The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-28

pY oHARLRs DIcKRNs no


70 many OF them, aud they fill occasionally
Rosilions Of so much dignity aud i'm portauce;
Rut ior what special reason the First of April
<honld have been chosen as the f6.e day of
pols is very doubtful point. The Hindoos
Pom time immemorisl have had their fools
fommemoration, the feast of Hull, on the
hirty first of March, aud it would certainly ap-
pear as II there ought to be some legendary
[esson for this particular time being so gem
frally selected. History and tradition, how
fvsr, are alike silent on the subject. The
french (a Fsenohman is nothing II not daring)
iash boldly into genealogical vagaries, and
pave pretended, by somewhat forced perver-
Jon, TO derive their poisson a. ArriL, anglice.
Pril Fool, from pdssion d'Avril. The kncy-
opedie des Bons Gems, however, while offer
ng this explanation for the consideration of
luch OF its readers rs may be credulous
|nough to believe it, cautiously expresses its
pinion that 1t is not worth much, and pro-
Bounds another solution of its own.
This story has l., that q prince of the house
Pf Lorraine, confined in one Of Louis the Thir-
eenth's prisons, made his escape on the frat
April by swimming across the moat, and
accordingly commemorated as
POISSON a. AvriI to this day. Why this should
be so is not very clear, inasmuch as the iailors,
Ind not the prince, would have been the April
Fools on the occasion. A later version of the
bame story would appear to be the correct one.
Here the prince and his wife, escaping in the
lisguise of peasants on the first of April, were
recognized by servant-mad as they were
passing out OF the castle gates. She immedi-
htely made for the guard-room, giving the
alarm to o sentinel by the way, but, unfortu-
bately for her, though happily for the fugi-
lives, although she may have forgotten that
i was ALI Fools day the soldiers on guard
bad not. The information was treated with
the utmost contempt, the soldiers de-
clining to be made game of, and while
the royal prison-breakers got clear of, it
is said that the luckless informer was soundly
sbuffeted by the guard for her ill-timed jocu-
Elarity. This version of the story, however,
goes to prove nothing beyond the fact that the
custom of making April Fools was well known
4 in the time of Louis the Thirteenth but in no
wise accounts for the curious expression,
poisson d'Aerd. The swimming story explains
he fish, but leaves one to believe that the in
ident was not the origin of the dedication of
he first of April to fools. Shakespeare, who
Photographs all the customs Of his time with
triot fidelity, nowhere mentions April Fools,
Though he delights in fools in general: there
an be little doubt that, had the custom ex-
tied, Shakespeare would have somewhere
luded to it. His only mention of the First
April marks tragic incident, for King J ohm
informed,
''the first of April died
On the other hand, it seems difficult to
elieve that "Malvoli0" was not an April Fool.
The plot devised for the discontinue of the
pompous steward is most excellent April
Foolipg. 1t proceeds more by implication than
by direct assertion; the cross. gathering has
khe ring OF the true hoax. Unfortunately in
| this case, the 80 You April FOoll'' when the
joke had run its course, was rather hard and
kcruel, and more like very bitter practica al
ezIv. AIAsx IL. .&aAua
and the metaphysics of the supposittious Sir
Topas the curate, were rather severe penal
les for the poor man who, after all, had only
been taken in bv an excellently contrived
piece OF deceit.
No April fooling should result in physical
ain. Such state Of things degrades 1t to
he level of the lowest form of miscalled fun
YER devised by malicious mortals the prac-
cal joke, villanOus piece Of business which
not considered complete unless the patient
damaged in person or in property.
Neither should he be held as q true April
DOL, and derided accordingly, who is taken in
y an assertion, mere statement OF non
xistent facts.
To stop in the street lady fresh from her
oilet and to say, MADAM, you have black
n your face" when, in point of fact, there is
10 such black, is merely mendacious i'm
eftinence. When, under such circumstance,
he handkerchief is raised to remove the Of
ending blot, the ungallant cry of "April
NoOlh' is entirely out of place. The victim
las merely trustipgly believed, not reading
right the deceitful nature OF her interlocutor,
md is no fool, not even an April Fool, for
that. But to address the lady with Mortified
oppression, and to say, "Excuse me, madam,
out you have something on your face" to be
answered, ''On my face? wherei whatf' and,
with smile of gratifed triumph, to reply,
f'Your nose, madam-this is the First OF
April 70 ia to retail ONE of the Oldest and mos,
complete ''sells" appropriate to the day.
The Washing of the Lions at the Tower, II
bfoueht TO the notice Of the intended fool by
ONE such card as "Admit the bearer to view
be washing OF the lions on the First of April
1853, at twelve precisely" is, if swallowed
nth an easy and unsuspicious credulity, al
xcellent way to manufacture your poisson
Auril and has indeed been more than ono
hopted ON q grand scale and with distin
nisbed success. You must be careful, how
wan. not to season this fish with the sauce o
ssertiop; You must by no means venture OF
INV statement that the lions will absoiutei
bd positively be washed. Similarly, TO In
hce any one to visit Trafalgar Square, on tn
Iirst of April, by distinct assertion tnat ta 20
atue of Lord Nelson would descend from hl
blumu with the aid of his coil OF rope, woul
erely be- the triumph of reckless and NJ
lusbipp mepdacity over sheer stupidity: v
he other hand, by dexterous hint and innu
Mo- 10 persusde the fool 10 take speci'
bom at Morley q to view certain extraordlnar
iobts not actually specified, would fulnl tn
onditions of the festival, and the Landing
uob a ish would be just cause OF satisia'
ion to the April angler.
The old fashioned schoolooy tricKs were gov
this respect. You we're sent 70 sne ~
|ler's for strap oil; you were not told anythir
-. a. ,.,,ra ot tha article neither, indee'