1938-04-01 — Page 6

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1938.

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FIRDAY, APRIL 1, 1938.

SOMEBODY BLUNDERED

Foreign military experts now commence to believe that the Chinese claims of military suc- cesses in Shantung and Shansi have good foundation. For some time past.news agencies have been despatching thousands of words concerning Chinese vic- tories, but few but the Chinese themselves appeared to give much credence to the accounts. These will now be more readily accepted since the foreign mili- tary men in Shanghai have ex- the pressed the opinion that present series of reverses suf- fered by the Japanese will probably prove the most "cost- ly" phase of the campaign of invasion.

There is justification for this opinion. While it is possible

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COUNT THE

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Bome

entirely strategic, dovised to trick the Chinese armies into sort of error, it is more likely that the Japanese them- selves have blundered. In the first place their troops believed they were invincible and they may have been prone to take risks as a consequence. It is also true that they under- estimated the Chinese capacity for resistance. It seems they to become aware of their mistakes.

are

Hunt the Gowk

Another Mile*

O

Fall the months of the year none is so sportive as April. It is as WAY-- ward as a kid with Its hooves kicking up above its crinkled horns.

These weeks are the weeks of natural rejoicing over the-re- turn of the vernal equinox, and it may be that this accounts for the fact that the custom of April Fooling on the first of April is so widespread.

It is a custom as well known to the Germans on the Rhine with their in den April Schicken ns to the French on the Seine with their polssons d'Avril, as for that matter to the Hindus on the Ganges with their Hult festival.

On this day alone the frolic frivolity of Nature, with her playful showers, her chirping and newly-arrived warblers, dancing daffodils is so infectious that even pomposity man 13 easily persuaded to lay aside for once (though only in play) his notable moralitles!

There was published in the year 1801 a work entitled "The Twelve Months." It is very clear that the author of this volume understood well the old couplet:

"When April blows his horn, It is lucky to be born."

This is proven, I think, by the following quotation from the month of April:-

"The ille fishes lie nibbling at the balt, and the porpoise plays in, the pride of the tide. the aged feet a kind of youth, and youth hath a spirit full of life and activity; the aged natra refreshen, and the youthful cheeks are as red as a cherry. The lark and the lamb look up at the sun,... It were a world to set down the worth of this month; for it is " Licaven's blessing and the earth's comfort."

To send the credulous on a fool's errand is the proper diver- sion of the day. The less good sense there is to be found in the object of the journey so much the better.

King John's henchman dis- covered the wise men of Gotham

-To-day's Thought- THE First of April, some do

say.

is set apart for All Fools' Day: But why the people call it so, Nor I, nor they themselves, do

know.

-UNKNOWN Poor Robin's Almanac, 1700.

TYPICAL ALL FOOLS' DAY HUMOUR

Urchin to Algernon: "Look at yer coat-tails, mister." Algernon looks. Elther there is a piece of paper

planed to them, or there isn't.

In either case, urchin cries," April Fool." Angelina giggles, and Algernon's dignity is badly ruffled.

-by-

Llewelyn Powys

gravely occupied in an attempt to drown an cel, and in the sober days of Queen Victoria It was a favourite amusement of e genial good man of the house to dispatch his children to the bookseller for the History of to the Eve's Grandmother, apothecary for a pennyworth of pigeon's milk, or to the cobbler for a little pot of elbow grease!

It has sometimes come about that this ancient fashion of careless human focosity on April 1 has been put to a very practical use.

was

This

the

case with Francis Duke of Lorraine, who clean escaped from his captivity in Nantes on the jesting day.

£

He disguised himself as a bricklayer with a hod over his shoulder and his Duchess as n washerwoman with buck- basket on her back. Then, just as the great gates of the town were swinging open to let them pass out, up jumped a wide- awake citizen who recognised them and was away to the guard shouting at the top of his voice.

The sentinel with a wise grin merely called back

"April

A Schoolmaster

Looks

Military experts believe-and THE other day

some

Ahead

*:

**

*

a parent put | tony. And surely the cry of the day this question to me: "Tell would then be: "Back to Home Les-

GONS!" for some time have anticipated me," she said, "why do you, as a

my rea- was next osked to state such development-that teacher, favour homework?" "I

she added, sons for thinking that homework the Japanese advance in North always thought,"

cause will na China was commencing to lose "that such things belonged to would increase through time. "Well,"

I replied, "the main doubt be the shortening of the school its balance by its own velocity. the past."

