Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-12-06
A FOOLS PARADISE.
A Carnival at Which was Always Plenty
of Material for Fun.
Queer Institution Of Badenese Town Where a
Fools Tribunal Existed by a Special Char
ter Of the Governmental Real All Fools

ter Of the Governmental Real All Fools
Day
The little town OF Stockach. in Baden,
which has barely 1000 inhabitants, en-
joys tho peculiar title of "Deutsch-
lands Narren Residenz"-that is, the
German court Qor capitaD OF fools,
says Cassell's Saturday Journal. The
name originated in the privilege ac-
corded to the town by letters patent
and exercised for centuries, OF holding
annually at carnival time a public
FOOLS assize, at which all the follies
committed by the people OF the town
and vicinity were made known and
held up TO public ridicule. According
To local tradition Stockack was the
birthplace of Hans Kuoni. jester TO
Leopold, the brother of Albert the
Wise, archduke of Austria. just be-
fore the battle of Morgarten, in 1918,
the man in motley was asked TO express
! his opinion OF the plans OF the cam
paign, which had been adopted in his
presence. III rs shook his cap and
bells and answered: Your speeches
please me little, my IN sters, for you
only think and debate how you shall
enter the enemy's territory, but take
no thought how you shall leave it."
The battle took place. Leopold
forces were defeated and escaped death
almost by miracle. Then the Arch
duke Albert, "because the fool had
been wiser than all his brother coun-
sellers" gave him the right Ito sit in
| judgement upon the WISE annually in
his native town, and granted many pri-
vileges and immunities TO this 'foOls
court" This peculiar tribunal, which
met even in the present century, was
composed of the father of fools" as
president, and an unlimited number of
fool councillors" as associates. The
members of the court met in January
10 select the cases TO be presented TO
the court and TO arrange the program
| for the subsequent festival of fools.
These preliminary meetings took place
in tavern called the Fools inn and
distinguished by special shield or
tablet on the outer wall. On the Sun
day before Shrove Sunday the FOOLS
clerks, in fantastic garb, drove through
the town in "a carriage drawn by four
horses attended by negro footmen and
outriders, and loudly notified the at
tentive, and in many cases anxious, in
! habitants that such and such cases
would be presented TO the court to be
held on the approaching Shrove Tues
day. On the succeeding Thursday a
stout pole was solemnly erected near
the fools fountain in the middle OF the
town. This fountain, under which the
original documents relating TO the es-
tablishment OF the fools court were
buried, stood in the middle OF the
street until 1853, when it was moved
to another position. When the docu-
ments were exhumed they were found
to be almost illegible. The fools
court being. hastily convened resolved
to bury the defaced manuscripts again
under the new foundation of the foun-
tain. This was done with appropri-
ate ceremonies, aud the old documents
/ to which was added a statement of
the circumstances OF their discovery,
signed by all the members of the court,
remain buried upder the fountain to
this day. The pole erected by the
| fountain bore board inscribed The
Fools Genealogical Tree"
Shrove Sunday and Monday we're
given over TO the young FOOLS" or the
children, who marched through the
street in fantastic dress, as they did,
and still do, in many other places.
Meanwhile number of the boys main
tanned sort Of watch at the fools
tree, and. with ear-splitting noises ana
blows of whips, drove away all corners
who were not fantascally alfred In
reward for this service each urchin re-
ceived an immense FOOLS cake. On the
/
| 10 o'clock in the morning, the members
of the court assembled on great plat
form in the open air, and the judicial
proceedings were begun. The fools
prosecutors made their satirical accusa-
tions, and the persons convicted OF
folly, when their crimes had been
described, were punished by having
their names entered in the book of
fools. No one was spared The guilty
ones, without distinction OF person,
were publicly ridiculed and enrolled
among the fools. Protestations were
OF no avail, and whoever ventured 20
criticise the sentence Of the court, or
to speak in favor of the convicted fools.
was declared TO be a fool himself, and
his name was put on the roll. When all
the cases had been disposed OF process
sion, headed by the council of fools,
marched through the streets, pausing
frequently, especially before the houses
OF the convicted persons, TO read aloud
the sentence OF the court, to the great
delight OF the populace. The sentence
was also affixed to the doors of the
criminals houses Then began the
festival of fools, the program of which
included lively theatrical representa-
ton for the populace, n banquet at the
Fools inn, and another banquet and
dance in the evening. On the next
day, Ash Wednesday, at o'clock in
the afternoon. the council again assem-
bled before the Fools inu TO bury their
folly. At the head Of the prosessi on
came two young folk bearing immense
keys-the keys 10 the realm Of folly.
Next came the fools guard, carry ing a
parti-colored and decorated staff, on
the top OF which was the bust OF Hans
Kuoni. He was followed by two fools
treasurers, who bore an ancient car we'd
chest con taining the books OF fool and
the records OF the court Then came
the father of fools, usually the oldest