Evening star., 1934-04-05

The spirit of Easter happily over
came the antiquated idea known as
April fool"
Not just because April I came on
Sunday. but because the United States
Is becoming more civilized, some will
feel.
There seems little doubt about it.
The boys don't even throw snow
balls the way they once did.
The continued SHOWS of the months
just passed caused as bored q lot Of
youngsters as one would wish to see,
or not wish to see, perhaps.
Snowballing, even shedding, became
tiresome, after time.
This Is well, because 1t shows that
the spirit of happy. orderly processes
Is gaining the ascendancy over the
various lords Of misrule" in the one
place they must gain it to do good
the mind of youth. What hope for
the world of men is there from the
mind of the old? This is asked with
more than the usual reverence for the
old. We believe in age. in the So
called middle age, in youth, but think
that youth alone can save the human
world, now once again ,tottering on
the brink Of its own insufficiency and
incompetence.
This feeling is not building up a
hero worship based upon youth. but
simply results from an everyday sur
vey of what the world Of human
beings has brought upon itself. The
ruling Of things has been in the
hands Of the elderly for centuries,
now 1t is in the hands of the young
middle aged in various countries.
Shall 1t ever be in the hands of the
young? We think not Experience is
necessary, and the passage of time is
the only way experience comes into
being. But a new middle-age and q
new old-age, when its turn shall
come. may be the product of a youth
which gave over such essentially silly
ideas as Halloween "pranks" and April
fool "jokes." 1t Is idle to say, "Oh,
pshaw, such things have no influence"
It Is possible that they do have more
far-reaching influences than We
suspect.
The essential, basic seriousness Of
life is the real reason why such forces
1t, cannot result in good rule. This
in neither politics. nor economics, nor
psychology, but just what many will
prefer to call common sense, and
nothing more-nor less.
Fun is all right in its place. but
it has little, If anything. to do with
governmental procedure which shall
result in justice to all. 1t is of such
things that young men must think,
if they aspire in their turn to be good
rulers of human destinies. Whether
good rulers, or bad rulers, they can't
do 1t by playing April fool jokes on
other human beings
There Is no way of estimating how
much crime and bad behavior has re-
suited from such essential silly busi-
ness, but surely the connection must
be larger and more binding than many
a person who has not thought particu-
larly about the matter will be in
clined to think at first.
Notioiuci ouCis typi.oi npih iooi
joke as leaving false name with a
real telephone number, such as Call
Mr.. Bear" with the number of the
National Geological Park.
This Is a popular urban April fool
joke, quite typical.
1t is supposed to be funny" but If
We examine it even half way closely
We see that it is based upon % lie
and 90 lack of consideration for
others.
Anything, no matter how trivial,
which is based upon misinformation,
deception and lack of consideration
for others cannot be regarded as civil
lized If We take civilization. as We
take life, seriously. There is really