The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-01
FOOL-CATCHER'S DAY.
BRxrSY MEN TELL WHAT SORT "
<pxIL FANCIEs PLEASE TH1A'
short Articles from Prominent Actors Art
ists, Eatiri-ts, Lawyers An" C'
All Say Something Good
Downright for the Times. isoi)

Tho stage is In some measure RESPONSE
,to for all-Fools' day. SO the historians
tell us. They say it grew out OF an ola
Easter miracle play in which the seno'hs
Of Christ from Annas to Caiapnas anu
from plate to Herod was the basis OF
,ho med,aeyal dramatists plot. But
don't think the stage has stuck 10 Jus
offspring. We actors are serious 'o'
Of people, particularly the coneuia"'
among us for paradoxical as 1t may seeh''
acting is all work and no play ana coh-
,oo,,e,tlv lack is a dull boy We would
Ito IN Apri Fool our manager. perhaps
INT we don't April Fool ourselves De-
cause that would be rather cruel
have outgrown the frolicsomehess
~ Anril 1e. of course: still ! always looh
carefully after my coat tails on that Jay
And I greatly enjoy the motley OF those
who are careless about their g.lrinen,ai
caudals during the Feast OF al rovlS'
The sight makes me feel qulte " 10y
again. for we youngsters usel 10 W tiidt
sort of thing in Philadeipnia si.itey -,
ago. O yes, ! did IT, too. peheVe tnat
some of the livelier children of fnlladei-
phia do IL yet and have vitality ana eher-
a~y enough left to laugh at the result, as
q comic paragrapher would say
The most fool hardy of all the tricks
which can recall in connection with TINS
carnival of ieering and nonsense is one
that have never seen played since l was
old enough to require two digits TO eA-
press nv age. A bag and two boys were
the ingredients Of the trick ana IL never
failed to score a great success on quiet
side street One boy got into the Dag
and the other stood by 1t waiting ior the
victim. The rest of the boys who were
ain an the ground floor" were hiding in
railways and doors ana pehihu
trucks across the street An lnno-
cent citizen came sauntering along.
The boy who had hold of the neck OF
the bag stopped him with SAY, mister
please give me lift, will yer! Inc
innocent citizen usually acquiesced ana
took hold of the bag to land II on tne
shoulder. Just as he got IL
fairly i'm his hands the boy in the bag
suddenly kicked and screamed. lnno-
cent victim, thinking 1t a baSfui OF
wildcats or hyenas let 30 quickly ana
ran off with palpitatinS heart ana mar
on end, while all the boys across rle
street pursued him with villainous
chorus Of "Aprn fool! April foot. Wash
YOUR face and go to school or something
TO the same effect. 1t always seemed to
mo that the joke was really on the
boy in the bag: he was sometimes drop
ned hastily and heavily and was hurt'
and occasionally the April fooled clt-
zen gave him a thrashing besides Tor
being too funny. But 1t was an eiec-
tive trick. and often an old cCdger iinger-
ed in the shadow on the opposite pave
ment to witness and enjoy the sport.
You have seen a man try to kick a plug
hat full of pig iron over into the next
State-well. his discontinue was no
greater than that of the man whose
blood was frozen in his heart by the
unexpected scream emitted by the occu-
pant Of the bag. Laugh? II would make
a tombstone roll over in a fit Of Mysteries.
JOHN DREW.