The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-04-01
RICH M o Nd. VAT
Thursday Morning, April 4, 1882.
FIRST OF APRIL.

this trick. We have great desire, for the sake
of variety, 10 be made fool OF ourselves. The
Dispatch is so universally sagacious aud sensi-
BILE. that il would be a relief to be fooled once
in tw Give months Can't somebody fool il +?
The most agreeable mode ofaccompiishing this
would be TO send it valuable present, care
fully wrapped up. This would be opened, of
course, with the suspicion that il was hoax
that pril Fool'' would be found sticking
out in large letters, under horrid picture, or
accompanied by some mischievous conceit.-
When this suspicion was met by the appear
ance OF something really beautiful and highly
to be priced, we should feel sense of the most
agreeable kind oifooling. Can't some humane
person. that would like to confer pleasure
through the medium of good trick, just .an-
taIze the Dispatch after this fashion ?
The name Apru is supposed to be derived
from Apiere, to open; because about this
time the earth seems to be in the act of unfold
ing IFS gifts for our comfort and enjoyment
Another supposed derivation of the name is
from Aphrodite, because April is especially
consecrated TO that goddess. In the Had she
Is represented as the daughter of Jupiter and
eDione. Other authorities differ ON this point,
but as il is not important who were the hon
cred pareE,s of the goddess, we will merely
state that Zoe was the Greek Venus. Many
poets represent her as having sprung from the
foam OF the sea. She is said TO have been the
most beautiful of all the goddesses, and great
coquette avery common fault of great beau
ties, as our lady friends will confess! All the
Gods are said to have fallen in love with her,
and by turns she favored the suits of nearly
all. She married Vulcan-anoiher instance of
q sort of weakness of pretty women in marry
ing their ugliest suitors. How admirably did
the old Greeks understand human nature!-
The fekleness Of the goddess is very poetical-
ly reflected in the month sacred to her.
The origin OF the custom of All Fools Day,
which prevails throughout Europe, aud OF
which there is some resemblance in certain
,feasts in the East Indies, is not clear. There
are several versions given of it, one of which is
that, as in the middle ages scenes from Bible
history were often represented without any
feeling of improperly, the scene in the life Of
JESUS, where he is sent from Plate to Herod,
and back from Herod to Plate, was represent
ed in April, and may have given rise to the
custom Of fruitess errands and other tricks
practiced at this season. The phrase of
"sending a man from Plate to Herod," is
common in Germany, to describe tile sending
on unnecessary and foolish missions. The
reason of choosing the LIST of April was, that
the feast of Easier often falls in this month. and
the events of this period of the life of the Sa-
viour would be naturally selected for the spec
tacles of the season. However, it may be some
Grecian or Roman custom, derived from the
East and handed down through successive
played offupon the soberest and most profound
people. who knows but what Lycurgus or Cato
may have been made, in their day, April fools
OF, by the mischevous boys? Ia France the
unlucky party fooled is called an poisson
d'ArrtE--in the North of Scotland, gock.-
Rabelais wanted to go from Marseilles to Pa
ris on one occasion, and had not the means.-
He played of a first of April trick very sue
cessfully. He put quantity of brick dust in
phials, labelled, poison for the Royal family
of France, and placed it where it would be dis
covered. The result was he was conveyed, at
government expense, very rapidly to Paris,
where, when the trick was made known, il oc-
casioned great deal of merriment
In oui day and time, and in this country
such is the devotion of people to their avoca-
tons that there is very little attention paid to
the pasiimes, such as those Of All-FooIs' Day:
nothing like there is in other countries, and
was here, in days bygoue. Indeed, the ma.
tional annn have but reluctant oh.
sefsnnce. Even the 4th CT July, the greatest
ofthem, cannot get whole day to itself. The
tradesmea will have touch at business in
the morning, and many of them little in the
evening. SO that me-hoRored customs and
lnnec ent pastimes make but slight impression
amongst us, and are but feebly observed. The
little boys, however, will have their fun, and
many OF the little rascals are, no doubt, now
fixing up their package to deposite on the
sidewalk. while they sit near to jeer the sim
pie passenger who stops to pick it up and open
it, We have seen a cautious person who
would pick up the package, afraid TO open
it in the street, carry it to the first alley
OF house into which he had to enter but the
boys would dog his steps, and have their laugh
at the denouement! In this, and other modes
the boys will excite smile in the sober man
Of business, and in spite of tobacco, cotton
calico, groceries and per CT, obtrude little
humanity into the highways of manimon The
appreciation OF humor, and The faculty te
laugh. are two peculiariies ofthe human race
that are aimos, lost in the absorbing pursuit,
of money making, and il the little urchins dc
bring Them out occasionally. through ihcil
cunning little arts, they do humanity ser.
vice. Go ahead, boys, and play of your tricks
the Dispatch viii stand by you,
The best fooling ever played off in this city
was, we believe, the concei. ofan ingenious ed
nitor, many years ago, who wrote scientific
description OF a mummy that was to be seen il