The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-13

Dyed like the dawning day,
| AS polish'd ivory sleek;
And In her ear I'll say,
| 'Tls that came so far,
My Valentine to Seek "
THE VALENTINES OF MODERN DAYS.
The customs of st. Valentines Day, as will
appear to any one who has gazed upon one of
the comic missives which, in these days, are
addressed to big-headed and small-boded
chambermaids, have undergone sad change
since that certain 14th of February ON which
the Duke of York presented the ES00 jewel to
Miss Stuart. Among the avalanche of cheap
wit and perforated paper which comes down
upon the devoted pOstman on each recurrence
of st. Valentines Day, there are, it is true,
number of delicate paper cupids who sit en-
throned in delicate paper bowers and for mere
tines have been exposed for sale in this city
amusement's sake, transfx delicate paper
hearts with delicate paper darts; but all such
things are expensive, and are, therefore, with
extreme good taste, for the most part ignored.
On faithful inquiry, we learn that no Valen-
during the present season at a higher price
than $40. In New York, the case may be diff
ferent, as several of the manufacturers, we are
informed, have turned out few valued as high
as 800 each and if the foolish customer who
purchases them is not a metropolitan, we are
| surely at a loss to divine what he is. There is,
| indeed, rUmor eXtant to the effect that, few
! wears ago. Broadway dealer disposed of no
! less than seven nOnsensical paper contriYances
| for the trihing sum of $500 each; but we have
! heard of no dealer-not even OF Broadway
! dealer-who has this year ventured to invest
as large a sum in a single valentine, and we
! think this fact shows that some people are i'm
| proving in their stock of common sense.
! A new style, which has been lately intro
duced is said to be quite popular at present.
"Perfumed Sachets' are the titles under which
they pass, and among the various devices
engratted upon them, is one for holding pho
tOgraphs-as sensible as it is unique. But the
COMIC VALENTINES
| which have been i'll vogue for several years,
and which can be procured at every street
| corner for a sum ranging from one to five
! cents each, still lead all others; not less on
| account of their cheapness, we opine, than
| because of the cutting sarcasm which invests
them. By mailing such missives as these
one can easily and cheaply perpetrate joke
| upon friend, or perchance give an enemy
| thrust which will cause him to vince in utter
helplessness. We have carefully examined
| large assortment Of these, and from the num-
ber selected the following, which are almost,
| if not entirely new, to present to our readers,
as indicative Of the standard of sentiment
which at present pervades the Valentine mar
! ket-
lodgings Cheap and Nasty" is the in
scription upon a signboard suspended in front
perched, McCracken like, landlady with the
customary swelled head and the invariable
diminutive body. The motto is in these words:-
1.-THE key to many a tale profound
| OF fstrange intrigues and artful lodgings,
| Is in the keyhole to be found
AS all should know who live in lodgings"
Next we have a milliner with monster of
head and a dwarf of body; and addressing
her in rapture we eXclaim:-
"Let me watt to you kiss,
| Sweet young miliner;
| Eyes of dove and lips OF dew,
| Nice young milinerl
Let me watt a kiss to you,
Why should you and be two?
Every word l say is true
Plump young milliner"
The Uranium of the cook is even more fear
fully developed than it is in either of the above
cases. In the motto which accompanies her
distorted physiognomy we find the following
curious revelations
"How little we are given
To regard the serious fact,
That while meat is sent from Heaven,
Cooks from lower zones are tracked;
Or, to square IL. that the Devil,
\ For the veal OF mankind itchin',
With his eyes of smothered evil
Supervises every kitchenp
And now we come to a milkmaid, who is an
anomaly in the Valentine world, for the sim
pie reason that her head is but half the size of
body. 1t may also be interesting to know
that her mouth is Just half the size of her
, her head, and that her feet and eyes are about
ON par with respect to their superfcies. The
) milkmaid's adorer thus unburdens himself
: "'Mong all the beauteous damsels I've SEEN
In CITY, town, or on the village green,
There's none SO lovely as the Milk-man's
With bright-hooped bucket, filed with chalk
4 and water"
o The last portrait in our gallery is labelled {
e ''She-Devil;' and if the capacity to spit fire
IS and lash about oneself with cat-o'-nine
o tails, III any wise entities one to such an epi
n thet surely the original of this charmin,
>. sketch was deserving of it, Her various attri
IS butes are thus summed up, with more regar,
le ior truth than Tor the rules OF prosody:-
wings of Bat,
Horns OF Owl.
Tongues of Snake,
Horrible Scowl
These are the dregs
That are found in the cup
OF domestic bitters,
D. When all is 'upP"
Leaving the gentlemen's side of the Vale,
tine gallery entirely unfinished, we win turl
in conclusion, to
~ THE VALENTINE TRADE.
Ct The impression generally prevails that IL
C. custom of sending Valentines is gradual
0. dying out but glance at the statistics of IL
I'd Valentine trade will show that it is not We
in founded. The following statement shows II
Sc number manufactured by single firm to me
ny the demand for the current season, togeth
ne with the price at which they are retailed-
rs 100000 Comic Valentines at at3c..."........s30,O
44S,4S4 Sentimental Valentines at &c.. 22,4
8O4,32O Sentimental Valentines at l0c.... 80 4
SO8OO Sentimental Valentines at loc".. az. l
1850 Sentimental Valentines at 20c".. 22,S
l256OO Sentimental Valentines az DC, II z
$3.50 Sentimental Valentines at 30c". &,G
sentimental Valentines UC....l ~