New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-28
THREE DAYS OF THE WEEK.
THE FEAsIING BEFORE TIE FASTING.
suRoyE TUESDAY. ASH WEDNESDAY, ST DAvID's

OTHER DA1S'
There Will be three days this week WHICH hoid iah7i
prominent positions In the caiendaf ana there might
be FIVE but dat Two Of them come together omorio"
and two mole " them tJgethc: on iuesddy' lo
Is the 29th Of February, ana that h III us way
the most peculiar day 0f the whoIe year, S'noc ts
very presence il the year makes Inc year l'Scii
peculiar. The rarity OF day In June Is nothing u
that OF the Goth OF February. II Is Tie one Gay III
fJar Years whereby This poor prosecuted htt!c m'th
gains some shadow Of rccOmpcnse for all the injuries
tat have been done 1t and the days that have been
taken from it, ana at least three times In every 100
Years even this weak consolation iallS
Like any other day in any other year the .oth Oh
February has saint OF its own but unlike other days
Of other yeas II has bu; That one Is ST. OSWALD
who, having died this day, III the year Jo-' JUST
500 years ago, has the day 10 hlHseli' hi 'c o'no'
saints having secured days OF annual recurrence. Us
wad was Bishop of Worcester and Archbishop u lor"
lie va, the firm friend Of 81 Dunstan, he who pinchcu
the devils nose and he helped Dunstan ana odo ID
establish monacism In England in place OF the former
svstsn of married clergy thus bringing the EhSl''h
Church more under the control Of the Church Oh oc
But he Is commended 10 present notice only b' INC
circumstance OF his festival falling on ms pcou''
day -.
The 10th of February has had poetry written about
II, too or at least rhymes, lor oeho'u '''' ''
Pirates OF Penzance:"
For some ridiculous reason TO WHICH, however We NV
desrs to be disloyal.
Sumo person in authority ! don't know who-vcfy likely
the Astronomer Royal-
Has decided that although for such beasty moh'h Is
February, twenty.cight days as genera ruIe
plenty,
One year In every days shall Ii rcckoned a. n"o
and twenty.
This year the day has yet another and an I'M
usual distinction for tomorrow will also Ge 'oil'p
Monday II this festival as Important IL Ito
name * uncupLonlous every would have heard oi
IL as il Is, probably a good many nave not DC I"
known then, that Coll0p Monday Is the any pelo'o
shrove Tuesday In the North Of England a slice
OF saltcd or dried meat Is called collop a. shce VI
fresh Is called steak. and coops with eses 'Ao
thought an appropriate dish for this DAY, beng aS u
is under the CMrch OF Rome one OF the laSb o'S =
prev,,us 10 Lent Oh which any sort OF meat may DC
eaten In countries where c.lrnivnls ae held Jusl
prcvious TO tho beginning OF Lent TINS day Is ha.r
ally one OF those gwen over 10 high ieVcHy' Inc
carnival and rs customs, Shrove TUESDAY anu alt
are relies OF the festivals Of Iaccbu', ana IL WIS all
old custom at Eton school TO write verses III p'"'so
~ Bacchus on shrove Monday, rs this DAY Is also
called.
Emf a more important day comes with Shrove
Tuesday itself IL /, filed with eaSting and jolly rs
il is ;le last day on which Teasing and Jointly HAY "
permitted. II has. Or has had many p''uhar '"'
IONS some s.ring" and interesting. some curious anu
amusing ana some Jarbarous ard horrible. II t'"o
la
out Of the WAY. Nobody knows exactly why t"e
custom OF throwing al cocks should have prevailed
ON shove Tuesday for centuries Probably no trace Oh
this peculiar cruelty Is now cXtan but Hone E''fy
Dav Book dated 1924 speaks uf The custom ~ sun
existing I'm some remote districts Of England Inc
game was played AZ the court ~ Henry VII ana "'-
corilnc 70 one Of the accounts Of IT, origin II Is aS
old rs the times when the Danes ruled
England. The manner OF tie game was TINS;
The cock wa, ted g. stake and the thrower was
stationed some twenty yards OIL whence h' '"rc"
a broomstlc'I at the cock Tie owner oi the COCK r.
ccvcd twopencc for the privilege OF three throws ara
the PLAYER who knocked the cock down ana was dD!'
To run up ard catch il Lcore II could get on H. I's
had IL for his prize. The cocks 70 be used were
trained beforehand 70 dolce the missiles and were
often able 10 bring In c,usGcfabl" sums for zen
Owners before they were finally dabl'd. Hens were
also used for thi, purpose. aud The "cn'l'HAh' Nht
azlne- for i1iD tells OF hen which spoke ana d"
llvcrod an excellent sermon. which i aveh In I"lI
lust before she net her death In this way. ThrcS'-
Ing tie hen another custom akin u TINS 'nu
probably derived from IT, but with better element
Of sport though scarcely less cruelty. hen was
tied upon the back Of one ~ TIC men, VINO also "'rc
a string OF hor,c-bclls while the other, were blind
folded and armed with bOngH. VIII when tLcy
tried 10 h the hen. bdng guided by the sound oi inc
bells, Naturally they oitu ht the man Who carried
the hen and naturally. To-. they often mt one an
eaten with p.Lcakc-.
Th.r. are two theories Of The origin Of these d.
graceful customs which axe about equally ra''h"bl'
and several Others which are unworthy Of npu'''
one report says that Ia The daNs OF DANISH oppression
the pc,pl O. Il certain city had formed a plan 10 mas
sacrc their tyraut, SrOvc Tuesday. bni Tie S"phg
Danes were aroused by tho growing of the cocks and
defeated the plot wherefore was taken Oh Ito
birds every Shr0vc Tuesday. By another account,
which seems trivial on IT face. but has some a"'hoV
nj, sport is merely means Of expires ing cnmity and
contempt for Frcnchmcn since the Latin word "illua
means both n frcnchman and Il cock.
II Is great and pleasant change to turn from hro"
ing at cocks to pancakes. To make and eat pancake
ON shr3vo Tuesday Is Il more widespread custom than
the cruel one, inst referred IT, II is also probably older
and IL sin survives. II j. part OF the general least
Ing Of the day. preparatory TO Lent THIS another OF
~ q many dav, when tradition allowed English children
TO 90 abou, from house to hou-e In NUS pd'tit'
begging and almost cNaciing small eIii'' lhelr pen
tons were nmonly IN rhyme. several forms more 81
los alike ale recorded and the following mas rcprc Int
them well as any
A'shrovin'. a'sno,ln'.
De- come s'shfOshI.
4 piece q bread piece Of cheese,
bit 81 your fat bacon,
Or u dish Of douginni'.
All Of your own n1k1' !
A'shtovin'. a',hroyin
] be come 'shrOFH,
Nice meat IN pie
nv mouth L. very dry
] wish ! wuE wcll1-wcf
I'd zlmg the louder for NUT
one more example. however, Is almost too good to
be omitted
] b. a'shr0yin'
FOR a ltt. pankiak.
A BIT O. bread q blakin,
Or little trucld, cheese o your maxim.
!; yon'n ~ me o little. I'll more.
II yon don't pp nothn' IN rottlc your door
Tie last lines refer TO a habit which the children
had wlen they refused Of throwing broken dishes
at the door and leaving item In pile on the step
In the DAYS Of the Roman Church. In England, a
he'll used 10 be rung on slrovc Tuesday TO call the
nennle 70 confcs.lOn and the bell also served rs