Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-02-12
ST. DAY.

of much obscurity. st. Valen-
line was a priest and martyr, who met
! cruel death about the year 270,
OIL what day he was beaten
with clubs and beheaded is not known.
The church Of st. Paxedes, in Rome,
pretends to preserve the greater part
of his remains, and q gate there was
formerly named from him "Porta
Valentine" But the Saint never had
anything to do with the matter of
choosing mates, on this, or any other,
day of the year. In ancient Rome, It.
was the practice during a great part OF
the present month of February, to Gel
citrate the "Lupercalia," which were
feasts in honor of Pan and Juno,
whence the latter deity was named
Februata. On this occasion, among
other ceremonies, the names of young
women were put into a box, from
which they were drawn by the mel rs
chance directed. This ceremony oc-
CURED on the l4th day Of February, q
day c~onsecrated by the church to the
memory of st. Valentine. 1t Is rea-
sonable to suppose that the above prac-
tice of choosing mates would gradually
become reciprocal in the sexes, and
that all persons so chosen would be
called Valentines, from the day on
which the ceremony took place. This
day, as a festival, has very much de-
generated, its only observance Of any
note consisting merely Of the sending OF
ocular anonymous letters to parties
whom one wishes. to quiz; or by mail
ing to them ridiculous colored car
features of the male or female figure,
with a few burlesque verses be-
meath. The approach Of this
day has been heralded here by the ap-
pearance in the windows of book
sellers of perfect showers of missires
calculated for use on this occasion.
Cupids flutter on coarse, cheap note
paper, and hearts, perforated with tiny
arrows, lie around in throbbing profit
sion. Views of IIymens altar, with
foolish pairs undergoing initiation into
welded bliss, can be secured almost
gratis. This is about all there is to st.
Valentines Day. A few years. ago it
was very different. Ridiculous letters
were unknown; and if any missiyeS
were sent, they contained courteous
professions of attachment from some
young gentleman to n young lady,
sweetened with 4 few compliments to
her various ~perfections, closing with q
hope that his love might be recipro-
Gated. The eve Of st. Valentines day
was once a great festival for the young
folks in Scotland. On the occasion, an
equal number of maids and bachelors
would get together; each would write
his or her true or feigned name upon
separate billets, which they rolled up
and drew by way Of lots, the maids
taking the mems billets, and the men
the maids: so that each of the men
lighted upon 4 girl that lie called his
Valentine, and each of the girls upon
4 man whom she called hers. BY this
means each had two Valentines, but
the man always stuck faster to the
Valentine which fell to him than to
the one he chose. Fortune having thus
divided the company into so many
couples, the Valentines gave balls
and treats to the ladies, wore
their billets several days upon their
bosoms or sleeves, and the little
sport often ended in sincere love.
Among the ignorant n notion has pre-
vailed for more than two hundred
years that this is the day upon which
the birds select their mates. They
seem to have imagined that an infltl-
ence was Inherent in the day which
rendered in some degree binding the
lot or chance by which a youth was
led to fix his attention upon one of
the opposite sex. 1t was supposed. for
instance, that the first unmarried per-
son of the other sex whom II met Oh
st. Valentines morning, in walking
abroad; was a destined wife or hus-
band. 1t was also a custom, OH the eve
of this day, to secure five bay leaves,
pin four of them to the four corners OF
the pillow, and the fifth in the middle,
and then if while sleeping thereon one
dreamt of his sweetheart, they would
be married before the year was out.
Or, to make it more sure, they would
boil an egg hard, take out the yolk.
and fill It with salt; then, on going to
bed. cat it. shell and all, without
speaking or drinking after it. Again,
they wrote each of their lovers names
Oh slips of paper, rolled them up in
clay and put them into water; and the
first that rose up was the true Valen-
tine. Was there yer anything so very
sensible Shakespeare and Chaucer
allude to this day. The poet Lydgate,
who died in ll40, wrote Of it.: One of
the earliest writers Of Valentines, IN
fact the earliest known writer of q
poetical amoro,ls address for this day,
was Charles, Duke of Orleans, who
was taken at the battle of Agincourt
in l415. Thus, We perceive that the
day n properly lay claim to consid-
cradle antiquity. One Of the most
charming p~oetical Valentines we ever
read vas the composition Of Mr..
Michael Drayton, a poet of Shak-
speare's time. 1t was q custom, two
centuries ago, for gentlemen to make
a muniticent present to the lady who
chose him rs her Valentine. Jewels,
rings and other presents, worth thou