THE TR (Copyright, W. N. U.) Sl IP LAE [Dae 5 HIRTS a? (Of LAR 4 Lt Y -, 7 The first of April, some do say, Is set apart for All Fools Day; But why the people call it so, Not 1, nor they themselves do know. But on this day are people sent Un purpose for pure merriment. But ‘tis a thing to be disputed, Which fs the greatest fool reputed; The man that innocently went Or he that him designedly sent, —Poor Robin's Almanac, 1769. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON NE of the most famous warnings of all history was that uttered to Julius Caesar—"Beware the Ides of March!” But the Ides of March, however fatal they may been to the great Roman, are of little concern to us of modern times. Another day which will soon be here Is the one when we do most of our “bewaring.” That's the first of April and unless we're very alert some one is sure to make an ‘April Fool of us. The practical joker is with us al- ways, but April 1 is the day when he is at his best. We may ignore the hat lying on the sidewalk (with the brick concealed under it) or the pocketbook (either nailed down or attached to a hidden string which whisks it from under our hands as we stoop down to pick it up) and then unsuspectingly accept an explosive cigar which a friend hands us or bite into a tempt- ing chocolate cream and find it filed with cayenne pepper, We may avoid all of these familiar pitfalls for the unwary and then be “taken in” by a fake telephone call, “Mr. Lyon wants You to call him,” they tell us. (Or it may be Mr. Wolf or Miss Ella Phant.) ut when we call the num- ber and ask for that person, a dis- gusted voice at the other end of .the wire tells us “This is the 200.” Or it may be “Mr. Fish” whose telephone number turns out to be the aquarium or “Mr. Snow” at the weather bureau or “Mr. Coffin” at some undertaking establishment, Some of the foolery, however, Is on the decline. Large candy factories re- port that they no lofiger make April Fools’ candy. Not that one cannot buy cotton balis disguised as sweetmeats : the obscure shops still supply them. The larger dealers, however, say that not only are calls growing fewer for such trick bonbons, but that they themselves run Into the foreign sub- stance law. Today, as every one knows, candy must pass a certain test. The pure food law has sounded the death-knell of the china baby doll dipped In bitter-sweet chocolate, Where did this April Foolishness originate, anyway? The answer to that question Is necessarily a difficult one, for this custom, like so many others, goes back so far and has developed in so many different forms in so many different countries that it is impossible to ascribe it to any one period or any one nation. There is evidence that the custom was prevalent In Asis in an- clent times, tracing back to the cele bration with festal rites of the period of the vernal equinox In Persia. It was the day when the Persian New Year began and was very close to the old English New Year's day of March 25. The sun was then entering into the sign of frisky Aries and on that day “the season of rural sports and vernal delights” began. In India the Hull festival on March 81 for centuries has been a general holiday and time for jest. One of the favorite diversions consisted of send- ing people on long errands of fictitious import. Colonel Pearce, a British army officer and writer of a century fgo, says: “High and low join in it. The late Suraja Dowlah, I am told, was very fond of making Hull fools, though he was a Mussulman of the highest rank, They carry the joke so far as to send letters making appoint. ments In the name of persons who must be absent from their house at the time fixed upon; and the laugh ta always in proportion te the trouble given” Aa w have From the Orient the custom came into western Europe many centuries ago. The ancient Romans took delight in many sorts of practical jokes in connection with their Feast of the Saturnaila and there are those who declare that the first April Fool joke was that one which Romulus and his “early settlers” in Rome played upon the Sablnes by inviting them to the regular April First celebration in honor of Neptune and then carrying off by force the Sabine women. For centuries the French have held a Festival of Fools on April 1, In which “every kind of absurdity and decency was committed.” Their term for April Fool is “poisson d’Avril,” a term which means, according to one explanation, a young fish and there fore a fish easily caught. When Na- poleon married Maria. Louisa. Arch. duchess of Austria, on April 1, 1810, it gave the waggish Parisians an ex: el- lent chance to whisper among them- selves that he was “un poisson d'- Avril” But the classic French April Fool story is that of a young woman who stole a gold watch from the house of one friend and hid it in the house of another friend. She then turned the case over to the police. But they were sadly lacking in the imagination necessary to appreciate this joke. She was arrested for the theft and the Judge, entering into the spirit of the occasion, sentenced her to Jall for a year with the remark that she be dis- charged on April 1 the next year as “un poisson d'Avril!