Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-03-30
APRIL FOOLS AND
NOTED FOOLERY.

curiosity. and curious legends con-
nected With this festival Of fools prove
of even greater interest. ii is proha-
BILE that the greatest delight will center
in notable instances of tricks ana
drnleries Of fool-catcher'S day.
II is not necessary to make eNten-
Sive research for such instances. In
this country alone the day has been
made memorable by some extensive
hoaxeS. one of the most celebrated
was that perpetrated on the people OF
New York years ago. 4 report was
spread that the lions tigers and other
wild animals had escaped from their
cages in Central Park. and We're Wad-
ing human gore through the streets of
the city. For hours the spectacle or
pale-faced New Workers, peering anX-
iously around street corners. in fear or
beholding nrowling beasts, was quite
common. until the discovery was made
that il was all an April fool hoax.
In Boston, report was once clrculated
on April that vile hoodlumS had de-
faced the CoggsweIl fountain on the
Common with several yards OF green
paint Curious BoStonianS Hooked by
the thousands to the spot. expecting
to behold n scene of desecration. All
they saw was a fountain, without
sign of green paint.
When requested TO state what jokes
seem timely and enjoyable for this All
Fools Day. 4 champion of the day re-
piled: Il think the spirit of the day i'll
self has been singularly miSunder
stood. The day is really to be deemed
4 pause in Times serious flight. when
folly can with propriety travesty Wis
dom and set the world smiling. A il
is, the 1st Of April has come to b n
nuisance. when its observance is not
done away with entirely. April FOOLS
day is sadly in need of some ona to
tchampion it. and restore it to its
rightful place in the calendar"
This is not simply the day on which
the boys and girls may make fools Of
their elders with impunity. Perhaps
there was a time when it was regard
ed rightly. when the old people put
aside serious looks and grew younger
instead of older. If it takes n wise
man to be a fool. surely April 1st is
the feast day Of the sages. when they
can act on Shakespeare admontion:
| '.Mingle little folly with your Wis
dom
| In jokes appropriate to the day, the
| clement of surprise is the essential
| thing Novelty wit. Jokes must not
| be cruel pranks: otherwise. the cay
would he given up 10 the general hlZ-
| inG of everybody The most success
| full Of April fool jokes would be to sur
prise ones friends by change Of
.faracter. What 4 rare joke it would
5e for the confirmed miser to beStow
| dOWry upon that niece Of his who
needs only little money 20 marry the
lad Of her choice, If all the crarks
would put aside their hobbies for q
day what fun it would be for the rest
of u.s.
This kind of joke can be carried out
a infinitum. and would never fail to
be successful. Let the tirpler remain
sober today just as a joke. The skin
hint employer have a lark with his
.IerA by granting that increase Of Sal-
,ry that has been talked about 50
onG. People too old for jokes on
\pril Fools day Nonsense. Even
the gray heads can have their joke.
Above all. do not play any unkind or
rucl jokes on your comrades. for in
such cases
Tis thing to be disputed
Which is the greatest fool reputel.
You must beware Of the funny"
Jokes that will he played by others.
however. for they may not always be
of the kind mentioned as unusual be
cause Of their kindness. April lst is
the day when a big part of the world
makes n monkey of the other part.
when coat-sleeves are sewed up before
breakfast. when doughnuts are stuffed
with cotton and when coffee is salted;
he day when the knowing boy dis
| patches a younger brother to see a
public statue descend from its pedestal
| 1t an appointed hour. And beware of
| the cobbler's strap when YOU are s"nt
| D him to get some 'Stirrup oil.
| Every one is familiar with the mod
| .rn April Fool confectionery. luscious
| emon drops filed with Whisl,ey.
| which travel down the throat of the
| Mortified prohibitionist victim. choco-
1 late creams that are only cotton, and
| ,aramels dosed with cayenne pepDer.
| The choice perfecto. which eXplcdes
| before il is half smoked. is another old
trick, while the bulging pocketboOk "
| ng at your feet with a string to it.
| md the innocent hat that is full of
bricks when some one kicks it, are all
we'll known. The man who gathers
| erowdS in the street to gaze up at
| nothing at all in the blue empyrean is
another old timer.
! Different from these April jokes is
the story which comes from the West
| IF the joker in the mines. With the
annual recurrence of All Fools Day
his joker was sure to play some trick
IN his ''pards in the diggings." As
tate would have it. the joker expired
IN the first of April. His last words
| we're: Dig under the big tree round
the bend: I've buried two thousand
dollars in gold there. Send it TO my
widow in Ohio"
The miners.at first. We're inclined tc
doubt the ante-mortem statement
suspicious that the ruling passion was
strong even in death. and that ths
joker had desired to fool them onc1
more. But upon digging for the mid
den treasure. they were astOnished tC
find the two thousand dollars in gold
lust as the deceased had told them
The next thing was to find the widow
They made inquiries everywhere II
Ohio. and at last discovered the truth
that the deceased had no widow. and