Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-04-01
All Fools Day

The Sweeney investigating Commit
tee. wise ~ are Its members Iud ShrcWt
as are the iCgul lights which shonc about
IL. would be- hatlci were 1t To attempt
% pierre the tus ot antiquity which hang,
about aud shUouds the origin OF All Fools
pLv. No almanac or buuk ol dates, days
or uh>CryUuyvs. Is 81 old that u docs not
Contain mention ut Il, Some have even
traced IL back 10 the SCENE IN the hic at
Jesus. when he MAS sent from II!atc 10
nrrud and back again o. Plate, which
occurred about tins time OF year. SINCE
the beginning ui the sixteenth century
the l~r IT yprjl has been designated as
the dl,. Lut a corresponding time has
been observed since Years before the
Christian era IL is hy some supposed
thr term all is a corruption o, "aUlt
ur "oii, making II originally "Od
Fools pay, iJr IN an Anticipated ko-
man calendar u found the observation
that the igaS, oi old tools Is removed 10
the hrSt of Novrmhcr. but m tEc ojd-
r,t almanays eNtaGt Il Is called all, and
not old. fools day.
But ii once old, il is now young fools
iay, rs it stands C0nSpIcuouSly forward
ru the calendar aS day set apart Tor
children. Especially Is this true IN
sober America. The ljghthcarted and
witty ErvuChman might CondeSCcud To
lower himself 90 the level Of an April
First ioke. but the average American
adult Is an individual too much ucCu-
pied with deep schemes and lofty ann
bltluu 20 be betrayed into due oOscrv-
ance OF this day. In France, that sun
ny land of brilliant BON muts We lind
this custom IN vogue IN the days Of
Rabclais. and mentioned bv him rs an
ancient one. There the butt upon these
occasions WAS STYLED "'u poison Z -irrlI
literally an April ti>h, though it j.
more than likely that the term has been
derived from poison, mischief In the
DAYS II Frances hrilliaucy the custom
MAS al It's uelght. the trcnchmau bOit-
IN SucCcSSiul jose at has expense IN
greater fear than SwOri, and rcgard-
m, gldicule as the most successful
Nrapou ior correcting folly and holding
>i,e m subsection. IL may be that cur
ancestors borrowed this custom from the
versatile caulS.
Without being on the same day, there
were. IN various nations and times, a
holiday set apart Tor ridiculous sport
The UindoOs observed DAY OF io0lerlrS.
IN, "uuh Fest. which Was attended
with like species OF witicism. The
Romans he'll their "Saturualia, and
thr early Christians found their labors
i'm yiandimyeied by certain Druidlcal
rites. celebrated on the ttS,,m idtu5Vnn,
or Fools Holiday. which Is Supposed to
he our April LIST. Even the sIOlid Ger-
mans haia corresponding day, frequent
mention Of WhichIs made IN the German
classics as iprilCH Nlrr.
However, but few OF the festive ehli-
dren while engaged IN to-day 5 pleasant
ries. OF. for that matter, few Of their
elders who may drop their dignity Ike
mantle and perpetrate = PRACTICAL
Joke. will think ol the origin OF the day
or care TO dig for It in the musty chron-
icles OF gray antiquity. Despite the
tsct that Il is not oar day, but yours
We have ventured TO give the above
Historical collection, OF which nothing
is ours but the string which binds II,
80, be wary, to-day, and remember that
Anil the arS, stands marked by customs rules
A iay o. being and Of making fools.