The  Spirit  of  Easter. 
“  The  heavens  indeed  are  changing;  The  Lord  Is  risen 
indeed.  Some  of  our  oum;  What  of  the  springtime  ? 
Easter  Legends;  1  he  trailing  of  the  arbutus. 
l)r.  Sheldon  Jackson,  the  Government  Educational 
Agent  for  Alaska,  tells  the  story  of  a  chief  who 
pleaded  for  a  teacher  to  come  and  read  to  his  tribe 
“  the  letter  of  the  Great  Spirit,”  that  they  might  know 
what  He  wished  them  to  do.  Some  one  was  finally 
sent  to  them,  and  as  a  part  of  the  ceremonial  to  show 
their  thankfulness  and  hope,  a  medicine  man  came  be¬ 
fore  the  large  company  in  the  chief’s  dwelling,  and 
casting  many  a  glance  with  straining  eyes  through  the 
open  roof  to  the  skies  above,  announced,  with  all  the 
signs  of  strong  excitement,  “the  heavens  are  chang¬ 
ing.”  The  first  was  followed  by  another,  who  re¬ 
peated  the  same  acts  and  words;  a  third  in  like  man¬ 
ner  read  with  grave  earnestness  the  signs  of  the  times, 
as  written  in  the  heavens,  and  said  still  more  emphati¬ 
cally:  “  The  heavens  indeed  are  changing.” 
*  *  * 
At  this  Easter  time  as  one  recalls  the  words  passed 
to  one  and  another  of  old,'  “  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  unto  Simon,”  the  thought  connects 
itself  with  those  poor  savages  hungering  for  help  which 
their  fellow  beings  in  these  United  States  could  give 
them;  with  the  hope  that  for  them  the  heavens  in¬ 
deed  are  changing,  and  that  the  news  that  the  Lord 
is  risen  indeed,  will  soon  be  carried  to  these  waiting 
thousands.  *  *  * 
I)r.  Jackson,  whose  passionless,  almost  prosaic  re¬ 
cital  of  facts  concerning  these  people  of  our  own 
country  is  more  telling  than  any  arts  of  rhetoric  or 
appeals  to  sentiment  could  possibly  be,  tells  quietly  of 
the  Alaskans  killing  their  wives  at  will  or  for  a  whim, 
as  they  would  their  dogs.  He  tells  of  the  killing  of 
thousands  of  girl  babies  every  year,  as  superfluous 
kittens  would  be  killed,  and  states  that  the  exposure 
of  children  to  death  excites  so  little  surprise,  that,  on 
occasion  of  finding  a  male  child  thus  exposed,  the  only 
comment  would  be  on  the  fact  that  a  boy  had  been 
thus  sacrificed.  He  tells  that  when  the  mother  gets 
too  old  to  work,  the  son  takes  her  out  in  front  of 
the  house  and  quietly  knocks  her  in  the  head,  or  ties 
a  rope  around  her  neck,  and  drags  her  over  the  rough 
stones  until  she  dies.  This  in  our  own  country,  let  us 
think  again!  Yet  in  the  same  breath  this  quiet  agent 
of  our  government  says  that  we  are  mistaken  if  we 
think  the  Alaskans  a  cruel  people;  that  they  are  not, 
and  that  they  receive  gladly  by  whole  tribes,  the 
“  letter  from  the  Great  Spirit,”  and  break  off  at  once 
from  all  their  heathen  practices  as  soon  as  they  know 
this  is  what  He  would  have  them  do. 
*  *  * 
One  of  our  great  denominations  sent  out  a  man  and 
wife  to  found  a  school  and  a  home,  but  before  the 
buildings  were  subscribed  for.  They  had  two  small 
rooms  to  live  in  ;  the  other  half  of  their  house,  13x26, 
they  took  for  a  school.  Hut  helpless  orphan  children 
were  sent  to  them  one  after  another,  until  they  had 
18  on  their  hands,  with  only  the  three  rooms  to  lodge 
them,  provisions  enough  for  two,  and  no  chance  of 
getting  more  for  six  months.  Yet  they  must  care  for 
them,  or  put  them  out  to  perish,  as  the  Alaskans  do. 
Last  fall,  when  the  last  vessel  of  the  season  left  San 
Francisco  it  was  overloaded,  and  the  supplies  which 
the  church  had  furnished  for  the  needy  teachers  were 
left  behind.  What  of  these  long  six  months?  When 
the  spring  resurrection  of  our  land  to  life  and  vernal 
beauty  comes  on,  will  it  be  for  them,  or  will  they  have 
gone  to  their  reward  ? 
