Show EASTER AT tuv TUK HOUSE time honored practice of letting the children of washington roll loll eggs eee on presidents grounds easter monday in III washington Is an event in the lives ih oa of the children which Is ahead of any other day in tho the year ex epting christmas and fourth of july why because easter monday means egg rolling for many years the little ones of washington have congregated by tho the hundreds and thousands to roll eggs easter monday in the beautiful grounds surrounding tho the homo home a of f tho president of the nation thero Is no sign to keep oft off the tha grass and there aro are no restrictions the children own tho place tho the green grass of 0 the white walto lawns Is covered with children children innumerable rolling eggs on tho grassy slopes if the day Is pleasant it Is a sight to bo be reme remembered in bera a tho the children have been looking forward to tho the festival for days and weeks and great has been their anticipation but genuine Is the sorrow borrow and many tho the tears among the little ones it if easter sunday should be cold and ana rainy with promise of a bad monday yet no weather has ever been so bad as to keep everyone away from tho the white house grounds on egg ege rolling day thero there aro are many hardy little spirits who will not bo be daunted by snow or cold or rain when it comes to rolling eggs if the day la Is pleasant and tho the air balmy and the turf warm and green what a tamo the children havo have SUZ such games as they invent to play with their eggs games of infinite variation containing infinite amusement the 9 rounds grounds look more like it a juvenile fair than anything else an egg fair and tile tho biddy liens hens around washington must needs have been very diligent for many days before if tho day Is fair too the glorious marino marine band tho the finest band in tho the country plays sweet music and the children dance and gambol to its st strains ralus truly it Is childrens day in washington wonderfully colored eggs by 8 0 in tho the morning the grounds aro are actually taken possession of by the youngsters little kids with wicker baskets and varl 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 visa hen cock her head on one sido 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 tho the children are beautifully dressed in silks and laces and have french nurses to watch over them and carry their eggs egg s for them white while other little ones are dressed in very shabby garments with elbows out and toes peeping from froin their little shoes they perhaps have only three or four plainly colored eggs boiled balled in a piece of purple or red calico no french nurses accompany them carrying eggs with gilt pie ures but they can roll their eggs and themselves on the green grass grasa and soil their frocks and trousers to their hearts content and they will enjoy tho holiday pe moro more than their more fortunate fortu companions usually the of these little men and women come with them tired faced women often looking ns as though it had been a long day since they had enjoyed such a time here and there are little groups of mothers and older sisters talking together pleasantly but keeping watchful eyes to seo sea that the little ones do do not get lost in tho the crowd or stray too far away not afraid of the policeman it la Is a good natured crowd tho the big policemen standing around possess no terror for tho the little ones on egg bulling day they know that all that big policemen are for on easter Is to keep grown up people from interfering with tile the little ones who aro are rolling eggs and when the little people get lost now and then tho the big policemen aro are thero there to take taho them in charge and toll tell them not to cry until their mothers and sisters find them again then there are great rivalries among tho the children some of them are regular little gambers one little fellow gets hold or of a ver very v hard egg and he bo goes around picking eggs with his acquaintances or acquaintances lie ho finds and wins their eggs from them until finally he strikes some othir little fellow who has a harder egg I 1 than ilan his hla and then he loses a lot of eggs knit and some ot of the little rascals gamble gambla on what Is a suro sure thing with a china egg sized and painted to rosem hlo blo a genuino genuine egg or with a hens egg run full of plaster of parts they will go aro around and of course win all the eggs they contest for until some sharp luttio fellow finds out the gamo game they aro playing As aa tho the lay day advances and tho the children get hungry the peanut man find and tho the popcorn man and tho the candy man inan at tho the gates do a thriving business binl ss while at noon many are tho the little groups under tho the trees sitting around on blankets and shawls and emt eating lunches for they aro are malting making a regular picnic of it and staying all da day the children of presidents president two grand children witnessed with great enjoyment tho the egg rolling from tho the porch of the white house facing toward the washington monument and lo looking oldrig past ona end across tho the potomac to arling ton the form r home of general lee but where now aro are spread tho silent tents of a vast host of tile tho union army rho ho havo have passed across to tho the great beyond president Clev elands two lattio garli ruth anti and esther were real little democrats they tool took their own eggs and wont want otic one among the crowd of happy children anti and they rolled eggs other children ns as common day clay as their associates not the children ot of the president ident of the united states but the children of an american citizen perhaps a little extra watch was kept over them but they know it and they thought that haster easter monday was the hapP happiest lest day in III their little lives the roosevelt children aro are past tho the age of egg rolling but they enjoy with tile tho president and mrs lire Roose roosevelt watching the tl 0 gay throng ot of youngsters who romp over the white walty house grounds on oil easter buster mondays thero there was a timo time however when the children of washington did not roll eggs on the presidents grounds grou not that chev did not toll roll eggs no the have always rolled eggs on easter monday hut but they used to roll them in tile iho capitol grounds down the steep which was on the west front of the ho capital then there camo came a t almo when tho the capitol grounds were eli changed a ed and a big flight of steps built where the used to be and some dyspeptic in congress objected to the children romping on tho the smooth grass gras 1 s of 0 tho the big sward award and rolling their eg eggs 0 general clayes was president then and ho he heard of it and how ed tile tho children were because Lc causo they had no place to roll their eggs agga that year and tho the kindly man said eald I 1 why let them roll their eggs on tho the white grounds and enjoy themselves and thus it has been ever since from year to year |