The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-01
THIS Is ALL FOOLS DAY.
PRACTICAL JOKES SUITABLE FoH
THE OCCASION At n PREMIUM.
How the Ancients Celebrated the Month vi
Aprli-A Variety Of Opinion as I"
the Origin of the Custom.

This is l-Fool'sDay,' the day. u
all other days. when people In genera
delight in taxing their brains to ma OUT
how many fools live and breathe anu
gravitate from point to point upon the
earth's surface.
| 1t is not only the small boy with
buoyant. jubilant, and altogether moor
rigible nature. that racks his 'n'"'''
| framework TO ascertain whether ne "a"
concoct a plan to fool his neignDor Vi
| playmate. for on the first Of April men,
women, and children take advantage Oh
the unsuspecting public and put up
| lob" on humanity. You would be sur
prlsed to see how many people sucee'u'
/ can't recall just at present "n'0" III
Of the standard British writers once Saiu
| there were thirty-tvo millions OF Pc
! ple in England, mostly fools. ne'.o'
| he was constant sufferer win
govt. or made the statement on
! Fool'e-pav" Is not certain. Perhaps tNe
| Iottor. sor on the first Of April there
| are few individuals who do not iai sao
| victims to this old and unique CUSTOM tne
| origin Of which Is as uncertain as some
| Of the freaks OF those keeping up the
| spirit Of the day.
How many ropes will be tied across
the pavements IN this city to-day, despite
the fact that this is Sunday; how many
| door-bells will be tied up just to make
| the butler turn green with anger; how
| many people will bury their teeth IN
candy containing pepper or soap how
MANY Of the sterner sex, who wear stiff
hats will find the point of a pin stuck
half an inch or so i'm their craniums-
An these. and many more Of equally as
annoying a character. viii be problems
| for the mathematician 10 unravel, II
somebody doesn't destroy his means OF
calculation by way OF gentle reminder.
The Month Of Ap'n.
Why the lst of April should have been
selected as "a time 10 bring to light the
mental shortcomings " unsuspecting
individuals. rs question for specula-
ton. Theories are numerous. In fact,
pretty much every man who has written
| on the subject, advanced different
idea. until / myself am inclined to manu-
| facture a little theory Of my own. Aprh,
as you know. or II you don't You ought
| to know. i'm the ancient Roman reckon
ing. was the second month of the year
In the Julian calendar, however, it is
counted in the fourth There is a variety
Of opinion as 10 the derivation Of the
name Away back in the time Of Narro.
before there were any slOt-machines and
| patrol wagons. you read about the ira
| dtional etymOlogy. omnia aperit, which
translated into the good old Anglo-SaXon
tongue. means lit opens everything"
| and this seems 10 be supported by COM
! parisOn with the medern Greek use Of
the word which meant opening" AT
leas. this is what learned writers say
! I..s
what they are talking about, though I'm
not much on derivation and etymooH-
| cal research myself Some other writer's,
| however. who think they know IL all,
| claim that there Is a connection be-
tween the word april" and the word
| "Aphrodite" Wenus). whose beauty ran
half crazy nearly all the young society
gods of Greek mythology; and one we'll
| known writer suggests the name Of
| Hypothetical god or hero, Aper, or Aprus.
April was a festive month with the
! old Romans. who showed their apprecia-
ton of womanly beauty by doing honor
TO Venus. on the LIST of the month they
| celebrated the festival of Venus. and on
! the 4th and the five following days, games
were held in honor Of Cybele; on the
9Th was held the Festum Fortunae
Publicae. and on the 18th equestrian COM
bats in honor of Ceres. on the Dist the
wine of the previous autumn was tasted
in celebration Of the birthday OF Rome,
and so on through the month. The en-
tire month was a season Of "eat, drink,
and be merry"
Origin of the Custom.
In most Of the countries Of Europe, the
1st Of April has for a long time been
appropriated to a facetiOus CUSTOM OF
which no satisfactory origin has been
assigned. II IS the greater endeavOr OF
the day TO send some unsuspecting per-
son upon an absurd errand, and then TO
glory in his ignorance. The unfortunate
subject Of the trick in Scotland is called
a 'gowk, which means both fool" and
cuckoo" ana the mischievous Grand
sending is called hunting a gowk."
one Of the most remarkable theories Of
the origin Of this custom traces it back
10 Noah, as sending out his dove on such
a quest, though ID is well-established
fact that the fowls tour of exploration
was not fruiuess. since the bird served
as a sort OF barometrical study 1T is
also referred" says a wel-known writer
"either TO the miracle plays representing
the sending Of our Saviour from Annas
to Caiaphas. and from Plate to Herod. or
TO the Change. in France, in 1864 Of
| Newly ear's-Day 10 the LIST OF January
which left the lst Of April destitute Of
anything but a burlesque OF its former
festivities; and more recently an identi-
| ficatiOn has been attempted with the
| Hindoo festival Of Hull. which is cele-
brated in a similar manner. on the 8lst
| Of March.
In our early literature there is no refer
ence 10 All-Fool's-Day, and the theory
has been advanced that both England and
Germany have derived the custom from
| France. ST. Georges Day is the twenty
third Of the month: and ST. Mark Eve,
with its superstition about those who
were doomed 10 shuttle off the mortal
coil" comes on the twenty-fourth OF the
month
in China the symbolical ploughing Of
the earth by the Emperor" says a writer.
takes place in their third month which
frequently corresponds 10 our April; and
| I'm Japan a pleasant domestic festival,
called the Feast Of Dolls. is celebrated in
the same month"
The Practical side.
II would seem that the theories are
| as numerous as they are vague. The fact
is, there is no definite knowledge as to
the origin OF this day. so familiar TO every
| man, woman. and child Of America as
| well as Of Europe. A very modern way
| 10 account for IT, however IS that after
| Christmas. New Year, THANKSGIVING and
the Fourth Of July was settled. some
fellow. whose brains were constructed
upon economical principles, and who had
enough sense left to know that he wasn't
any nineteenth century Solomon, decided
~.