Will  it  come  to  Prof.  Stevenson  in  the  icy  regions  at 
Point  Barrow,  utterly  alone  but  for  the  school  to 
which  he  has  given  everything;  staying  on  in  it  for 
this  his  third  year,  his  wife  and  children  still  in  the 
east,  rather  than  leave  the  people  to  their  degradation 
again  !  Let  us  hope  that  those  who  have  given  their 
very  lives,  may  see  the  Easter  blessing,  the  rising  of 
the  Lord,  in  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  they  arc  car¬ 
rying  gospel  and  civilization.  Do  you  say  that  this  sad 
story  is  not  in  keeping  with  Easter  gladness  ?  If  we 
remember  what  Easter  commemorates,  and  send  the 
Easter  gladness  to  them,  it  will  be. 
*  *  -x- 
Easter  Legends  furnish  a  small  field,  and  this  has 
been  so  thoroughly  tilled  in  the  past  that  there  seems 
to  be  absolutely  nothing  new.  The  story  of  the  boys 
playing  ball  with  eggs,  and  the  clergy  playing  with 
them  :  of  the  Russian  Princess  who  must  submit  to 
being  kissed  by  any  boor  upon  Easter  day;  of  the 
thousands  of  eggs  taken  to  the  Cathedral  to  be  blessed; 
of  the  egg  dance,  etc.,  are  told  over  and  over,  year 
after  year,  in  scores  of  publications,  anxious  to  give 
matter  suitable  for  Easter.  This  year  Demoresfs 
Magazine  has  a  dainty  engraving  of  Marguerite  and 
Philibert  going  through  the  intricate  egg  dance.  To 
dance  among  100  eggs,  scattered  about,  without  break¬ 
ing  any  of  them  is  by  no  means  easy  ;  yet  the  story 
goes  that  it  was  accomplished  and  that  Marguerite 
and  Philibert  were  betrothed  thereat,  and  afterward 
married.  Of  course  the  illustration  shows  no  broken 
eggs.  The  picture  is  of  a  very  gay  lass,  and  a  younger 
lad,  apparently,  and  reminds  one  so  much  of  the  old 
time  paintings  of  the  minuet,  that  it  might  be  taken 
as  an  illustration  of  “  How  she  danced,  my  grandma 
danced  !  long  ago.” 
Hon.  C.  E.  Belknap  of  Michigan  in  a  paper  read 
before  the  American  Folk-Lore  Society  asserts  that 
there  are  two  things  that  the  learned  white  man  does 
not  understand — the  Indian  and  the  arbutus.  The 
legend  which  the  former  tells  of  the  birth  of  the  latter 
exhales  the  very  breath  of  Easter  waking  and  blossom¬ 
ing.  We  pass  to  the  meeting  of  the  lioary-bearded, 
fur-clad  old  man,  and  the  maiden  whose  “hands  were 
covered  with  willow  buds ;  her  clothing  of  sweet 
grasses  and  ferns  ;  her  moccasins  white  lilies. 
The  old  man  said  to  the  maiden  :  “  I  am  Manito.  I 
blow  my  breath  and  the  waters  of  the  river  stand 
still.” 
The  maiden  said  :  “  I  breathe,  and  flowers  spring  up 
in  all  the  plains.” 
The  old  man  said  :  “I  shake  my  locks,  and  snow 
covers  all  the  ground.” 
“I  shake  my  curls,”  said  the  maiden,  “and  warm 
rains  fall  from  the  clouds.” 
The  old  man  said  :  “  When  I  walk  about,  the  leaves 
fall  from  the  trees  at  my  command  ;  the  animals  hide 
in  their  holes  in  the  ground,  and  the  birds  get  up  out 
of  the  water  and  fly  away.” 
The  maiden  said  :  “  When  I  walk  about  the  plants 
lift  up  their  heads,  the  trees  cover  their  nakedness 
with  many  leaves,  the  birds  come  back,  and  all  who 
sec  me  sing;  there  is  music  everywhere.”  And  thus 
they  talked,  and  the  air  became  warm  in  the  lodge. 
The  old  man's  head  dropped  upon  his  bosom  and  he 
slept. 
Then  the  sun  came  back,  and  a  blue-bird  came  to  the 
top  of  the  lodge  and  called,  “  Say-ee,  say-ee  !  I  am 
thirsty  !”  And  the  river  called  back,  “  I  am  free,  come 
and  drink  !” 
