Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-03-30
April FOOLS Day.

The literary of the last century,
from the Spectator downward, has
many illusions to April foo1ing, al
though no references to it in our earl
Ter literature have as yet been pointed
out. English antiquaIies appear I'M
able to trace the origin of the custom,
or to say how long it has existed
there was the Feast of the Ass on
Twelfth Day, and various mummings
about Christmas; but April fooling
stands apart from these dates. There
is but one plausible-1ooking sugges-
ton from Mr.. Pegge, to the effect that
the 18th of March being, in one re-
spect, New York's Day, the LIST of
April was its octave, and the termina-
ton of its celebrations; but this idea
is not very satisfactory. There is
much more Importance in the fact that
the Hindoos have, in their Hull, which
terminates with the 31st of March,
precisely similar festival, during
which the great aim is to send persons
away with messages to ideal individu-
ais, or individuals sure to be from
home, and enjoy laugh at their dis
appointment. To find the practice so
widely prevalent over the earth, and
with so near a coincidence of day,
seems to indicate that it has had
very early origin amongst mankind.
Swift, in his Journal to Stella, en-
tiers under March 81, 1913, that he, DR..
Arbuthnot and Lady Masham had
been amusing themselves that evening
by continuing "a lie for tomorrow"
A person named Noble had been
hanged few days before. The lie
which these three laid their heads to-
gether TO concoct was, that Noble had
come to life again in the hands of his
friends, but was once more laid hold
of by the Sheriff, and now lay at the
Black Swan in Holborn, in the custody
of a messenger. 1--WE are ALL" says
Swift, "to send to our friends, to know
whether they have heard anything of
it, and so we hope it will spread"
Next day the learned Dean duly sent
his servant to several houses to in
quire among the footmen, not letting
his own man into the secret. But
nothing could be heard of the resusci-
tation of Mr.. Noble; whence he con-
cluded that "his colleagues did not
contribute as they ought to have
done,
In the northern part of Scotland the
people are not content to make
neighbor believe some single piece OF
absurdity. There the object being,
we should say, to befool simply An
drew Thomson, Wag No. sends him
away with letter to friend two
miles off, professedly asking for some
useful information or requesting a
loan of some article, but in reality
containing only the words:
This is the first day of April;
Hunt the gowk another mile"
Wag No. ,, catching up the idea of
his correspondent, tells Andrew with
a grave face that it is not in his power
ETC.; but If he will go with another
note to such person he will get what
is wanted. OFF Andrew trudges with
this second note to Wag No. 5, who
treats him in the same manner; and
SO on he goes, till some one of the
series, taking pity on him. hints the
trick that has been practieed upon
him. A successful affair of this kind
will keep rustic society in merriment
for week, during which honest An
drew Thomson hardly can show his
face. The Scotch employ the term
gowk (which is properly cuckool to
express fool in general, but more es-
pecially an April fool, and among
them the practice above described is
called hunting the gowk.
Sometimes the opportunity is taken
by ajocular persons to carry out
some extensive hoax upon society.
For example, in March, 1860, vast