Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-02-14
CITY I'D SITE DEPARTMENT.

| birds and that genial custom which gives the
| postnien aud vendors Of cheap literature so much
10 do. We. in common with the profane vulgar,
pretend not To know. 1t is a mystery of the
| lasns a non iacendo order History represents
St Valentine "a obscure monk. leading u
Cody LIE telling his beads, attending pnnctu-
/ aIly the various mathis, and yespers of his
mona .tery, doubtless obtaining fat "a he adj
yaneed in years and going To his grave quietly
without head 10 his pious old shoulders. w
scandaou- rumor dms the meeke seuicheon Of
hi. blameless life; no nmatory legends remain
to Justify his deoapiaion renown. Like the
pntron saints of England aud Ireland, he has Obj
taned Immortality without intendlngit.
Come how it may, the custom Of choosing Nal-
entines is a. old a. the hills. 1t dates buck of
the christian era. The Roman boys aud girls
drew rneh others names on the 10Th Of February,
ana, like many other pagan customs. ihle was
adopted by the Christians. chancer, Shakespeare
anl Cover make mention Of it Is existing in their
day. Ilerriek say,
on ba,rI lesrl bath Youth Snl virgins nv,
IirIsr8o4se rier lun'es am, couple ton tls ,iay
Having the sanction of antiquity and being Us
orr ually aud legtimate, used, harmless Gus
ton. Il should be by all means preserved. Bat
the aickedness Of publishers, md the ingenuity
of lie comic pencil have diverted 1t from It's
original purpose and changed il into an occasion
Of tle most diabncal torture. As if the first OF
April were not sufficient for the purposes of nal
ice and ionfooIery, we must needs have another
,lny transformed from IA sabbath of love into
Sabbath Of Satan-a day set apart aud halowcd
for the hendsh purposes OF wags aud Writings.
Alas how many hopes and tender expectations
nre destined 10 be blasted on this day How
much Of the sweet milk Of human kindness will
be curleed and ransmogrfed into the sour whey
and aeduated cheese Of disappointment! In
view Of the great injury heretofore done and now
daily doing to tho cause of Cupid and llymen,
we respectfully submit whether the suppression
Of the sale of comic Valentines should not be-
come n subject of Legislative investigation.
Some of the old writer's explain Valentine to
mean "the first woman seen by n man, or man by
a woman ON that day" God forbid we should
accept that Interpretation in this enlightened day.
Our prettiest bellies might by it be compelled 10
take II grizzled X wrinkled pnrent for their Nalen-
tine;wlle our manifest beanx would have to put up
with foothless grandmother or aniqnated virgin
of an annt. Think too, Of the negroes, negresses
and negrolets continually circulating in every di
rection, aud whom one is liable 10 meet at every
corner Think of bright little maiden being
awakened ON the morning of Valentines day by
a sound the back yard, and on locking out 10 see
finds cid roclc sawney chorping wood. Shall
he bo her Valentine
No, no; the modern plan is better. Liberty If
choice like liberty of speech, is an innlienable
right Of Us frccmen. Whom we love slm be our
Valentine md uone other. Let us then celebrate
the duy right merry. Who knows what will
come Of it Who shaIl say the little mis>vc We
send shall not prove the occasion Of numberless
days Of blissful double bIessedness 1t may
bring forth fruit an hundred fold.
Forth with thy wnllet, then. toriorn widower,
HE the to the STATIONERY court, whence Love
issues his tender messages. BE not sparing Of
thy coll, but boldly purchase hearts and darts,
Cupid and Nennses, roses aud myrtles, affairs
and torehes-all the symbolic paraphernala of
the evcr.hlessed aud Jolly old st. Valentine. Out
with thy pearl rneased port nonaie,gentle widow,
out wllhil. buy loves litnny and send ii whittier
thou wilt Thou too, . .unspeakablr, unexem-
plary mortal" miserable moicty Of humanity,
wretchedl, uuapporitoned fragment of mortality,
self chosen and detached segment of God
intended whole. Thou, too, bachelor pull
forth from the seldom troubled depths of thy
breeehes pocket the nttenuated pewter, and
boldly make essay To repair thy sloth and coward
! ice. constitute thyself glorious socu integer,
and manfally make thy mark upon the coming
census Else, be the curses of st. Valentine
rained down upon thy rapidly halding skull.
Az for thee, fairest maiden, shnn thou the
booksellers aud them that buy aud sell ready
made Nalentincs. Have naught 10 do with them.
Shall the eugraver's instrument compete with
thy ivory ingersl or sha the ingenuity of the
hired artist >nrPass the TEACHING OF thy tender
heart Nay, verify, Bat simple scratch of
thy pm. were it almost invisible and entirely
illegihle, shal outweigh world Of printed senti-
ments, ready made, cut and dried 10 order. Tho
eligic- Of Il bleeding heart, drawn by thy milk
white hand, though it were never So untrue to
anatomy, shall surpuss the dagaerreotype in fl
deity. simple sptig of hearts ease which
thou depictest though il outrage the whole
science of botany, shall be more beautiful than
a tower of roses, illumined with nightengales
The CoNeERr-reni, Jid. Jici.-Such were
the words of triumphant warrior, when success
and victory had lghted upon his banner; but they
are sometimes applicable to others and to other
scenes than the warrior and the battle-iiel The
living orator conquers his hearers, and rules them
at will the fair inamo rata conquers her lover, and
holds him IN firm though sweet captiyity and the
musician who can strike such notes as find a
responsive echo IN the sools of his audience con-