Evening star., 1921-03-27

ROLLING is Washington
- custom. 1t seems to have origi-
mated at school picnics in the
Capitol grounds and to have
spread to Baltimore and Richmond,
but the idea seems not to have taken
Ia strong hold in either of those cities.
Games with dyed eggs are older than
Christianity, and egg games in con-
nection with Easter are as old as
Christianity. Nowhere in the books
or in learned essays on Easter Gus
toms and Easter games can be found
q reference to "egg-rolling." Egg
picking is an old eastern game with
children. but "egg-rolling' seems to
few instances overlapping into Rich
mond on the south and Baltimore on
tie eaSS
@it is a strange thing that no one in
the city of Washington knows how or
when the egg-rolling practice began.
Local historians have searched all
possible sources of information with
out avail. Men and women still liv-
ing say that they remember rolling
eggs in the Capitol Square" or the
Capitol Park" in the '4os. Nearly
every old native Washingtonian rolled
eggs
The first printed reference to the
practice is to be found in The Even
ing Star, Monday, April s. 1874. and
the custom was evidently then an old
one. The Star said:
Gamboling on the Green. - Today being
Faster Monday and holiday for the pupils
Of the public schools. many as Eve thou
sand chiidren. boys and girls. at about .
O'Clock this morning wended their way to the
west Capitol grounds for the purpose Of spend
ing the day. Most OF them carried lunch
number of hard boiled eggs variOusy colored.
Several of the teachers and some OF the pa
ents were present. The freedom Of the grounds
being rendered them by the Capitol police, the
little ones at once began the sports of the day
by rolling their eggs down the terraces. When
Ahey became broken they were eaten by the
boys and girls, and others produced for
smother test. II. after several trials they
were not broken, the game of picking eggs
getting rid Of their surplus vitality TO roll
from the top to the bottom of the terraces and
then Chamber up and repeat the performance.
The Star of the next day. Tuesday.
April Z. 1874. contained this:
Brutal Conduct Of Two Rufians in the Cap
itol Grounds. Yesterday two coiored men. in
passing through the Capito! grounds, where
there was 4 large number of school children
s4xaeed in rolling eggs ard other innoceni
snusements. out OF pure cnssedness throw
eone Of the little ones down the embankment
thereby fnjurng . little girl. IAeut. James
johnson Of the police. being on the ground. ar
ffsted one OF tnem, hamed NH WOODLAND
when the other came up and struck the lieu
tenant on the bead with q stick. Knocking him
down. and then ran. A crowd Of hundreds fol
lowed. and, Onicer Kearney and Detective Ne
Dewitt coming up, gave chase and arrested the
Sufaan. who gave his name Olmstead
Holmes. and In short time both Of the brute,
vsrs locked up together At police headquarters
Olmstead Holmes was charged in the Police
Coaxt this morning with assault and ba ttery or
Iisut johnson while in the discharge OF his
duty. The defendant pleaded guilty. and In
5Ufi6estion OF himself said that the office,
GfE1Ek him hrst He was committed TO Jail in
6sfhult Of $500 bonds for the action Of the
g1lnd jury.
In The Evening Star of Tuesday.
March 80, 1875, one finds the follow
ing reference to egg-rolling in the
CSpltoi grounds:
YeGeefday. Easter Monday. at least 8 oof
sebsol children dsported themselves as is their
asst once al4ek@aapitol grounds, egg