I replied that I was very sorry to day. Scholors will probably begin In other words, the spearhead of

disappoint her, but home-lessons classes at eight o'clock in the morn- the attack was penetrating far would never become thing of the ing, and finish at one. For the rest too rapidly into enemy territory; past. "Indeed," I remarked, "it is of the day they will be free-with leaving its flanks exposed and alghly probable that the amount of one limitation: each scholar will be its lines of communication vul-work given out daily in schools will obliged to spend an hour or two in

increase as the years go on!" And I private study. nerable to attack by guerilla proceeded to argue my point on the "And where," asked my questioner, The Chinese have apparently following lines.

"do you expect them to do this pri- vate study? I replied that there It a child is to make any progress vat Betzed their opportunity; and

Study" set they may be given the credit for at all, I said, he must have a cer- would be special "Halls

and to one of aving perceived it long ago,tain amount of homework each even-19 in each district,

ing. How else can you expect him hese the child would go, the only stipulation being that he must remain

*

Fool" and this cry was re- peated by the rest of the soldiery until, the zealous loyalist, un- able to convince a single man as to the truth of his story, took himself off in a sulky mood.

Even Dean Swift was not above engaging in the im- memorial roguèries associated with this day. On the evening of March 31, 1713, with Dr. Arbuthnot and Lady Masham he merrily diverted his scorpion mind by contriving a most gross and unseemly "lle for to- morrow."

In the old English ballads the fairies, when up to some parti- cular plece of mischief, are re- presented as blowing upon “a grass-green liom," and on the morning of this "bridle-goose day" we should all of us keep sounding just such a wanton trumpet.

And let us be sure that during

the troncherous' hours bofote our kitchbit dlocks strike twelve we allow no self-important look! to intimidate U18. janu

There have been those who explain the origin of 'All Fools' Day by the proverbial lovity of the climatic conditions (preva- lent at this timo of the year. with weather never to be relied upon from hour to hour,

Others, however, suggest that we may trace here the influence of the Medieval Passion Plays which were used to show Jesus as being led back and forth be- tween the authorities of Jerusa- lem for no reasonable purpose.

In Germany, when anyone has wasted his time upon sleeveless. errands, they say that he has been going

Pontius Pilatus.

DON

It is far more probable, how- ever, that the motley morning preserves old memories of the high-spirited celebrations that welcomed the return of the summer among primitive- people. Without doubt a feel- ing of exultation was common from one end of Europe to another at the reappearance of April, that month of "Heaven's blessing and earth's comfort," as the old writer called it.

The very word Easter is de- rlved from the Teutonic god- dess of the spring-Eostre-and it is to be observed that the earliest English poets always sing best when they are com- posing under the bright dawn of her Inspiration:-

Bytwene Merche and Avera When spray beginneth to spring. The lutel foul kaih kire wyt

On hyre lud to syng:

In her language to sing;}

Ich libbe in love-louginge

(I live in tovėtonging)

For semlokest (seemlicat), of alic

thynge,

She may me bliss bringe, Icham in hire bandoun

I am in her thraldom).

True it is that during the month dedicated to laughing Aphrodite there trembles through the bones of men and the quills of birds and the twigs of trees and the Ans of fishes a new afirmation of existence.

ស

The days of the longest human life pass as swift as a cloud shadow When across a downland valley. April blows his golden daffodil trumpet we forget the "grass- green" graves that await us.

Banishing sorrow till to-mor- row," we have breath only for cry- ing out over and over again like cuckoos in new leaves blessed be God made sunn and moone!"

In town and country on All Fools' Day there may be heard through- out England a blithe sound-gay. It in irresponsible and generous. what the old free Germans so well named Ostergellchter or Easter Caughter,

A fina old Scottish form of April-fooling (gowk' is Scots for cuckoo) is to send the victim a mile or so to borrow a twa- snooted bonniel or what-will-you from a friend, bearing a noto in which are inscribed the wards at the hood of this artido.

The friend obediently tells the victim that he has no twa-snooled bonnet, and sends him on a mile to another friend, and so on.

