_All Fools’ Day_ had it’s origin in France, before the time of the Reformed Calendar. When the year commenced on March 25th, the French frequently paid their New Year’s visits and bestowed their gifts on April 1st, as March 25th occurred in Passion Week. After the adoption of the new calendar, however, these New Year’s observances took place on January 1st, and it was a common thing for people to forget the change of date. Pretended presents and mock ceremonial visits became common, and the persons thus imposed on were known as April fish, _i.e._, a mackerel, which, like a fool, is easily caught. Hence, All Fools’ Day. 54. Being at the summit of a tower 400 ft. high, I dropped a cricket ball from my hand, causing it to alight on a ledge 260 ft. from the base, over which it rolled and fell to the earth: supposing that 1½ seconds were occupied by the rolling of the ball over the ledge, how many seconds elapsed from the ball leaving my hand till it touched the earth, and what was the acquired velocity at the moment of contact? PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATION. In one of our great public schools a master known to successive generations of his pupils for fifty years as “old Buggus” delighted in surprising his boys with strange sayings and doings. On one occasion, desirous of illustrating a question in the arithmetic lesson, he said to a boy, “I am a tripe merchant, and this platform is my shop. You will come here and buy a pound of tripe. Now, begin.” [Illustration] “Please, I want a pound of tripe,” said a boy, sauntering up. “Where’s your money?” demanded old Buggus, hoping to put the boy out of countenance. “Where’s your tripe?” was the ready retort; but it gained for its unfortunate author four hours’ detention on the next holiday. 55. A syphon would empty a cistern in 48 minutes, a tap would fill it in 36. How long will it take to fill the cistern when both taps are in action? Born to rule--a book-keeper. “MORE HASTE LESS SPEED.” 56. A compositor, hurrying whilst setting up type for an arithmetic book--“How to Become Quick at Figures”--accidentally dropped the work of a problem; unfortunately he mislaid the copy, and all that he remembered was that both multiplicand and multiplier consisted of two figures. The scattered type represented the following figures:--1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9. With the aid of a pencil and a piece of paper the compositor managed after a while to rearrange the figures in their proper place. What was the problem? [Illustration] PROFITABLE CARELESSNESS. A very amusing story is told of a harness-maker who lived some years ago in London. He had a handsome saddle in his shop, occupying a conspicuous position therein. On his return from luncheon one day he observed that the saddle was gone. Calling to his foreman, he said: “John, who has bought the saddle?”