Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-25

the people were delighted to know that Wash
ington had at least one street of which it might
feel proud; hence the celebration. 1t was great
affair. There were foot races, goat races, wheel
barrow races, horse races, fireworks in the eve
Ming and altogether it was the most interest
ing spectacular, exciting event of its kind ever
held in the District of Columbia, and what the
present Halloween Committee hopes to do is
to equal this or perhaps go it one better
But let us wander back to the old Halloween
days and let some future historian talk about
the events of 1881.
Perhaps, after ALL the most enjoyable times
were had IN years gone by at Halloween parties,
for here everybody knew everybody 1t was uSu-
ally a neighborhood affair and the girls and boys
who attended were known to be respectable and
to fit in with the rest of these invited. The
games they played then, the tricks they
played Others were always of the harmless
kind, and quite unlike, in this respect, the
prankS played by the boys on the outside for
their games were always too rough for the girls.
very popular paStime at parties was bobbing
for apples A wooden tub was generally used
for the purpose. COT course, this was in the
days before metallic, stationary washtubS were
used, and when nearly every family kept one
or more tubs for bathing purposes, for the
Saturday night bath was then looked upon as
necessity However the stems were taken from
the fruit and pieces of wooden toothpickS
placed on either side. Then the girls and the
boys dived for the apples-the advantage always
being in favor of the one with the longest
tongue Sometimes the girls would not take
part in this sport, because they were afraid
they would get their hair wet and some other
diversion was selected
A N amusing trick was sometimes played by
the use of two plates, one of which was
smutted or marked on the bottom and placed
on table in a dark room. The other a clean
one, was placed table in a room where
there was a dim light This trick was usually
played on some boy or young man who wanted
his fortune told, and, to accomplish what was
intended, he was first given view of the
maneuverS of the fortune-te with the clean
plate and was then led into the dark room to
initiate the movements with the Smutted one
When he emerged into the light again he was
tod to look into mirror and his fortune would
he told, and it was then that he realized that
his face was Smutted all over.
OF course, many of the amusements INDUCED
in resolved into the question as to who would
be married first, or if the party would or would
not be married at ALL One or both Of the
questions was frequently answered by placing
as many names as desired in meal balls, which
were placed IN a receptacle of water, and the
name that came to surface hrst was declared
to be the fortunate one. Sometimes added ex-
element was produced when several names
started to come to the surface at once, when
the anxiety became more intense until the
race was ended.
similar way Of finding out ones life part
ner was by writing the alphabet on q sheet Of
paper and then cutting the letters apart and
placing them in a vessel of water and the
letter that came to the top first was the initial
OF the future husband or wife.
The apple pairing test is an extremely old
one. The pairing of the apple Is removed in one
piece and then thrown about the head three
times and dropped behind the one doing the
whirling. when it win form the initial of future
husband or wife .e.f b.