THE "VERY IDEA"

IN A

A PSYCHOLOGICAL SENSE, WE ARE NUTS

By Eddio Kelly, April Fool

WE HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME BAD DREAMS LATELY.

LAST NIGHT, FOR INSTANCE, WE DREAMT WE WERE MARRIED TO A NAGGING WIFE, AND WHEN WE WOKE UP, SCREAMING, WE FOUND OUT IT WAS TRUE.

Lots of our dreams we can't remember. "Telegraph" readers laughed themselves blue in the face at a "Very Idea" article we wrote while we were dreaming on Tuesday night.

The annoying part is that if we could have remembered what we wrote it would have saved us writing this. We got so worried about.it to-day me, and I'll bet he really didn't mean decided to consult a what he said about that rise in pay." that we

The whole idea is to get away from psychologist.

yourself, acc7" "You are too highly strung, and "RELAX!" Cast the

"That is a matter for your own Releaso that tension. replied discretion.

this Just let yourself sag."

got "And how long have we stay sagged?

We "Sounds ok to us,"

do

Go away

zay

10

**That's going to be a .bit hard. self?"

to

"Right through months."

the

Frimer

wasting

our

"Well, wo've been

time. What d'yeu think we had the quarrel with the boss about!"

And we walked out taking our $5

We shall now sag.

and to have deliberately drawn to learn the art of working? If home for a set perlod of one, two, or, in the have the wrong mental outlook," he Supposing we catch up with our- the Japanese into a trap. The lessons were abolished I am certain case of senior pupils, three hours. raid to us. sudden change of tactics after that every child in the country would finit of this period would be devoted world off your shoulders."

suffer. No doubt he would cujoy to the prescribed homework, and the the fall of Nanking, the decision his new liberties at first, but through for ment in accking qui in- gratefully. "How do you to keep large, mobile forces in time he would abuse them, and the teresting facts from encyclopaedias relaxing business?" action behind the Japanese lines, enforced period of leisure would in- and other books of reference,

"Forget everything..... und the carefully preserved elus-evitably become a period of mono-.

somewhere for a long holiday. ticity of the Chinese front seem

TN this way the child would be en-Leave all your worries behind!"

"But she's bound to want to come to be natural developments of a of the army, veterans and rawh is the only real method of

couraged to work for himself.

with us." plan which envisaged the pre-recruits alike. Secondly, they working) A supervizor would, of

"NO! NO! Get yourself into a sent opportunity for punishing will make the Japanese more) saurse, he in charge to maintain complacent mood. Gently

happy. with us. offensive action. And if this cautious in their future opera-order and give friendly advice, yourself. I'm content. I'm

My parent friend teemed auth- theory is accepted it will be re- Itions and consequently slow any impressed. She saw at once that the /The Chlef in the office simply loves cognised that behind the advance.

Thirdly, they will system had obvious olvantages, ruch Chinese armies in the fighting damage the confidence of the shorter hours of confinement, lines is a clear, cool and calcu-Japanese army and the Japanese longer periods for play, and greater lating brain, a master of mili-people, for it must have seemed freedom generally. Lary science.

to these that after months of things do come, my conscience will The effect of the. Chinese suc- successive victories that the trouble me no longer. For I shall really cesses at this stage of the cam-nincas nation was close to capl-know that my children are

The defiant clamour doing their homework; and som paign should be immediate and tulation. extensive. In the first place they of the Chinese guns In. Shang! how I think they will on it willingly

If they do not do it at hom»" Shantung, Honan and will give the Chinese people new and

I wonder what the future holds for hopo and will-stiffen the morale Chakiang, declares this is not so. choolchildren? What do you think?

**Braking"

added, "t

there

NORDIC ARMOUR PUZZLEB

Winnipeg.

NO ILLNESS IN 10 YEARS

Youngstown, O. John Rudibaugh and his wife A controversy in raging hero over the question of whether a suit of celebrated jointly the event of their anniversary and the Nordle armour discovered in North- 00th wedding came to Canada before Columbus never had required medical atten- crn Ontario is proof that Norsemen fact that, in 70 years, Rudibaugh discovered America, Historians have tion of any kind. te is 23; his wife

80. mude no definite conclusions.