The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-31
THE FIRST OF APRIL.

The Feast of FOOIs-Its Origin and History
Its Observance.
To.mOrrow's sun in It's annular aud annual
course will bring to us once more the first of
April, conspicuous in the calendar as the day
upon which foolishness is particularly rife, and
which by common consent has come to be known
by the name of All Fools day, perhaps after the
fashion of its opposite, 'All Saints day, " though
il has no other official designation than the
numeral of the month in which 1t occurs.
Concerning the occasion, the well-known Scot
tish bard, the Ettrick Shepherd, sings thus
"Hail. glorious dawning! hail, auspicious morn!
ApTil the First grand festival, all hail!
My soaring muse in g0ose-qui pinlon born,
From that wide limbo sung in MltOns tale,
Hastens to pay thee love, and reverence due,
For thou to me day most sacred art;
And shall call around jovial crew,
Who love and worship thee with single heart.
Come crowned in foOlscap, rolling forth t1is day.
Hail, mighty mother hail! hail, glorious All Fools
Day."
From this it will be seen that at least one
great poet has condescended to notice the day
with all the flourish of poetic license. 1t may
be objected that the occasion does not call for
any such etfusion, aud that the words "Inde-
pendence Day." or some such phrase, could
more properly be inserted in place of april the
First" but this only serves to show how much
more the day was esteemed in former ages, and
of what an ancient date the festival is.
But in this prominent mention the old
time shepherd is not alone. Other great poets
have also noticed the occasion in conspicuous
manner for what says the immortal Shake
speare? From the following extract which every
true student of that great poet will instantly
recognize the reader may learn at least one old
time method, now perhaps rather wanting in
novelty, of making the luckless wight who is
not upon his guard, to play the fool for the edi-
fcation of the bystanders. Here it is:-
'Call himl call him, man. And when he
comes, when his foul front is from you turned,
do you scroll of words unto his tail make fast,
whereon is writ foot, FOOT That all may know
his calling and his aim"
The origin of the day is so remote that no
authentic account can be given of how the va
rous practices peculiar to the season originated.
Some attribute them to The Persians, whose
orgies, at the time of the beginning of the year,
which was then about April, resembled the
tricks and fooleries of modern times. But
against this explanation we have steadfastly set
our face as unfair. The Persians now have the
ecclesiastical and civil, which are upon our
calendar. 1t is therefore supposed that they
originated everything in that line. If this tide
of opinion or research perhaps $50 caled), is not
checked we may be obliged next February also
to attribute to them the observances peculiar to
the I'D OF that month, commonly called Wash
ingtons birthday.
OF late years the foolish practices of the season
have fallen much into disuse, save among a few
urchins, who are ever ready for laugh at any
body's expense, but whose intellects are not yet
sufficiently developed to produce anything new
in the line of jokes; the same old 'stagers"
doing duty year after year, until now but few
are deceived by them. first-class ssell" on the
1st of April would be so refreshing that its
effects would willingly be borne by those upon
whom it might be played, but the threadbare
ones in vogue, repeated necessarily, give but
little pleasure to the performer, and nothing
but vexaton to the victim.
Nearly every other festival of the year is OBJ
served in particular manner by some society
or organization, VINO are especially interested
But poor "All Fools day" has no such honor.
There is no organized body of Fools" owning
to the name who in the list of toasts of their
annual dinner give "the day we celebrate" :"
This WI understand this nt is
to be partially, at least, supplied. The day
which nobody will father has at last been
claimed by class in the community whose
newsboys those valuable little aiders of one of
the worlds greatest institutions, have taken the
day in hand as their own peculiarly, and will
celebrate it in their own peculiar manner. To
this no one can certainly make objection, and
if such celebration will take the place of the
many less harmless tricks to which the news
boys in particular are addicted, we say it is a
very good move in the right direction.
The particular features of the occasion are to
he q 'feed," given by all, except one, OF the
newspaper proprietors of the city, to the boys,
in the press-room of city newspaper establish
ment, and parade of the boys and their friends,
who are to march, so to speak, under the fools
banner-that is, they are to do their foolish ness
| according to law and ORDER instead of every
one for himself and in his own way, which has
| always been the rule. They will carry appro-
| pirate paraphernalia emblems and inscriptions,
| in which latter, we venture to predict, their
| friends the propretors will not be forgotten.
The procession, which is under the entire con-
| troll of the boys themselves, and which will
| be conducted exclusively by officers elected
| from their own number, is to march from Car.
| ters alley, place much frequented by the pro-
| fession, running east from Third street, between
| Chestnut and Dock streets, at eight o'clock A.
NJ, at which time the boys will be comparatively
free, being ABOUT through with the sale of the
morning papers, and not yet ready for those oi
| the afternoon. We believe his Honor Mayor
| tpY has hpan made aponaintp1 with the
| ticnlars of the affair and in the kindness M
| heart peculiar to that genial gentleman, has
| given orders for a squad of policeman to accom-.
| pany the procession, which will pass over seVe
| raj of the most prominent downtown streets A
full report of all that may transpire will be found
| in THE TELEGRAPH of the same afternoon
which all who are at all interested in the news
| boys will do well to consult.