Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-31
HOW APRIL GOT IT'S NAME
The Custom of April Fooling-Some Fa-
nous HoaXes of the DAY.

nous HoaXes of the Day.
THERE is still dispute concerning the
l. origin of the name April. Most of the other
months of the ancient Roman calendar were
named, either directly or indirectly, from the
Roman gods and heroes. Jacob Grimm.
seeking an application of the general rule
to April, suggested the name of a hypothet-
cal god or hero, Aper or Aprus. Others have
suggested that Aprs came from the Greek
name of Venus, Aphrodite. April among the
Romans was sacred to Venus.
Still others find the origin in the Latin
"aperire," to open, signfying the opening of
the trees and flowers. The early Anglo
Saxons called the month "oster- -monath" or
"eostur- -monath." after Eoster, goddess of
the spring, from whose name comes our
word Easter. But whatever the etymolo-
gists may decide, tomorrow begins the first
full spring month, which puts the spirit of
youth in everything"
On an April day old Wotton wrote (and IL
his was "a different age and place from ours
no matter):
This day Dame Nature seemed in love;
The lusty sap began to move:
Fresh juice did stir tn embracing vines,
And birds had drawn their valentines
The jealous trout that low did lie,
Rose at a we'll -dissembled fly:
Already the ewes possessed
The groves already did rejoice
In Philomes triumphant voice;
The showers were short the weather mild,
The morning fresh, the evening smiled.
Joan takes her neat-rubbed pail, and
She trips TO milk the sand-red COW.
The fields and gardens We're beset
With t-lips, crocus, violet;
Thus all looks gay and full of cheer.
To welcome the new-lYered year
Not Keats, perhaps not great poetry, but
bor of the characteristics of April As a
month of love May or June is not far ahead
of April. And for simle Shakespeare:
o. how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day.
As an old book says "The first of April of
all days i'm the year enjoys a character all
it's own. in so far it, and it alone is con-
secrated to practical joking" The origin OF
the April fool custom is disputed. One of
the Iudicrous solutions is that it is a farcical
commemoration of Christ's being sent from
Annas to Caiaphas, from Caaphas to PLATE.
from PLATE to Herod and from Herod back
again to PLATE. the crucifxion having taken
place about the first of April. The CUSTOM
however is doubtless a relic OF once uni
versal festivities held at the vernal equinox
and ending on the first of April. The exact
counterpart of April fooling is found to have
been an lntneInoIldl custom In lnula. In
Scotland the custom is called hunting the
gowls" that is, the cuckoo. the cuckoo be-
ing held in contempt In France the person
befooed is called poisson dAvrll" April
fish. In April the sun quits the zodiacal sign
of the fish, but the French term is probably
derived from the fact that in April Ash are
small and easily caught.
one of the most famous April hoaxes was
done in 1860, when many people in England
received by mail a card bearing the follow
ing inscription, with seal marked by an in
verted sixpence at one OF the angles, thus
giving the invitation an air OF officiality:
"Tower Of London. Admit the bearer and
friend to view the Annual Ceremony Of Wash
ing the White Lions on Sunday April l. 1860
Admitted only at the White Gate It Is
particularly requested that no gratuities be
given to the Wardens their Assistants
The trick was remarkably successful II is
reported that cabs were rafting abouh
Tower Hin all that Sunday morning vainly
endeavoring TO discover the White Gate
Americans remember a story published by
the New York Herald one April Fo0ss Day
Ia the time Of the elder James Gesdon Benz