Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-02-15
SAN FRANCISCO. Feb. Is, 1871.

SAN FRANcIsco, Feb. Is, 1871.
1t is curious to observe how old crs-
toms renew their vitality by trans
plantation. Who would have imag-
ined, for instance, when those solemn
Pilgrim Fathers landed on Plymouth
Rock, with the intention of founding
acolony In which Old World supersti-
tons and i~rrationalities should find no
room for growth, that in a few genera
| tons their descendants would have
adopted one of the most senseless OF
European observances-the tradition
of st. Valentines Day-and have given
1t a new lease Of life on this American
continent. And again, when that
typical pioneer jumped ashore at the
foot Of Clay street, somewhere about
tile year 1S40-supposlng, no doubt,
that he had forever loosed himself
from the trammels of civilization, or at
least from its absurdities-how little
he would have believed that in a half
score years the observance Of st. Val
entine's Day In the city he was going
to build would be almost universal.
Yet so it Is; proving, rs the Latin pro.
verb says, that it Is only the scenes and
not mems minds that change In cross
ing the seas. Certain 1t Is that to-day
st. Valentine, with the single excep-
ton of st. Patrick, is the most potent
of all the Saints in the calendar, aud
his potency increases every year.
Prior to 1850 l don't think there was
such a thing rs q Valentine in the
| State, except, perhaps, n few stray
ones sent by Eastern maids to thcii
wandering lovers. In that year the
late d. E. Appleton imported a small
| invoice Of them, selling somewhere
about 300 worth, and the year after
5000 worth. Finding that 1t was pos
sible to build up an extensive trade ir
the tiuseled missives, lie advertised
largely on tho recurrence OF the ncX'
anniversary, and his sales that veal
amounted to 81, 500. Since then they
have continually increased, until last
year they reached over $1,000, exclud
Ing $4,000 worth purchased by interior
dealers. Most of the comic Valentine:
are made by Mclaughlin d Co., o
| New York, which firm, 1t Is said, keep!
Il private poet, for the purpose Of com
posing the rather personal effilsiOn:
which are printed on these highly
colored sheets. The sentimental Val
entincs are ill made either by Fisher &
Dennison, Of New York, or the Whit
ney Manufacturing Company, Of Wor
cester, Observation-Disclosures material:
being imported from Germany. Tht
latter firm devotes itself exclusively tt
this business, employing from fifty t
sixty hands all the year round. TheiI
goods range In price from five cents tt
seyenty-fiVe dollars, and, rs may b,
supposed, from the veriest daubs Il
really artistic productions. This yea
the local demand for Valentines i
apparently greater than 1t has eve
been before. All the stores WHERE
these messengers Of Cupid were OIL
sale were completely blocked up by
customers last evening, and if til,
throng was any criterion of the mum
Der sold, pity the postmen tomorrow
| A~ppleton's Express will somewhat re
lieve them of their burden, but never
theless they will have considerable
extra tramping to do rs n result of st
| Valentines Day. Last year Apple
toms messengers delivered fifteen thou
sand letters containing Valentines, ant
it is expected that during the presen'
| week the number will exceed eighteen
| thousand. Poor old Pilgrim Fathers
If their ghosts are of the same way O
! thinking as they were when clothed ir
| the flesh, how they must mourn oyel
this relapse into the observance o
| mi-heathenish tradition.
A Cenprsnlso With Ju.tiee
was made last week, which has givcr
anything but satisfaction to the general
public. 1t will DO remembered thai
Judge Stanley, in his last charge to
the Grand Jury, referred to the OBJ.
sccnity Of a publication called Our Ma
zeppa, which has long thrived by the
| adoption of q notorious system Of
Matchmaking. 1t was understood that
Its publisher would DO indicted, and,
rs there could be no doubt of his con-
viction, people congratulated them.
| selves that the vile scoundrel could al
last receive some punishment In return
for the moral pollution lie had engen.
dered. But this hope, 1t seems, wa:
ill-founded. Mr.. Byrne, the Prescott.
ing Attorney, moved by some uu'
known considerations, but which fol
his own reputation 1t would not be
amiss to explain, consented last week
to withdraw the prosecution on condi.
| ton that Hylton stopped the publica.
ton of his paper. This Hylton at
once agreed to, the more especially as,
| having accumulated q fortune, he was
DESTROYS of going East and embarkine
In some business In which the risks Of
a violent death were not quite so great
rs In his present occupation. Accord.
ingly Our Mdzeppa appeared on Satur.
day for the last time, its columns being
bordered with mourning In token Of
Its own dissolution. It Is difficult to
| see why Stratman should suffer in six
months imprisonment, and then again
be indicted for libel, when a fellow
like Hylton, who has bsen disseminat.
ing the most atrocious ISLANDERS for
several years, is permitted to 60 un.
whipt of justice. The only explana-
ton that can be adduced Is that one Is
a penniless unfortunate::and the other
u wealthy blackguard. II Mr.. BYrne