"It is _Men-du-min_, the grain of the Great Spirit," said the father.
They invited their friends to a feast on the excellent grain, and there were soon great rejoicings among many nations because of the boon. It was Maize. When Europeans came, centuries afterward, they called it _Indian Corn_. It proved to be as great a blessing to them as it had been to their barbarian neighbors. To-day it is the food of thousands of Christians and pagans, civilized men and savages, from the Gulf of Mexico far toward the frigid zone. It is indeed _Men-du-min_--the grain of the Great Spirit.
Beautiful things there are coming this way Nearer and nearer, dear, every day-- Yes, closer and closer, my baby.
Mischievous showers and faint little smells Of far-away flowers in far-away dells Are coming in April, my baby.
Sly little blossoms that clamber along Close to the ground till they grow big and strong Are coming in May, little baby.
Roses and bees and a big yellow moon Coming together in beautiful June, In lovely midsummer, my baby.
Pretty red cherries, and bright little flies, Twinkling and turning the fields into skies, Will come in July, little baby.
Feathery clouds and long, still afternoons, Scarce a leaf stirring, and birdies' soft croons, Are coming in August, my baby.
Glimpses of blue through the poppies and wheat, And one little birthday on fast-flying feet, Will come in September, my baby.
The giving of an egg as a mark of friendship or love is almost as old as the ark, of which it is a symbol; for the ancients used it as a sign of resurrection, and brought eggs to the altars of their gods as gifts.
Placed on the Passover table of the Jews, it means the destruction of the whole race and its resurrection. The Druids used it in their ceremonies, and the Persians present it at the New Year. A Russian will salute you on Easter morning with "Christ is risen," and offer you his Easter-egg; and what is still stranger, the Mohammedan will do the same. And, my dear little readers, when you break your egg at breakfast, you are doing just what the Greek and Roman boys and girls did centuries ago, for they began the first meal of the day with eggs; and egg-cups resembling ours have been found in Pompeii; only they preferred the egg of the pea-hen or Egyptian goose.