Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-03-30
April Fools and Noted Foolery.

Il
A writer in the Country Gentleman
observes that while the origin of the
practice of April fooling continues to
arouse curiosity, and curious legends
| connected with this festival of fools
probable that the greatest delight will
lidrolleries of fool-catcher's day.
When requested to state what jokes
seem especially timely and enjoyable
the day replied: II think the spirit Of
understood. The day is really to be
l'deemed a pause in Time $ serious fight,
when folly can with propriety travesty
| it IL, the LIT of April has come to be a
done away with entirely. April Fool 8
l5day is sadly in need of some one To
l'champion ii, and restore it to its right
l.ful place in the calendar
This is not simply the day on whlch
the boys and girls make fools of their
]selders Will, impunity. Perhaps there.
was time when 1t was regarded right
ly, when the old people put aside their
4 of older. If ii takes a Wise man 10 be.
a fool, surely April LIT is the feast day
| of he sages, when they can act on
shakespeares admonition: Mingle a
| little folly With Your wisdom.
In jokes appropriate to the day, the
element of surprise is the essential.
Thing. Novelty is wit Jokes must not
be cruel pranks; otherwise, the day
WaIllfl n a
of everybody. The most successful %
April Fool jokes would be to surprise
one's friends by a change of character.
What a rare joke 1t would be for con-
Ifirmed miser to bestow a dowry upon
that niece of his Who needs only little
money to marry the lad of her choice!
If ali the cranks would put aside their
hobbies for a day. What fun it would be
for the rest OF us,
This kind of joke can be carried out
lad infinitum, and would never fail to
be successful, Let the tippler remain
sober that day just az a joke The skin
flint employer can have a lark with his
clerk by granting that increase OF salary
that has been talked about soslong. Peo-
pie too old for jokes on April Fools
day? Nonsense. Even the gray heads
/ can have their joke.
Above all, do not play any unkind or
cruel jokes on your comrades. for in.
such cases
Tis thing to be disputed
Which is the greatest fool reputed
You must beware Of the funny" jokes
that will be played by others however,
FOR they may not always be of the kind
mentioned az unusual because Of their
Kindness. April LIST is the day when a
big part of The world makes monkey
(of the other part, when coat sleeves are
se@ed up before breakfast. when dough-
nuts are stuffed with cotton and when
Icoifee is salted: the day when he know
ling boy dispatches a younger brother to
see a public statue descend from its
pedestal al an appointed hour. And be-
ware of the cobbler's strap when you
Pare sent to him TO get some stirrup
lotl,,
Every ore is familiar with the modern
April Fool confectionary , luscious lemon
Idrops filed Nth whisky which travel
down the throat Of the Mortified prohibit
tionist victim. chocolate creams that are
lonly cotton, and caramels dosed With
cayenne pepper. The choice perfecto,
(which explodes before it is half smoked.
lis another old trick, while the bullying
Ioocketbook lying al your feet with "a
string to it, and the innocent hat that 10
full of bricks when some one Kicks 1t.
I are all we'll known The man who gath
1ers crowds In the street 10 gaze up at
nothing at all in the blue empyrean is
another old timer.
i The trick of the boy In a bag" does
mot seem so well-known az many 9TH
jers, but it was recently described by one
Eof its participants as an instance of the
4 April fooling of the good old times. :"
i The most foolhardy of all the tricks
Which | can recall in connection with
sthis carnival of jeering and nonsense, is
lone that ! have never seen played since
i saw a small hoy. A bag and two boys
We're the ingredients OF the trick, and it
never failed to score a great success on
La quiet side street. One boy got into the
4 bag and the other stood by 1t waiting
flor the victim. The reet of the boys
who We're in on the ground floor were
hiding in Railways and doors. and be-
hind trucks across the street. An lnno-
Icent citizen came sauntering along.
4 The boy who had hold of the neck OF
the bag stopped a passer-by with a
Say. mister please give me lift vii,
Iyer?" The innocent citizen usually ac-5
quiesced and took hold OF the bag TO
land II on the youngsters shoulder. just
as he got 1t fairly in his hands the boy
lin the bag suddenly kicked and
Iscreamed. Innocent victim. thinking II
"a bagful Of wildcats or hyenas. let go
Iquickly and ran off with palpltating
heart and hair on end while all the boys
across the street pursued him with a
yillainous chorus of April fool! April
fool! Wash your face and go to SCHOOL,
or something TO the same effect. 1t al
ways seemed TO me that the joke was
Ireally on the boy in the bag; he was
sometimes dropped hastily and heavily
and vas hurt. and occasionally the
April fooled citizen gave him thrash
ing besides for being too funny.