Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-03

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 oil
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 1908, find the fol-
lowing: S'Whence proceeds the custom
of making April fools? Answer: From
q memorable transaction happening be-
tween the Romans and Sabines, men
toned by Dionysius, which was thus:
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
70 hVn
mighty celebration, whereupon the Ro-
mans selzed 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 aud wholly unjustifiable ao-
count of the origin of the making of
April fools is thus ridiculed by poet of
the time:
':Ye witty sparks who maxi pretense
To answer questions with good sense,
How comes it that your monthly Ph9bus
Is made a fool by Dionysius?
For had the Sabines, 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
April fool customs are attributable to the
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 g 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 q festal oc-
tave were always marked by the greatest
abandon and festivity. At the New
SaosnT acpoojolIv oil SorfS Of rUild
mirthful /pranks were INDUCED in, and
of these it is believed that our April fool
usages are n 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 cali making April. fools is
practiced also also abroad in Catholic
countries on Inhocents 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
covery and destruction of the child
Jesus5 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.
When the early Britons were induced
to forsake their Druidical priests and
idols and to embrace Christianity, it was
their custom, for many years afterward,
to annually hold in their churches at the
commencement of April, q great festi-
val, resembling the Roman Saturnalia,
at which they INDUCED in q thousand
ridiculous and indecent ceremonies.
gambOls and antics, such as singing and
dancing grotesquely TO ludicrous an
thems. These singular obserYanoes 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 i'll 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-
uaDCe of customS-especally 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 antiquarians it is firmly be-
Il0Neu LnaL IOcilnS people on the 1rSG
of April is simply perpetuation of the
annual public ridiculing of the old
Druids and their superstitions.
Still another origin of a semi religious
character, is thus claimed for April
Fools day in quaint old book of folk
lore called "Father Times Flyghtes, -
published in London IN 1863. 'tHumor-
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 We dove out of ye ark be-
fore We water had abated, on ye first day
of ye month which among We Hebrews
answers to our first of April, and to
perpetuate ye memory of this deliver
ance it was thought proper, whoever
forgot so remarkable circumstance, to
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
ATfH precisely the same ideas as do En-
gzlsh speaking nations, but the person
9nfposed upon, whom We call April fool,
on Ioo;-.o~,