The Washington herald., 1906-10-30
HALLOWEEN LEGEND
Origin of Children'S Holiday
Wrapped in Mystery.
SAME OLD TRICKS PREVAIL
Celebration Not Success without
Big Red Apples. Lovers, Fairy
Tales, Candy, and Ghost stories.
Always q Big Time for the small
Boy-Riusins Door Bells.

Tonight young America VIII DC pQl
early 10 bed 70 dream Of great red apples
+ floating in o tub. and black-garbed oiti
zens. walking unconspicuously, suddenly
changed TO the whitest Of specteIs. To-
morrow Is Halloween.
/ IN every season there Is some day which
children celebrate with undiminished fer.
vor. assisted by their elders. bur Hal
/ Ioween is distinctly a chldren's feast. in
hich most adults take no part save that
( Of warning parent or dlsgruntIed oniooker
Every other feast IS buili on some event
religious patriotic. OF commemorative
but the origin or to-uorrow's celebration
IS mazed IN the profoUndest obscurty aEd
uncertainty
Some authorities claim that it is a sur
viyal Of the ancient Roman SaJurnalia.
as happy but much less riotous in It's
merrment Others claim IL Is sur
vival Of the feast Of Bacchus. save thar
fiouT and cider and children have re-
placed the rich Falernian and the togaed
ancients. Another tradition tells Us sh4J
ii is based on q festival Of the carly Chris.
tiaas. in which sutumn leaves played c
most important part. Sun another story
has % thar IL Is 10 the Druids the children
Of to-day owe their debt OF gratitude
Wherever it comes from. its "a pleasan,
day, and neither The Druids nor the Sac
chanies were more keen ga their apprecia-
tion Of IL than are our modern el(s.
same Old Tricks.
The necessities Of celebration Of to-day
and those demanded fifty years ago are
the same. Apples and apple peeIs. jack
o'-lanterUs and sheets. the odor of the
brown m0lasses tafy. and the innocent
bu. treacherous plug" hat. lined with
bricks are implements which are inval-
liable 10 our youngsters Then too. must
the popcorn pepper oe brought from It's
dusty shelf and Frightened with ribbons
and lcadec wiki treasured corn. Ara
when the corn is popped and eaten. or
thrown, ami lies scattered Ike a fan Of
snow. the teller of ghost stories is sought
20 stir the tired hearts and to drive FAR
The coming sandman
Goblin iadies and gentlemen must ay
about on their brooms. and tho big black
cat of the witch iD the woods must scream
outraeeousiy 70 Jhe spooky parts. or purr
Ia peace ~ The overthrow or the
righteous JUST why the black cat g.
drasgtd from her corner by the fire
phase on Halloween canUut D. deternlu-
ca IL must De th8t they have ever been
Known as companions or b0ceys and hob
eublins and thar these bad spirits viii
add no pleasure % The feast unless tbe.,.
devoted feijucs are invited
tn VAN VIII INC imp0Icut father rage
for thr fHU days after Halloween aeairsf
the sarleu of pumpkin pie and sguasl,
hut tho jack-o lanterns must De made
and their interiors must De eaten After
ihe Lfy has heen pulled and eaten or
SCI on in thc buJcTed pans 90 cool. and
when tie litle ones are buryinC their
rosy checks iH the tubs or burruWing I'm
""hf i"r nc PRETTY prize the more sedate
misses gather zap the apple pcels
tNpcctHat sWains stand bv while she
whirls one round and round her head
then drops it from her shoulder IN ,be
nooT } is the letter made they say. and.
although % looks as much Ike r or Y as
,. Is. and The blushing lady feels
inat he b. constant Then does the happv
) Nith apparent uuc0nceru plant himself
Hfdr TIE laoy of bis heart
Ringing Door Bells.
t'i-4fr -'-- tttlt arc NUS tu N. cracked
and the shells must be scattered so lbai
mother viii feel IN the morning that
everybody enjoyed themselves. In rb..
Eeight oi the merrimeut the doorheU
rinSs The little hostess rushes to wei.
come some belated guest. bui no one
enters as The door Is opened There they
are tRose other merrymakers. rushing
around the corner. and tEe hmcnted body
90 duck or ptrhap- a cat lies az b.r
lcet iu the ycstibule
thuus1Ed novel features arr zatgasI
10 the celebration az Halloween each ye.ir
but The oit. old Institutions SIN remain
and form The basis Of them AL When
Thursday comes and goes. leaving per
haps a toojhachc from the tany or an
Illness from the leastinE OF a heart
ache because the apple peeis have augured
eFil. some ut The little ones may Toe glad
bat next year thcv viii enter the carcty
with The s.Hlc zpst
CaIcdonians Plan Celebration.
There VAS meeting of the Calodo-
mans at Costello's Hall. Sixth and G
streets northwest last evening, at which
arrangements were perfected for an en-
tertainmcnt which the society will give
u us members ard friends at that hau
Wednesday night-HaIoween real
old-fashioneo party with mystic rites
peculiar 10 the occasion, is promised.