Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-01
Results of the Change.

The French account is that because of
this change. where heretofore the usual
exchange of magnificent New Year pres
ents had been customary, fictitious boxes
and false messages were sent to trick
those who had unwillingy accepted the
new order of things, and as in the
month of April the sun leaves the 20
diacal sign of the fishes. the name
"PolssoEs d'Avril' was givee to such
Pretended gifts. (Poissons CAvril are the
mackerel which abound during this
month";
Again 1t has been suggested that the
sending of persons on FOOLS errand is
probably a relic of the Roman "Ceriales.
held in the beginning Of April, and refers
to the Old NEUROLOGICAL story that while
Prosperine was sporting among the daft
fodils in the NySian meadows, Pluto
carried her off to his own regions. Her
mother. Ceres, hearing the echo of her
daughters scream, Immediately set out
to find her; the search for the echo of u
scream being but a fools GRAND.
When England was truly "Merrie Eng
land" before the era of the strenuous
life on the one hand, or the luxurious
life on the other, simple. even crude,
sports were thoroughly enjoyed. but her
therefore. SO far as our ancestors are
concerned, the idea that has been adj
vanced. claiming that All FOOLS day had
its origin in the mockery of our Savior,
and that they were celebrating the awful
scenes of His passion by jokes and fool
cry. is utterly untenable. The fact that
these same tricks and follies formed part
of the Roman festival of fools, the
Brahmin Hull and the Druidical pastimes
long before our Savior's birth undoubted-
~ points to some common origin in the
earliest antiquity, and is held to dis
prove such sacrilegious meaning in
these innocent sports.
Jewish Story of the Flood.
We owe our authentic account of the
flood, and the story of the dove sent
forth by Noah, which. mot finding where
her foot might rest. returned to him in
the ark" to the Jews, who were the
custodians of the history told by Noses
but the story had become Evolutionary
through the immediate posterity of Noah
who shared the dominion of the whole
depopulated earth, and accounts of the
deluge are found today among all the
peoples of the world So that. if (and
this is a big I'D the customs of the
April festivals arose from the incident
of the dove, their origin antedates the
time of the Jews by several centuries,
as Abraham, their pFogenitor, though born
while Noah still lived, was the ninth in
descent from Sem.
1t may be interesting in this connec-
ton to remember that Mosocb, the sixth
son of Japeth called in the old English
black-letter chronicles Samothes, 200
| years after the flood. nearly two CEN
| turtles before the vocation of Abraham.
| had taken dominion over the lands now
| known as France and England, his
| progeny constituting the first inhabitants
| of those countries. thus becoming our
| own remote ancestors.
Many interesting references to these
| April fooieries are found among our
! English writer's. Tom Moore in his
| diary in 1919 writes: April l. Made
| Bessie turn her cap :iwry in honor of
the day" Swift in his journal to
| Stella" under date of March 81, 1713.
| tells how he. Lady Masham and DIR.
| Arbushnot have been employed fixing
| up a lie for tomorrow"