the abstinence OF
Lent The Italians do not only abstain
from flesh during Lent. but also from
eggs, cheese. butter and all white meats.
AS soon as the eggs are blessed every
one carries his portion home and causeth
a large table to be set In the best room
in the house. which they cover with their
best linen, all bestrewed with MOWERS. and
and the great charger Of eggs In the
midst.
+
"'T1s a very pleasant sight to see these
tables set forth in the houses Of great
persons. when they expose on side ia
bles all the plate they have in the house
and whatever else they have that Is r1ch
and curious, in honor to their Easter
eggs, which Of themselves yield very
fair show, for the shells Of them are all
painted with divers colours and gilt. Some
times there are no less than twenty dozen
in the same charger, neatly laid together
in form Of a pyramid. The table con.
tinues in the same posture o., RE- covered. o an
to visit them in that time are invited to
eat an Easter egg with them, which they
must not refuse"
It il not clear when and how the GUS
tom Of coloring eggs was established.
though the appearance Of red-dyed eggs
is accounted for. These came when Chris
tianity vested the egg with the signifi-
canoe of the resurrection of Christ. and
q shade Of red represented His shedding
of blood for sinners.
There are several engaging legends con-
corning both the Easter hare and the egg.
Those dealing with the hare undertake to
explain the presence Of the hare In the
moon" One identifies the hare in the
moon with Buddha. Once Buddha trans
formed himself into a hare that he might
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

ever man falters and fails, yet he need
never despair.
What aspired to be
And was not, comforts me,
because the capacity to aspire to the
ideal presupposes, sometime and some
where, the power to achieve that to
which it aspires.
Leave now for dogs and apes!
Man has forever!
Browning is one of the most spiritual
of teachers. for his counsel, expressed
through the greatest variety of dramatic
and he takes nothing less for the motif
Of the entire body of his poetry than the
drama of the soul itself:
Its shifting fancies and celestial lights.
Robert Browning comes from an an
cestry Of people Of comfortable means,
OF hawless integrity and rather unusual
culture. His grandfather, the first Rob-
Of England, position opened to him
through the influence of Lord SALISBURY.
He married in IT'S Margaret Title, who
inherited some property In the West In
dies, to which their son. the second Rob-
ert, was sent out in his youth to oversee.
He resigned from this post, which was q
lucrative one. and returned to face priva-
ton, IL need be, because he could not
tolerate the prevailing system Of slave
labor.
Il
At the age OF thirty, having also be-
come an officer in the Bank Of England.
he married. in 1871. Sarah Anna Wiede-
mann. whose father. a German ship
owner, had married Scotch lady ana
settled in Dundee. The new household
of Robert and Sarah Anna Wiedemann-
Browning established itself In Gambler
well. where were born their two children.
Robert. the future poet, on May Z, 1872.
and his sister. Sarah Ann, later known
as Sariana, on January IA, 1914
The poets father was q man Of learn
ing and cultured tastes. He was an
ardent lover Of the classics. familiar with
Nteratures, and with old Spanish. He
was writer Of clever verse, a skilled
draughtsman and a connoisseur in rare
prints and engravings, Of which he was
also a collector. He was q devoted lover
Of medieval literature, especially that of
the mystic and legendary order.
In 1888 Browning made his initial visit
Trieste. and 1t was In this voyage. when
between Gibraltar and Naples. that he
wrote How They Brought the Good
News From Client to AK" The poet
penciled Il on the flyleaf Of q COPY of
Bartolfs de Simboli Transported al
Morale" while sitting on deck. and
more than forty years later he showed
the copy Of this book with the poem
on a blank page to DR.. Hiram Carson.
who was visiting him In Warwick
Crescent DR.. Carson amused the poet
by telling him how often he was asked
what good news" Browning had in
mind: to which the poet replied that be
was not sure that he had any. so1
course though" h added. very tm-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

