New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-31
ALL-FOOLS' DAY.
'This beipg tho Grst Of April. We intend
To lanpeh out our theme without fsuef-
And AII-FooS Day 10 foolsry being friend,
Ready, the more absurd We sfs the better
The siuse upon Hunt the Gou'k we'll send
To rosm the world al lsfge; In short veil YET her
Tread where she lists the psstimes Of the season
snIYi in her sleeve and crack Der thumbs at Rcasos

III
tuted the April Fools Festival deserves TO be Immortal
tied for he was surely benefator to his kind since on
no other day the year laughter so prevalent Io
very air tes with tests and jokes and mad foiy Win
her can and bells phys her widest pranks unrepressed
and summons both the young and the DID, the grave ana
the cav TO follow her winged feet as she hes from one
caprice another In fact the hs1 vi hPt may "oi'
be called the birthday Of FBni '..---
In ancient times this day was observed In Britain AZ
general festival land for at that time the
sun entered the sign Ares, and the new year com
menced The great antiquity Of All Foes' Festival, as
well as its Asatc origin, by the facts OF as
tronomy Although the reformation Of the year by the
Julian and Gregorian esiendsrs and the changes pro-
duced during the long lapse OF years by the procession Of
tho Rounoxes have made mpertsns alterations In the
astronomy Of ASIA yet In both Asia and Britain re-
marable traces stiI remain Of the mirth and olity
which reigned at this time --....''-'
The custom Of making April Fools IL SAID 10 nave or'
mated with the Persans whom they ceeerateu WIN lee
tai rites the beginning OF their new year. OF INC peou
OF the yernal Equinox The ancient Romans upon tne
LIST OF APRIL abstained from pleading causes and the
Roman ladies were won't to perform abutons under the
uvr,le trees 10 crown themselves with flowers and TO
offer sacrifices TO Venus the Goddess OF Beauty ana Oh
Love This custom originated IN iythoioRlcai tae'
which asserted thatas Venus was once, upon 'hiS
drying her wet tresses upon tho banks OF r'e cue
was perceived by satyrs, whose curious gaze cohueu
pn, ,oop with myrtlss she beauties yelled
Prom whence this annual custom ass eutaiFh
Tn Xylanders Plutareh, there is passage III oreoA
ating TO the of Fools celebrated py tho
IL ia to this effect .- ... ri, I,
WV ia thew call tho ourinalia the Feast OF FOOLS
Ether hcoauae they allowed this day tss JuDa tells u
those who could not ascer o had missed the festal
Yomaeaa in their own tribes out on th, nv
sence or ignorance to hold TINS iesiysi on 'ni' '
Tins early was recognized the necessity OF proVluns
hum uatur
have their Hull Festival. whichis grand holiday on The
s1st OF March, They themselves by sending
persons on erraDds and expeditions which are certain 10
end In disappointment and to raise iaugh AZ ne OK
pense of the messenger Those OF high rank as well as
tho lower classes join in this revery, and the late sura
Doulah was said TO be extremely fond OF making foos
although be was Mussulman Of the highest rank
In India one Of their fayore practical jokes to SEND
letters making appointments with persons who are known
to be absent from their honest
In North Britain they send o person from place to
place fools GRAND" by OF letter, which,
somehow reachest destination In 1t is written
"on the First day of April hunt the gOwk Smother uile'
This Joke called Hunting the Gowk and the bearer
an April "Gowk." Gowk signifies a cuckoo. and Is
here used metaphorical From the saxon WORD
oae cuckoo. is derived geek, one easily imposed upon
aalyoio had been fooled by letter purporng to
have been written by Olivia, inquiries OF her;
why yop he made the most notorious geek and
Olivia declares that the letter was not "Htteu % her
and exclaim, to Malvoo:
!" Alas poor JoOli how have they bafed thee y
Geek is also derived from the Tcutonlc geek, Jecus
In every land beneath the caprcious tickle April
seems to had her voares for she always comes in
with laugh, matter how many tears she may shed
afterward. In merre old England thus once sang the
Ettrick shepherd:
"H,i glodoss d,wnipsl hail ,nspciOus morn
Apgit the Firstf grsud festival all BALL
Mg M m ~
Hs. s@S 70 pay sSss love- ,u ssd DUE
ADJ TGf . .ssH Go re- around Sa 1S 1s iiS crew
Who lore ana worship thee with single he,rt
Come crowned IN fooiscsp rolling forth this dar,
Hail. mighty mother, hail hail glorious ALL RooS DAVE
The swedes also have their April fools their humorous
pranks and laughter provoking foies, and II We go
further South the hilaty prevails at this season
of the year. Lisbon, the Sunday and Monday pro-
cedng the close of Lent the people privileged TO play
the foo-and 1t is thought extremely jocose to pour
water upon any person who chances be passing by
to throw powder his face. To perform both OF these
feas is considered the perfection OF wit In Provence,
upon this aeventul day everybody rich ana poor mas
for dinner kind Of pea peculiar to that country called
pos cehes While the ancient Convent OF Chartreux was
still standing, it common joke to send novces
there for peas. These novces were told that the
holy fathers obliged upon this day TO give les pOs
eces TO everybody who chose to ask for them So many
applications consequently made at the convent
gate that patience OF the monks becoming finally
hausted. the unlucky messenger apt 10 have the
vessel whchihe had brought to receive the peas hurled
at his unOfIendng head
Among the lively French theiApri Fool is called uR
poisson dArrt" which translated literally, means an
April fish. IL may be that this odd sObriQ"H derived
from the fact that the enters the sign Pisces
the Fishes instead of Aries, at the time OF the verna
Equinox. Napoleon ]. married Maria Louisa, Arch
duchess Of Austria the LIST OF April 1870 whereupon
the waggish Parsians dubbed him "a poisson fAcrd"
Future events proved them have been more than half
in the right Upon his weddngday Napoleon caused Il
medal TO be struck which had Love armed with thun-
derbolt for its device There young lady In Paris
Who upon the LIST OF April 1871 carried her poiSSo.
dArriI" rather too far for her own amusement While
visiting the house Of friend she pooketed watch
She arrested the day and accused OF the theft
But she adroty answered her accusers by saying the
affair only poisson dArriL" When asked II she
had the watch in her custody she denied having It; but
it was found upon the mantepiece in her apartment
Upon which the young lady remarked loosely that she
had made the messenger lwho was sent to look for
the watch "n poisson d4rrA" This affair, however,
did not terminate in very funny manner, as April fool
cries are expected do for the young lady ocuary
requested to remain in the House Of Correction until
April l. 1913, and then to be discharged an poisson
dArrH"
1t is said that prayers addressed to the Virgin Mary
upon this suspicious day, at precisely o'clock in the
morning, OF wonderful efficacy provided that
Pater NOster and an Ave Maria be added TO these Those
who have tried the experiment upon important
have declared to work with miraculous charm
In some parts of North America April the First is OBJ
served in similar manner TO SAINT Valentines Day
with this difference that instead OF showering sweet
missves OF love upon their sweethearts tho young c
are allowed to chastise maidens either with words or
blows they sec t ScOdng and threatening letters
fly to and fro through the postoice nd many young
girl has her pink cheeks pnched to crimson, her little
aars " ia "A
verbal chastsement which enamored swain sent
to his fair ensayer:
This dar O m $
Atl,u q a.fll hath