And  as  the  old  man  slept  the  maiden  passed  her 
hands  above  his  head,  and  he  began  to  grow  small. 
Streams  of  water  ran  out  of  his  mouth,  and  soon  he 
was  a  small  mass  upon  the  ground,  and  his  clothing 
turned  to  green  leaves,  and  then  the  maiden,  kneeling 
upon  the  ground,  took  from  her  bosom  the  most  prec¬ 
ious  white  flowers  and  hid  them  all  about  under  the 
leaves.  Then  she  breathed  upon  them  and  said  :  “I 
give  thee  all  my  virtues  and  my  sweetest  breath,  and 
all  who  would  pick  thee  shall  do  so  upon  bended  knee.” 
Then  the  maiden  moved  away  through  the  woods 
and  over  the  plains,  and  all  the  birds  sang  to  her,  and 
wherever  she  stepped,  and  nowhere  else,  grows  the 
arbutus. 
This  is  the  essence  of  the  legend,  as  told  to  Mr. 
Belknap  beside  the  Indian  camp  fires.  Surely  all 
lovers  of  the  arbutus,  trailing  still  in  the  way  of  the 
maiden's  footsteps,  owe  him  the  heartiest  thanks  for 
having  preserved  it,  and  passed  it  on. 
Pretty  Gifts  in  Easter  Dress. 
t—\  ASTER  LIGHTS. — Procure  three  well  shaped 
iT  eggs,  make  a  circular  opening  in  one  end  of  each 
egg,  about  the  size  of  the  end  of  a  lead  pencil.  Empty 
the  contents  of  each  egg,  and  rinse  out  the  inside. 
Make  an  exact  triangle  of  stiff  card  board.  Cut  a  round 
opening  in  each  corner  of  the  triangle,  large  enough 
to  hold  an  egg  in  an  upright  position,  at  the  middle  of 
the  egg:  i.  e.,  to  allow  the  unopened  egg  to  pass  through 
the  round  hole,  up  to  the  largest  part  of  the  egg,  where 
it  is  held  in  place. 
The  eggs  are  more  securely  held  in  position,  by 
putting  a  little  mucilage  or  glue  around  the  inside  of 
each  round  opening  in  the  triangular  card-board. 
After  the  eggs  are  securely  placed,  and  the  glue  dry, 
the  ‘  'undertaking”  should  be  gilded.  Liquid  gold  which 
comes  ready  prepared  with  directions  for  use  and 
brush  attached,  is  best  for  the  novice,  or  those  not 
familiar  with  mixing  bronzings.  Gild  the  outside  of 
the  eggs,  and  also  the  pasteboard  triangle,  under¬ 
neath  as  well  as  on  top.  When  thoroughly  dry.  gild 
a  second  time,  and  even  a  third  time  if  necessary. 
When  completed  the  arrangement  proves  to  be  a 
candle  stick,  and  it  remains  but  to  place  three  small 
candles,  such  as  are  used  for  Christmas  trees,  into  the 
egg-  holders.  The  candlestick  with  lighted  candles  is  not 
a  bad  table  decoration  for  Easter  morning  breakfast. 
Egg  Sachet. — An  especially  pretty  Easter  device  is 
an  egg  sachet.  Blow  an  egg!  This  is  done  by  making 
a  small  hole  in  each  end  of  an  egg  and  blowing  out 
the  contents.  It  is  possible  to  rinse  the  inside  of  a 
“blown”  egg  by  immersing  it  in  water,  and  repeated 
shakings  and  emptyings.  When  dry  get  some  violet 
sachet  powder  into  the  egg.  The  holes  in  the  egg  are 
concealed  and  the  sachet  powder  prevented  from  es¬ 
caping  as  follows  :  Select  an  artificial  violet  with  a 
long  stem.  With  a  needle  and  thread  attached  to  the 
violet  stem,  draw  the  stem  through  the  inside  of  the 
egg,  and  out  at  the  “other  end”  of  the  egg,  leaving  the 
yiolet  head  proper  to  “  stop  up  ”  the  opposite  hole. 
Attach  another  thread  and  needle  to  another  violet 
stem.  Draw  the  second  violet  stem  through  one  hole 
and  out  at  the  other  in  reverse  order.  Fasten  by  use 
of  needle  and  thread — neatly  so  that  the  stitches  will 
not  show — the  head  of  one  violet,  to  the  stem  of  the 
other  violet — thus  securing  each  violet  head  in  place, 
firmly,  and  covering  each  opening  in  the  ends  of  the 
egg.  The  violet  egg  sachet  is  pretty  and  convenient 
placed  in  a  handkerchief  box,  or  amid  other  toilet 
flab-dabs  ? 