™ Another French classic is the escape on April 1, 1700, from prison by the duke of Lorraine and his wife, who shouted back to thelr guards the French equivalent of “April Fool I April Fooling has been prevalent in Great Britain for centuries. There it mostly took the form of sending inno. cents upon “sleeveless errands” £ boy might be sent to the cobbler's for “a pennyworth of his best stirrup oll” and then be mighty amazed when the angry shoemaker applied this “oll” to his back, Or he might be dispatched to the milk-vendor for “half a pint of pigeon's milk,” to the booksellers for “The Life and Adventures of Eve's Mother,” to the butcher shop for a “meat auger” or to the bakery for "a ple-stretcher.” In northern England and Scotland this practice was called “Hunting the Gowk.” An old couplet says: “On the first day of Aprile Hunt the Gowk another mile” The word “gowk"” in reality means a cuckoo and was used metaphorically for fool, which undoubtedly Is the origin of the modern slang phrase: “To knock a man cuckoo.” There are plenty of connecting threads among all these words, “Gauch” In Teutonic is a fool, whence we get our word gawky, and “geac” in old Saxon was a cuckoo, whence is derived “geck.” meaning one easily imposed upon. Re- member the words of Malvolio to Qilvia: ine Why have you suffered me to be Imprison’d And ade the most notorious “geck” and That or invention played on? Although April Fool's day appears 0 have ceased to challgnge literary wits, there was a time in England when it brought forth observations from such scholars as Joseph Addi- son and that prolific and satiric writer Jonathan Swift. Swift seems to have entered Into the spirit of the day and to have enjoyed the liberties granted to the practical joker on April first, He writes to Stella under date of March 81, 1718, about a Jolly evening spent with two good friends “in con. triviog a lle for the morrow.” One of the commonest forms of April Fool jokes during past years in this country was the practice by newspa- pers of printing on April 1 some excit- ing story of an event which never hap- pened and not revealing the fact until the reader came to the end of the yarn, There have been innumerable variations of this stunt, ranging from “scare” stories about the blowing up of the city hall and the assassination of city officials or the escape of all the animals In the zoo to more inno- cent stories about the discovery of buried treasure or the exhibition of some marvelous and seemingly impos- sible feat of skill or strength. Some 40 years a Cincinnati newspaper printed a big story regard. ing a monster of fiendish aspect and unknown species which had been found inhabiting a cave in the hills east of which had already carried off several children in its slavering jaws and had spread terror In neighborhood. There was even a plc ture of the Thing, drawn from the de scriptions of the two or three persons who had seen it clearly, and for malig. nant hideousness of aspect, that mon- ster made all Calibans, dragons, Hur. lothrumbos, demons and octopl look tame, Finally, down at the latter end of the story In very small type, so small that many readers overlooked It, was set the legend, “April 1, 1888" Even some who noticed that date didn't grasp its significance, but continoed to shudder with fear at the thought of meeting the monster, ago the city, the inns still remember the story sbout the big iceberg that was “being towed up the river." Thousands went to the river front to see the spectacle and then denied that they had been taken in. A quite modern hoax is told as fol. lows by one who was in Ireland when it “happened”: Some FPhiladelp! Peace, of a kind, reigned in Dublin on March 31, 1022 There was ten sion In the alr for the Irreconcilables, refused to recognize the truce with England, bad taken over the Four Courts and were known to be prepar- ing resistance to the terms which Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith had signed. Anything was likely to happen, About 1 o'clock on the morning of April 1 the Morning Post of London, the paper which reflected the views of those who thought that any truce with the Irish was a betrayal of Great Brit. gin, received a telegram from Dublin stating that the Klidare Street club had been seized by the Irreconcilables. that the members residing there had been driven Into the streets in their pajamas and that this social strong. hold of British aristocracy in the Irish capital had been transformed into a stronghold of the enemy, With due solmenity and with head. lines that had not been surpassed since the declaration of the Armistice with Germany the telegram was published, And that night Dublin was flooded with correspondents—American, Mng. lish and French—all prepared to cover the new “war” The British cabinet was called to Downing street for breakfast, and the world sighed In dls may and mourned that the Irish, when peace seemed in sight, “were at It again” Only a few know the true story be hind the April fool telegram that start ed this furore. There was in Dublin at the time a Major Clarke who had served with distinction during the World war, but who had never been the same since his experiences In Flanders, They had developed in him a “sense of humor” that was peculiar, On one occasion he collected all the boots left to be cleaned outside the bedroom doors of the largest hotel In Dublin and dropped them down the elevator shaft, He was barred from the same hotel for throwing cream-filled eclairs at the guests during dinner. And it was he who sent the telegram. He was tired of peace and he thought it would be a good Joke to start the Anglo-Irish struggle again. And, strange to say, he nearly accomplished his object, for the suspicious Irreconcilables thought the wire had been sent by the Free State government as a bait But they were not yet prepared. The break did not come for aimost three months, @ by Western Newspaper Union.) who 2 DLE Care at Proper Times Needed to Save Trees preserve ASA WN To trees properly it is necessary to have a complete knowl. edge of their nature and the trouble that may befall them. And it is only such knowledge that tree the diseases and dangers that so often prematurely destroy them. Most of the few remaining survivors these trees if cared for saved saved time would have Some can still be It Is an encouraging faet, EAYE nn been In planting of have the years most cities active In But unfortunately, for lack of ade Lawn trees and park the same way. Per an early death. are going too frequently see only the foll. age of the tree and the shade that it They fali to observe the rav- ages of decay, from poor pruning or injuries from storms. vehi. or from any number of other The trees Inrgely neg lected Neglected city have a poor chance for long life, for elty con ditions are unnatural and trees have difficulty In withstanding the conditions under which we ask them offers, cles, are trees exireme to live Architects Plead for Saving of Shade Trees Archi- city The tects, tl and exient American Institute of rough lis on regional planning. deplores to which city trees are sacrd and ognizes the in street widenings The committee ree sity for removing street boulevard trees In some instances believes the ode struction than would sideration w if due eon necessary ere to avoid It, Attent enlied on Is ton roadside trees ren Is sald, are shade tree plant ing. vals necessary Other prov we Zive to grow trees, portance attached to trees In the de city ness with which beautiful old elms, when a feasible of might Times change planning Business Man's Problem Many men lose sight of the fact the man who attends a country fair Is there for a day only, at in he perspire and have his feet stepped on and will eat peanuts and drink they offer him. be cause is there temporarily to sat. isfy a desire of his heart, ut when business is a fixed prop osition, involving perhaps seversl generations in its making, with the traditions that are back of the or ganization of a city or town, and the consequence of the investment of money and the best thought of the human mind, the business man must be careful whether he says, “1 want my store so situated that only the first few who get there can be.con veniently served.” Unless he treats this problem un. selfishly with respect to that which the direct attributes that ie beyond give to him, he sooner or later is go- ing to face the problem that he Is losing trade, becanse that factor In trade. human