OF great delicacy and loneliness. OF Ter
vent religious feeling and great love Tor
ton in the art, but she was q natural
musician, and every day In the late after
noon she was at her piano Tor her hour
Of darkness and solitude and music. AT
one time. when playing softly to herself
lined against a somber bookcase. two
wistful eyes fixed themselves upon her.
and the next moment her little son
sprang, sobbing. into her arms exciaim-
ing, play Play!
Before her marriage Mrs. Browning had
been q member of the Scottish kirk. and
her husband had been COMMUNICATE OF
the English Church. but both the parents
now allied themselves with an ''independ-
ent'' church, although they remained
deeply attached to the Rev. Henry Mel
will late canon Of st. PauPs. whose even
ing service they habitually attended. The
future poet and his sister were baptized
In the parish church in Camberwell. the
records being now open to any visit IN
the Browning Hall, which stands on the
site Of the church.
Before Robert Browning was twelve
England the "Odes" of Horace. He was
q studious lad. but distinctly non-aca-
dsnic He had the imaginative and
creative mind. and the routine OF ordt-
nary school life was to him irksome.
Ready at Peckham. he solaced himself
for the inevitable rules and regulations
by writing little plays, and perSuad1ng
his school-fellows to join him in acting
them.
.'Pauline," the first sustained work Of
this wonderful boy, was written when he
was nineteen. and published just before
his twenty-first birthday. Even this
youthful work suggests the conviction de-
uicted ever and again in late life by
Browning, that life Is an adventure OF the
soul which sinks, rises, falls, RECEIVERS it.
self, and though "tried. troubled. tempt
ed" never yields to final failure.
Alfred Domett, the Waring Of the
poem. was one Of the earliest Of the
poets youthful friends: another was the
Chevalier George de Benkhausen. the
Russian consul general In London. who.
being suddenly summoned to Russia in
March Of 1888. persuaded young Brown
ing to accompany him. and the transition
from Camberwell to st. Petersburg was
an intense stimulus, and offered him a
rich mine Of poetic material In 'Co-
lombe's Birthday" in 'Ivan Ivanovitch"
and In ''Sordello'' are all recognizable
traces and echoes Of this journey: and
especially the Russian music and folk
songs fingered In his memory for all the
after years.
fifteen years Of the most beautiful idyl
Mr.. Browning June %. 1851. 1.-THE cycle
II complete" said Browning a. he stood
WITH M friends, the 6toryG, Ga the desc
JaAe Aoaxtment IN Casa 0U3Aa Nth
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

The years from 1869 to 1880 were full
of rich achievement The elder Browning
died. and the poets sister. Sarianna, now
came to make her home with him. The
poet, with his sister and his son, WIS.,
tied Lady Ashburton at Loeb Luichart;
they sojourned on Loeb Achnaulr with
the Storys and Lady Marion Afford, with
whom also came Jowett and Swinburne
1t was not until 1881 that Browning
again saw Italy. He never entered Flor
ence or Rome after the death OF his
Lyric Love-" but Venice came to be
infinitely dear to him. and Asola was, as
he phrased 1t, my very own Of all Ital-
ian towns" Oxford, which had honored
Browning with a degree in 1882. now be-
slowed upon him the ID. C. L." on
which occasion the humorous dangling
Of a red cotton nightcap over his head,
let down from the balcony by q mis-
chievOus student, greatly amused the
poet. Two years later the University Of
Edinburgh bestowed upon him her high
est degree, Browning being on this occa-
sion the guest OF Prof Mason.
December II. 1889. Robert Browning
passed on to the life more abundant, his
last words being How gratifyngw in
reply to his sons reading to him a tele-
gram from his publisher telling Of the
great and instant success Of 'AsOlando.
The simple funeral service was held in
the gran sala Of the palazzo, and fleet
Of gondoliers, accompanied by the Vene-
tian syndic. accompanied the casket to
Its temporary resting place In the chapel
Of San Michele. Dean Bradley. on be-
half Of Westminster Abbey, telegraphed
to Mr.. Barrett Browning asking that the
body Of the poet might be committed to
that Vahalla of England's honored dead.
and Offering the same honor for Mrs
but her son could not refuse
the wish Of the Florence that had 80
loved her that her tomb should remain In
that city. On the last day Of 1889 were
held In Westminster. Abbey the last i'm
pressive rites over the body of England's
greatest poet since Shakespeare. The
Archbishop Of Canterbury, the Dean OF
an aid-de-camp especially rep
Queen Victoria, were among
hose who followed the casket covered
With lilies Of the valley and white ROSES
Mrs. Browningso favoFito 1loweg-wtth Q
massive CgonD ct Yto1otGh
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

