[Illustration]
The custom of playing a joke upon one's neighbor upon the First of April
is of very ancient origin, dating so far back in the past that we are
unable to tell just when or with what nation it had its birth.
There was a time, very many years ago, when the year began on the
twenty-fifth of March. Then, as now, New Years' was a great feast of the
Church; and as the First of April was what was termed the _octave_--that
is, the eighth day after the commencement of the feast--it has been
thought that the feast which terminated upon that day closed in
April-fooling. In support of this theory we find that the Catholic
Church, at one time in its early history, observed an annual feast
called "The Feast of the Ass." The day upon which this feast was held
answers to our sixth of January, which now is called "Twelfth-Day." The
day was devoted to merry-making, masquerading, jesting, and to fun in
general.
Among the Hindoos there is a feast which is still observed, called the
"Huli," which, continuing several days, terminates on the thirty-first
of March. One of the distinctive features of this feast is, that every
one endeavors to send his neighbor upon some errand to some imaginary
person, or to persons whom he knows are not at home; and then all enjoy
a good laugh at the disappointment of the messenger. The observance of
this custom by this peculiar people seems to indicate that it had a very
early origin among mankind. In fact, it is not impossible that the
manner in which the day is observed by us may have been suggested by
some pagan custom. But whatever or whenever its origin may have been, we
find it so widely prevalent over the earth, and with so very near a
coincidence of day, as to be proof of its great antiquity.
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The observance of April Fools' Day is a very popular one in France, and
we find traces of it there at a much earlier period than we do in
England. It is related that Francis, Duke of Lorraine, and his wife,
having been confined at Nantes as prisoners, successfully made their
escape on the First of April. Taking advantage of this day, when they
knew the guards would be upon the lookout lest some joke should be
played upon them, they disguised themselves as peasants, the Duke
carrying a hod upon his shoulder, and his wife bearing a basket of
rubbish upon her back. Thus disguised, they passed through the gates of
the city at an early hour of the day. There was one person, however, who
guessed their secret. This was a woman who was an enemy of the Duke and
his wife, and she at once resolved that they should not thus escape. She
therefore hastened to one of the guards and told him of the escape of
the prisoners. But the soldier only regarded it as an attempt to play a
joke upon him, and at once cried out "April Fool!" to let the woman know
that he had not forgotten what day it was. Hearing the soldier call out
this, the rest of the guard, led by their sergeant, shouted "April
Fool!" until the woman was forced to retire without being able to
accomplish her errand. When at last it was learned that she had told
them the truth, it was too late, the Duke and his wife having made good
their escape.
In France, the person who is April-fooled is called _poisson d'Avril_.
Upon a certain occasion a French lady stole a watch from a friend on the
First of April. The theft having been discovered, and the lady accused
of having taken the watch, she endeavored to pass off the affair as _un
poisson d'Avril_.
Having denied that the watch was in her possession, her rooms were
searched, and the missing article found upon a chimney-piece. When shown
the watch the thief coolly replied: "Yes; I think I have made the
messenger a fine _poisson d'Avril_."
However, the magistrate ordered that she be confined in prison until the
First of April following, "_comme un poisson d' Avril_."
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In England, the custom of April-fooling is practiced very much as it is
in the United States. "A knowing boy will despatch a younger brother to
see a public statue descend from its pedestal at a particular appointed
hour. A crew of giggling servant-maids will get hold of some simple
swain, and send him to a bookseller's shop for the 'History of Eve's
Grandmother,' or to a chemist's for a pennyworth of 'pigeon's milk,' or
to the cobbler's for a little '_strap_-oil,' in which last case the
messenger secures a hearty application of the strap to his shoulders,
and is sent home in a state of bewilderment as to what the affair means.
The urchins in the street make a sport of calling to some passing beau
to look to his coat-skirts; when he either finds them with a piece of
paper pinned to them or not; in either of which cases he is saluted as
an 'April-fool!'"
[Illustration: FIRST OF APRIL DANGER.]
It has been said that "what compound is to simple addition, so is Scotch
to English April-fooling." The people living in Scotland are not content
with making a neighbor believe some single piece of absurdity, but
practice jokes upon him _ad infinitum_. Having found some unsuspecting
person, the individual playing the joke sends him away with a letter to
some friend residing two or three miles off, for the professed purpose
of asking for some useful information, or requesting a loan of some
article, while in reality the letter contains only the words:
"This is the first day of April,
Hunt the gowk another mile."
The person to whom the letter is sent at once catches the idea of the
person sending it, and informs the carrier with a very grave face that
he is unable to grant his friend the favor asked, but if he will take a
second note to Mr. So-and-so, he will get what was wanted. The obliging,
yet unsuspecting carrier receives the note, and trudges off to the
person designated, only to be treated by him in the same manner; and so
he goes from one to another, until some one, taking pity on him, gives
him a gentle hint of the trick that has been practiced upon him. A
successful affair of this kind will furnish great amusement to an
entire neighborhood for a week at a time, during which time the person
who has been victimized can hardly show his face. The Scotch employ the
term "gowk" to express a fool in general, but more especially an April
fool; and among them the practice which we have described is called
"hunting the gowk."
Sometimes the First of April has been employed by persons wishing to
perpetrate an extensive joke upon society. Among those which have come
to our knowledge the most remarkable one occurred in the city of London
in 1860. Towards the close of March a large number of persons received
through the post-office a card upon which the following was printed:
"TOWER OF LONDON.