The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-04-18
Bre'r Rabbit
Long Friend
Of Children

A little animal known as Bre'r Rab-
bit handles all of the business in
cident to the delivery Of Easter eggs to
the children. He builds nests, colors
eggs and does all of the general work
necessary to youthful happiness. OF
course, you may believe the Easter
rabbit modern institution. We think
his popularity is of comparatively re-
cent promotion but-say, listen-Bre'r
Rabbit was in the egg trade centuries
before Joel Chandler Harris ever made
Georgia famous, says William Her
schell, writing in the Indianapolis
News.
Want to know about Bre'r Rabbit as
an Easter institution? Well, tradition
reports that this versatile little egg
distributor was in business before the
Christian era. He has surrounded
himself with many legends that date
back into the pagan era, long before
the birth of Christ, yet Easter eggs
are supposed to symbolic the Resur-
rection and the rebirth Of nature.
AS. one ranges back through history
and tradition the connection Of the
rabbit with Easter becomes more mys-
ferrous. Here is one story, there is an
other. They seem at counterpart,
and one may toy with the different
legends as he chooses. Sue Brady,
deliver into mythology, says:
Why the Easter Bunny?
'Into the beauty of Easter symbol
ism the Easter rabbit and the load Of
brightly-colored eggs which he car
ries for good children hops as sort
Of quantity comic relief. Why, ask
the curious, should sleek, fat bunny
and colored eggs be connected with
a festival which celebrates the resur-
rection of Jesus Christ? There seems
at first glance to be no possible rela-
ton between this picturesque whimsy
and the great spiritual significance
of the day.
''Yet, all over the world the Easter
rabbit and the eggs which he brings
are, to the children at least, as i'm
pOrtant to the celebration as masses
and anthems and church chimes.
I'm Germany wee Hans and
Gretchen hold him in almost as great
veneration as they do Kris Kringle,
for, like the jolly Christmas saint, he
only visits good children. In Russia
grownups as we'll as children greet
each other on Easter Sunday and for
seven days thereafter with an ex-
change of colored eggs. In Italy on
Easter eve, pious families carry great
bowls full of eggs to the priest for his
blessing. Easter morning these bowls
surrounded by decorations adorn the
center of the table. During the week
any visitor who may drop in eats an
egg with the hostess.
Egg Hunts Popular.
''In England and the United States
egg hunts are popular. One of the
major national events OF the year
to the children in Washington, is the
egg rolling on the grounds of the
White House under the watchful eyes
of the President and the First Lady of
the Land.
"A dusty scroll preserved in the
Tower of London contains the
household accounts of Edward
of England. One entry made short
ly before Easter is for eighteen
pence (thirty-six cents) to buy
400 eggs for the Easter celebra-
ton in the royal household. Outside
of the purely economic interest to the
student of comparative prices, this
item indicates to a certain extent the
age of our modern custom.
"But none of these explain the why
. Of the custom. AS a matter of fact,
the origin of the rabbit and the eggs
is very difficult to trace. Most festi-
val customs have some specific per-
son or event to which they can be at