Cradellette. — Toddlekins  will  be  pleased  with  an 
egg  converted  into  a  tiny  toy  cradle.  “  Cut  out  ” 
one-fourth  of  the  shell,  i.  e.  one  half  of  the  egg — in 
oblong  position  represents  the  cradle  proper.  The 
other  one-fourth  being  attached  to  one  end  of  the 
“  cradle  bed,”  as  it  were,  represents  the  canopy  over 
one  end  of  the  cradle.  The  shell  “opposite”  the  canopy, 
and  the  same  size  as  the  canopy,  is  cutaway.  Cleanse 
the  eggs  thus  arranged  thoroughly.  Place  a  tiny  bed 
of  cotton,  a  wee  doll  and  a  coverlid  in  the  cradle,  and 
the  effect  is  thoroughly  “  cute”— if  such  an  expression 
is  permissible. 
Flower  Sachet. — A  dainty  sachet  may  be  made  as 
follows,  and  violets  or  arbutus,  or  even  a  lily,  which 
has  done  millinery  service,  but  is  still  in  good  condi¬ 
tion,  be  used  with  good  effect.  Make  an  oval,  egg- 
shaped  sachet,  of  bolting  cloth,  or  two  thicknesses 
of  illusion. 
The  sachet  or  sachet  case  is  to  contain  Easter 
flowers,  which  are  to  be  semi-visible  through  the 
meshes  of  the  illusion  or  bolting  cloth.  One  end  of 
the  sachet  is  left  open  until  the  flowers  are  adjusted. 
A  mass  of  arbutus  or  violets,  and  a  lily  or  two  may  be 
placed  inside  ;  but  previous  to  being  placed  in  position 
the  artificial  flower  or  flowers  should  be  highly  per¬ 
fumed  with  an  extract.  Violet  is  most  appropriate  if 
violets  be  the  flowers  in  use.  When  the  flowers  are  in 
order,  and  the  sachet  completely  fastened  around  the 
edge,  the  work  is  finished. 
The  edges  of  the  two  egg-shaped  pieces  of  illusion 
or  bolting  cloth  may  be  buttonholed  together,  and  if 
neatly  done  with  pretty  floss  or  gilt  thread  is  sufficient 
finish  ;  however,  the  edges  of  the  ovals  may  be  bound 
with  ribbon  or  finished  with  a  frill  of  lace,  if  desired. 
Narcissus  Mats. — An  especially  effective  set  of 
toilet  mats  may  be  decorated  in  Easter  array  as  fol¬ 
lows  ;  Make  oval  or  egg-shaped  toilet  mats  of  cream, 
tan,  gray,  g’reen  or  even  pink,  yellow  or  blue  chamois 
skin,  as  taste  may  dictate.  Paint  close  to  the  edge  of 
each  mat  a  conventional  border  of  narcissus.  Many 
pretty  designs  may  be  found  upon  old  Easter  cards. 
When  dry  cut  out  the  border  of  the  mat  or  mats  by 
the  outline  of  the  flowers.  Gild  the  edges  of  the  mat 
lightly.  Narcissus,  being  white,  is  pretty  upon  any 
color  of  skin. 
An  Easter  Card. — A  spoon  may  be  cut  out  of  card¬ 
board,  gilded,  and  decorated  with  a  bird's  nest  and 
eggs  in  the  bowl  of  the  spoon  ;  or,  an  arrangement  of 
birds  or  butterflies  to  suit  the  taste.  An  especially 
We  think  we  value  health  ;  but  are  all 
the  time  making  sacrifices,  not  for  it,  but 
of  it.  We  do  to-day  what  we  must  or 
like  ;  we  do  what  is  good  for  us — when 
we  have  to. 
We  could  live  in  full  health,  do  more 
work,  have  more  pleasure,  amount  to 
more,  by  being  a  little  careful. 
Careful  living  is  the  thing  to  put 
first ;  let  us  send  you  a  book  on  it ;  free. 
Scott  &  Bowne,  Chemists,  132  South  5th  Avenue,  New  York. 
Your  druggist  keeps  Scott’s  Emulsion  of  cod-liver  oil— all  druggists 
everywhere  do  $1 