Easter Monday the young men Of the
parish In Warwickshire at Coles Hill
catch q hare and take 1t to the parson
before 10 O'Clock in the morning, for
which they get in return Calls head,
100 eggs and q groat.
The Hallaton hare scramble and bot
tie kicking is the most curious hare GUS
tom in England in the present day. 1t
occurs also Easter Monday. According
to walsh, in his ''Curiosities Of Popular
Customs" Billson, In his Country FOLK
an interesting account Of Il
AT q remote period" Billson tells Us,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

ana fafc1cal entertainments WCAO . P~A~
of the amusements. Monks and cierics
INDUCED in games Of ball in the churches
and in England they played for prizes, the
winners receiving tansy cakes. These
cakes were taken from bitter herbs IN
use among the Jews at this season ana
were believed to be OF especial medicinal
value to the stomach. Today at many
English tables there are Easter tansy
buildings.
At this time they had feasts In the
churches The clergy in an effort to IN
crease "the Easter smile often recited
humorous stories from the pulpit. Nor
was the matter of dress an inconspicuous
part of the festivities. With q bearing
devoutly serious the people attended
church. as they do now. in all the new
fnery that they could procure. Courts.
trades and labor ceased. baptisms We're
popular, aims were distributed and slaves
granted their liberty. The Easter kiss
and the salution Christ Is rfsen. with
the reply, He Is risen, indeed''-words
still made use of in some portions of the
world-were pretty observances OF the
time.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

~HE resplendence with which the
celebration OF the centenary of
Robert Browning (May z. 1912
will be observed in Westmins-
ter Abbey. where, in the poets
corner his body is entombed beside that
Of Tennyson. is a significant landmark in
human progress.
The dean Of Westminster has granted
the use of College Hall for this convo-
cation from to on the afternoon OF
the centenary day. and Lord Grove. q
man of letters as well as q statesman,
and himself the author Of some notable
lines on Browning. is expected to preside.
while the eminent speakers will include
the Archbishop of Canterbury. DR.. Ed
C.. Benson, Robert Brooks and William
Watson.
The lofty and many-faceted genius Of
the poet will be discussed by this notable
group, and Browning societies In nearly
all cities will also celebrate the occasion.
The poet himself stood in proper awe
and respect for these learned bodies, and
whenever, during the latter years of his
life he was asked any of those questions
as to his meaning in this or that passage
he invariably replied that he did not
know. but just ask the Browning Socie-
ty.'' he would add. with a twinkle in his
eye. they can tell you all about that"
The numerous celebrations Of the Browning
centenary assure US that there still Is
room for poets in this world and that
we have by no means Travelled SO far
from the golden age as not to be able
to appreciate one who IL. in the most
extraordinary degree. as Matthew Arnold
said Of Emerson. 1.-The friend and alder
Of those who would live In the spirit"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07

when the pies are pitched out ofs the
sack and scrambled for the spectators
amuse themselves by throwing the con-
tents at one another. Then follows the
well known 'Hallaton bottle licking. One
OF the largest bottles containing ale Is
thrown into the circular hollow on the
mound, and the melbourne men or other
villagers try to wrest the bottle from the
Hallatonian grasp. A fierce contest then
ensues, in comparison with which q foot
bali scrimmage is mere child's play. The
victors, Of course. claim the contents Of
the bottle. Then the dummy is fought
for with undated zest, for the HaNaton
people boast that this has never been
wrested from them. The third bottle Is
taken in triumph to the market cross and
it's contents drunk with accustomed hon.
ors. The bottles are carefully kept from
year to year, some having done duty for
more than thirty years
Germany makes the hare dear to the
children, where 1t rivals the popularity
OF st. Nicholas. German children know
that il they are good, kind and truthful
Easter eve. while every one sleeps. hare
will steal Into the house and hide guam
titles OF pretty colored eggs for them
The ''ldnderkins'' do not see the baskets