contact, is not being adequately maintained. George W, Elliott, general secretary Chamber of Commerce of Philadelphia. hnsiness that will whatever he Home Fire Hazards The annual fire loss in the United States approximates $500,000,000, of which a large proportion is occasioned A part of the heavy yearly loss to the home, being a private institution, Is not subject to the rules and regu lations imposed by law upon factories and business properties, has no paid watchman, no compulsory clean-up, and If systematic fire Ingpection is carried on, it Is done at the discretion of the owner. Inexpert repairs and alterations in. side the home and lowgrade or wrong. ly Installed appliances may constitute serious hazards, Construction Needs Study It is necessary that the area and height, thickness of walls general structure, and the position of the out. lets of the chimney with reference to nearby buildings should be carefully noted and observed In selecting or bullding a flue. Rectangular shapes should never have a difference in width and length of more than the ratio of two to No flue should be less than elght eight Inside diameter and mot than 30 feet in height. i | i i i | the condition. Don’t neglect mediate relief. You can feel the im- Take Bayer tablets for to colds. Bayer Aspirin brings quick comfort in Get the genuine, BAYER “First Aid—Home Remedy Week” Coming Chicugo ¥i Hens edy Week, “het. ter werchandising greater nd- vertising baby.” its tenth anniversary March 15.21. everywhere will Thut Biogun ret Ald-Home Sterling Products’ and celebrates Druggists co-operate “¥in Medicine Chest Now '™ is of The National sociation Retail Drugg event In 1022 saad onal Wholesale the As SPOON. with action, sts gored the Drugrists’ nal Association “8 have, with d their en. { this movement ICH nDeediess the salvage WW. E iden ns au = Weiss wn endid s first to okays the aid to pre paredness for lines or oe ta This for unexpected accident is stressed ns sensi immediate relief festival of sales housecleaning ble Insurance The is n every-spring of P'rodocts fixture Sterling time, is giving a tenth anni party ir ETRary surprise #t in An for ne the dorses thiz idea of a more Intensive in Drugdom. Re placing the old streamers there has been adopted a colorful poster rep to ex ery the States Ugs erica minion well as en ndvertising effort resenting a filled medicine chest dis CORS “Fill That Medicine Chest Now ™ Pride and Pluck Grand Duke Boris sald i® arrival in New York ‘We Russians, when we Russia's plight, have to be as plucky as the street musician. “A street musician was blowing ‘Christmas Awake’ on his cor. net Christmas day in a snowstorm, “The snow The Jderview on bh in an cheerily on fell fast and furious, a tooted away a pretty girl passed The musician looked down at feet, buried in the snow to the ankles, and then he said to himself: No Doubt Whatever Brown—You ought to Lrace up and iow your wife who's running things house, (sadly)—There's no Montreal Star. Garfield Tea Was Your Grandmother's Remedy PERN For every stom- R ach and intestinal fll. This good old- fashioned herb home remedy for constipation, Mstomach {lls and other _derange- ments of the sys- tem so prevalent these davs is In even greater favor as a family med. icine than In your grandmother's day. Hardy Field Grown Charleston Wakefield and A Early cabbage plants 206 3 BOE 108, postpaid sl ut vour Votts She knovs, need, Head 1.906 2.08, 3 iN $M or more @ $1.15 Not Ki ber EBwitgeriand ‘ Perfume Ladoe He cor vinoed Ros AGENTS, Make honey without bees, & wob it ® easy fo make In your ow Ww Basham deri | Bors, Start a Postage Stamp Collection; i will send you $00 ¥ different stamps for § H BTAINKEN $23 Tina ®t . Brooklyn, New York | IF SUFFERING WITH PILES, any kind, Let me help you. Drop me & line FRED « WHITNEY. S45 201th 8¢ RHEUMATISM Lumbago or Gout? Take RHEUMA CIDE 10 remove theesnse and drive the poison from Lhe system. snow! My shoes are split and full of holes, but she can't see them.'” Dr. Pierce's Favorite Preseription makes weak women strong. No alcohol. Sold by druggists in tablets or liquid.—Ady. A man has as much intuition as a woman, but he doesn’t eall it that. It is better to be young In spirit than young in thought, | W. NN. U, BALTIMORE, NO. 11. 1921. Part-Time Job Philadelphian—Are you { collar man? Pittsburgher—For the first half of the morning. No doubt, Columbus imagined the world was round because it failed to treat him altogether square. a white. Castoria corrects
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers