The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-04-22
Pa he NeE Vera Observer.
APHR.
ByAH turner.


always been loved BY the English
poets, beginning with ChauceF-
"Wben thet april, with his schOWres
sWoOte.
The drsughtOf Marchs hath perced
70 the roOte.n
Shakespeare often eelebrntes this
month Of his birth and death, and
sings-
"Wben proud pied April, dressed IN
all his trim.
Hath pat . spirit Of youth in every
thing.
That heavy Saturn laughed and leap
ed with him"
And Tennyson asks, "Can trouble
dwell with April days 2i'- The Eng
Iish artist, Constable, was very fond
Of this early spring season, and Ham
eftOn writes; "NO weather O. so de-
llghtful, 20 my feeling, e. this genu-
inc April weather. An English
April, however, nearly corresponds
70 our May. Even the city puts on
8 holiday aspect when April Gomez,
and bright sunshine, joyous faces,
and fiOWer-stands, full Of roses and
yi0leis, make iis streets gay.
A true spring implies q winter, and
could not exist ia al its beauty IN 3
latitude much south Of the Middle
States. The real April should have
snOW-cOvered mountains Il 10 kind
Of Alpine summer. ThOreau was
able 70 detect signs Of spring &c early
as February, but flowers do not often
come before April, and they are char
acteristic Of the month. The trees
and shrubs blossom earliest. On the
first warm day the alder catkiDs by
the wateF-cOurses begin to swell and
develop into graceful sprays later
come the delicass birch blossoms and
the dear "pussy-WIllOWs." AS In Oc-
tober, 50 IN April, the scarlef maple
Is the most brilliant color Of the for
est. The first Wild flowers are the
trailing arbutus and the hepatica.
without doubt the former IL the fav-
Orite spring flower, and even country
people seek for it with a singular de
light The hepatica "opens lite blue
eyes" almost e. sOOI as u leaves the
ground, while the aFbutus has buds
ali winter. Although we are behind
the English spring, Rnemcnes, ViOlets,
bl0Od-rOOt, and about fifteen other
flowers come in our April. The
spring flowers have few leaves OF
their own, but with the wOOlly little
ferns just unrOlling, the hOrsetails
and the sprays Of raspberry, nature
has furnished ample green for her
April nOsegay.
Migrating birds come back 10 their
summer home In New England
earlier than In the mother country,
and the April birds include the robin,
blue bird, meadow lark song sparrow,
black bird, and wood pecker. The
warm days bring out wOOdchucks,
turtles and snakes the shad come
up the river, announced by the song
OF the shad-spirit, and the snowy
CLEAN Of the shad-blOw among the
ieafless woods; beetles and caddice-
fiiGs appear 10 the water, the tritOn's
spawn Is found In Wayside pools, and
the shrill music Of the frog sounds
through the misty twilight. In April
1.-THE world Is renewed BY water" Es
In the description by Tbales Of the
creation; and Il e not hard 10 believe,
rs the venerable Bede tells Us, that
the world was born on q certain Sun
day filling on the eighth day Of tins
biTth-niOuth Of the year.
AS only an artist can see the full
beauty OF an April sky, Il surely takes
q philosopher TO appreciate April
weather. But when q certain stole
ism has been attained by repeating
april showers
Bring sweet May flowers"
and similar rhymes, It Is possible TO
enjOS the freaks OF this most playful
sfthe months, and even an OCCASION
81 dSesfching. Many are the charms
~ al l. a
light during the mOnth-the raking
and burning Of rubbish, the upturn-
ing OF the rich soil and the plantinglOf
seeds "Shadding" II q pleasure
known 10 few, but "sugarinRn Is q
word Of great meaning, to q New
Englander. Snow falling In April Is |
called In Vermont sugar - |
since Il indicates weather suitsble for |
making maple sugar, and &c melts |
away In an hour or two.
The name, April. Is sometimes de
rived from dperfre since 10 Il the |
opening Of the year, and less often /
from AphrOdite, the Greek name for |
the goddess Of beauty, "ThiFty-six
days hath September, April, June and /
November" has not always been /
true, since in the Alban calendar,
when the year had only ten months, to
April, the first month were assigned /
thirty-siX days; ROmulus made it
second and gave Il thirty days
Numa took away q day and placed Il
fourth among the months, and Julius
CseseF restored the thiTtieth day.
The AnglO-SaxOns called April Oster-
mOnath, either because Il contained
the feast Of the goddess Easter, or on
account Of its east winds.
The month opens with the festival
Of All Fools" which seems 10 haye
originated among the HlndoOs. The
flrst three days Of April are called
Borrowing Days. IL Is said that
COW, and failing TO do 90 IN his own
month, he borrowed three days Of
April.
March borrowed from April
Three days, and they were IN
The first o. them war wind an Weet,
The next o. them war shaw En sleet,
The last o. them Wal wind an rain,
Which gaed the silly puir ewes
come tOddling hame."
The same days are called "blind
days, in DevOnshire, and thought I'M
lucky for sowing. Lady's Day came,
formerly, on April 9Th the l4th Of
the mouth is called First Cuckoo
Day" ia Sussex, and the 18th Is
Swallow Day The festival oil
HOcktide formerly began the 18th day
after Easter, when Il was considered
to stretch ropes across the
principal roads, and with great merri-
ment demand money from them 30
entrapped. On st. Georges Day,
April ., up 10 the nineteenth centu-
~, people Of fashion in England wore
blue coats Ia honor OF the saint.
April . was st. Marks Day. and on
lts eve young maidens ate the dumb
sake," and walked bach wards % bed,
expected 20 see their future husbands.
Easter generally comes IN April
he first Sunday after the full moon,
which happens upon, OF next nfter
he twenty-hrst day OF March,
Easter Monday and Tuesday are holi-
tays In England. aud the London
poor people flock 10 Greenwich. The
'Spitalh sermons are preached on
hose days, and the Christ Hospital :
boys. With long blue coats, yellow I
ltockings and no hats. then 10 30 the A
Royal Exchange. Mansion House and
. Christ church 10 hear the sermon.
It Is Polish superstition that each 2
month has . gem which governs peO- D
PIE bOrG under its rule; April has the 4
sapphire or diam0ndl denOting re- !.
DentanCe and innocence. Numerous
re the April proverbs: uAnril and 4