Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-25

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| pedestal at On ap-
pointed hour, and when the funny acquaintance
inquiries Of young lady "why her bangs won't
stay bung." only to chuckle april fool'' at
her when her hand flies up to her head.
From time immemorial April 1 has been
consecrated to foolishness. Accounts differ as
to the origin of the anniversary. Ali sorts of
| theories have been advanced. but no two agree.
Each race has its own explanation for the queer
customs practiced on this date.
In this country the day has been made memora-
BILE by some extensive hoaxes. One OF the most
celebrated was that perpetrsted on the people
, OF New York years ago. A report was spread
that the lions, tigers and other wild animals
had escaped from their cages in Central Park
and were wading in human gore through the
streets Of the city. The population nearly
dropped dead with fright. and for hours the
spectacie of pale-faced New forkers peering
anxiously around street corners in fear OF be-
| holding proving beasts was quite common un-
til the discovery was made that it was all an
| April hoax.
In Boston q report was once circulated on
| April that vile hoodlums had defaced the
| Coggswel fountain on the Common with sew
eral yards OF green paint. Curious Bostonians
| Hooked by the thousand to the spot, expecting
to behold a scene Of dissertation. All they saw
The only green in sight was themselves
+. L. Barnum, whose name is indelibly asso-
clated with shows, once took advantage of the
anniversary OF April l in his own peculiar way.
He announced on his circus posters in flaming
letters, red as Hoboken sunset, that 1.-The
| greatest show on earth would exhibit in the
| afternoon OF that dsy a special and extraordin-
airy feature. a wonderful freak of nature-a
miraculous horse with his head where his tail
ought to be-" The public swallowed it: people
faI N 9th r,,tx ell
the most marvellous animal on the face of the
earth; and they saw it-simpiy a common,
everyday horse backed into his stall, with his
| head where his tell ought to be.
JOKE ON BARNUM.
While the late Snowman succeeded in hum
bugging the public in this way he was also
| trapped himself by an April fool Joker. It was
. during his initial days in managing circus,
when he was showing IN a country town, that,
unknown to him. a commercial traveller stopped
In the same place and conceived the idea OF
commemorating the day. which was April /, by
fooling Barnum. Collecting q crow Of twenty
people. the drummer told them that he was GO
ing to pass them into the show free, and that
all they need do was to follow him. which they
gleefully did. Arriving at the tent. where Bar
mum was busy taking tickets. the drummer
rushed up to him with 9 handful Of cards and
said:
Just count these men as they pass in, end
ing with the one In the straw hat.
"Au right" and Baruum began: "Three six,
nine. and SO on, while they passed by him and
we've quickly lost in the crowd. Soon the straw
hat was reached. Twenty" bawled Barnuu,.
and turned round for the tickets, but the gem
tieman VINO had requested him to count was
not there. Barnum saw that it was too late to
search for the twenty who had faded inside the
| tent and accepted the situation with philosophi-
cal resignation.
Every one is familiar with the modern April
/ fool Observation-Disclosures lemon drops filled
with whisky, which travels down the throat of
the horrihed prohibitionist victim; chocolate
creams that are only cotton and caramels dosed
! with cayenne pepper. The choice perfecto
which explodes before it is half smoked, is
another old trick, while the bullying pocket
book, lying at your feet with a string to it, and
| the innocent hat that is full OF bricks when
some one kicks it are ali well known. The
/ man who gathers crowds in the street to gaze
up a. nothing at all in the blue empyreen is an
old timer.
| Different from these April Fool joke, is the
story which comes from the west of the Joker
in the mines With the annual recurrence of
All Fools day, this joker was sure to play some
trick on his ''pa-ds in the diggings." As fate
would have it, the joker expired on the first Of
April. His last words were:
dig under the big tree round the bend. I've
| buried $4,000 in gold there. Send it to my
| widow in Ohio"
The miners. at first, were inclined to doubt
! the ante-mOrtem statement, suspicious that
the ruling passion was strong even in DEATH
and that the joker had desired to fool them
once more. But upon digging for the hidden
treasure they were astonished to find the 81. 900
in gold, Just as the deceased had told them.
The next thing was to find the widow. They
made inquiries everywhere in Ohio, and at
last discovered the truth that the deceased had
no widow, and that while he had resisted the
temptation to fool MS friends long enough to
inform them Of his buried gold. he had re-
peuted in the end and fooled them again.
POOLING PRAcTIcEp IN ENGLAND.
The April fooling practiced for years in Eng
land and On the continent consists in sending
victims after pigeons milk and strap oil, and
on crazy errands to people who send them still
| farther. Sometimes the date is made the &C.
casion OF a more extensive hoax. In 1850 a
| vast number OF people in London received
through the post a card bearing the following
| inscription. with a seal marked by an inverted
| sixpence, thus having to superficial observa-
ton an official appearance:
Tower Of London-Admit the bearer and
friend to view the annual ceremony Of washing
the white lions on Sunday, April l. Admitted
I only at the white gate. 1t Is particularly re-
/ quested that gratuities be given to the
wardens or their assistants
The trick il said to have been highly success
! ful. Cabs were rafting about Tower Hill all
that Sunday morning, vainiy endeavoring to
discover the white gate.
Considering how the LIST Of April is associated
In the minds Of the people with trickery and
deception II Is strange that Johnny Bull allowed
himself to be gulled by such a trick. AS q mat
! ter OF fact the tradition of AL Fools day has
gained such Roadway that if one were about to
be married or to engage in some speculation on
| that day he would hnd many who would doubt
| his sincerity and accuse him Of April fooling. On
| the other hand, persons have sought to conceal
| their real motives in performing certain acts on
April l by taking refuge behind the pretext
that it was All Fools day. French lady,
charged with stealing a watch, broke into hys-
terical laughter. and, calling the attention of
the court to the fact that the alleged theft Oc-
Cured on April l. declared that it was . .'pois-
son d'Avri1, or April fool joke, whereat the
judge showed himself to be q good deal of
| an April fool joker by dryiy sentencing her to
| imprisonment till the next April l. adding:
when you will be released like . poisson
d'Avril.'"
The world seems destined to remain in the
dark as to the origin of April fooling. Exten-
| sive research through ancient and modern lit
| erature reveals many illusions to the custom.
but no definite information as to the source of
the peculiar anniversary the length Of time
1t has been in existence. DR.. Pegge advances a
plausible theory in his explanation that the old
Roman new year festival, when the year began
March 70, lasted eight days, and that the last
day, April !, was given over to wild revelry.
But this idea 10 rather unsatisfactory