Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-30

Thus an OLD English poet sings truly
for it would be hard matter to find any
one who can give an accurate and COR
rect account of how the first of April
came to be known as All Fools day, and
of the origin of the custom, pertaining
to it, of then trying to make fools of
people generally in every conceivable
manner. In old books of folklore al
most innumerable statements are made
concerning the origin of both name and
custom, all differing as widely as the
poles and bearing not the slightest rela-
ton to each other.
A learned antiquary, writing in 1899,
claims that our April Fools day is but q
continuation of the Quirinalia or Feast
of Fools, of the ancient Romans. In
the ''British Apollo, - most ingenious
work published in 17OS, 1 find the fol-
lowing; "Whence proceeds the custom
of making April fools? Answer: From
a memorable transaction happening be-
tween the Romans and Sabines, men
The Romans, about the infancy of their
city, wanting wives and finding they
could not obtain the neighboring women
by their peaceable addresses, resolved to
make use of stratagem, and accordingly
Romulus Instituted certain games TO be
performed in the beginning of April &C
cOrding to the Roman calendar, in honor
of Neptune. Upon notice thereof the
bordering inhabitants, with their whole
families, flocked to Rome to see this
mighty celebration, whereupon the Ro-
mans seized a great number of the Sab
inc virgins and ravished them, which
imposition we suppose may be the foun-
dation of this foolish custom. - This
most absurd and wholly unjustifiable ae-
count of the origin of the making of
April fools is thus ridiouled by poet of
the time:
''Ye witty sparks who make pretense
To answer questions with good sense,
How comes it that your monthly Ph9bus
Is made fool by Dionysius?
For had the Sablnes, as they came,
Departed with their virgins fame,
The Romans had been styled dull tools,
And they, poor girls, been April fools.
Therefore, If this bent out OF season,
Pray think and give better reason
Some old folk-writers claim that our
fact that the year formerly began, as to
some purposes and in some respects, on
the twenty fifth of March, which was
supposed to be the day of our Lord 8 in
carnation. At that time it was custom
airy for all festivals to continue for an
octave or period of eight days. April
first is the octave of March twenty-fifth
and the first and last day of festal oc-
taye were always marked by the greatest
abandon and festiyity. At the New
Year season especially, all sorts of wild,
mirthful pranks were INDUCED in, and
of these it is believed that our April fool
usages are part.
Origins of religious nature have been
boldly claimed for April Fools day by
many writer's. An old English antiquary,
writing in in 1888, states that the custom
of imposing upon and ridiculing people
on the first of April may have an allu-
sion to the mockery of the Saviour of
the world by the Jews. Something like
that which we call making April fools is
practiced also also abroad in Catholic
countries on Innocents day, on which
occasion people run through all the
rooms making pretended search in and
under the beds, in memory, believe, of
the search made by Herod for the dis
Jesus, and of his having been imposed
upon and deceived by the wise men,
who, contrary to his orders and expecta-
ton, "returned to their own country
another way.
Whenth early Britons were induced
to forsake their Druidical priests and
idols and to embrace Christianity, it was
their custom, for many years afterward,
70 annually hold in their churches at the
commencement of April, great festi-
val, resem bling the Roman Saturnalia,
at which they INDUCED in a thousand
ridiculous and indecent ceremonies,
gambols and antics, such as singing and
dancing grotesquely to ludicrous an
thems. These singular observances re-
ferred to the exploded pretensions of the
Druids, whom this festival was designed
to hold up to scorn and derlsion. That
there is no more effective weapon than
ridicule was again proved in this case,
for this feast of fools contributed more
to the determination of the heather re-
ligion and its priests than all the collat-
eral aids of fire and sword, though they
were also freely employed. The contin-
uanee of customs-sspeeially droll ones,
which suit the gross taste of the masses
after the original cause of them has been
removed, is common occurrence, and
by many antiquarisns it is firmly be-
lieved that "fooling" people on the first
of April ia simply a perpetuation of the
annual public ridiculing of the old
Druids and their superstitions.
Still another origin of semi religious
character, is thus claimed for April
Fools day in quaint old book Of folk
lore called "Father Times Eighties, -
published in London IN 1862 ''Humor-
Gus Jewish Origin Of the Custom of Max
ing Fools on the First of April. This is
said to have begun from ye mistake of
Noah sending ye dove out of ye ark be-
fore ye water had abated, on ye first day
of We month which among ye Hebrews
answers to our first of April, and to
perpetuate ye memory of this deliver
anoe 1t was thought proper, whoever
forgot so remarkable circumstance, 70
punish them by sending them upon some
fools errand similar to that Intellectual
message upon which ye bird was sent by
ye patriarch -
The French associate with the first of
April precisely the same ideas as do En-
glish speaking nations, but the person
imposed upon, whom we call April fool,
they style an April fish or Poisson