Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-02-15
Kirkwood Township.
St. Valentines Day.

st. Valentine was not a love making
saint. Not at all. He was a sedate
Romish priest, who in the third CEN
tury was cruelty put to death for ,his
faith. After he was martyred, he WAS
madea saint, and he had nothing what
ever To do with the festival that. bears
his name, excepting that 1t happened
to be held on the day consecrated. TO
him-the fourteenth of February
Long ago, in ancientRome, at festival
held during this month, the names of
young girls were placed in box, and
were drawn out blindly by the yonpg
men. The youth who thus obtained a
maiden's name felt bound to do her all
the homage and honor he eould, and
this often led to marriage. Centuries
afterwards, this curious February GUS
tom was still observed in other. places,
as well as in Rome. The people, be-
Elieve that Ion Valentines Day birds
chose their mates, and so they playfuliy
pretended to think it quite Il settled
thing that the young man and woman
whose names chanced to come out Ito
gether ina Valentine lottery should be
| faithful sweetheartS eVermOre. Some
timesit happened, when it became;t the
Gust tom for parties of friends to put in
each others names, that staid fathers
of families would find little gisls of ten
falling to them for valentines, and SOL
temn Oldladies were mated Of the mis-
chievous wheels to romping boys or
chubby little toddlers. Samuel Pepys,
high court officer in the time Of
Charles II, of England, staidly wrote
in his dairy, February I14th, 1865,
that his wife had just had morning
visit from slittle Will Mercer" who
had come to be her Valentine. He
brought her name written upon blue
paper in gilt letters, done by him, very
pretty, land though Secretary of the
Admiralty, he was not too grand to re,
| lioice that s Mrs. Pieree'S little girl' had
drawn him for her Valentine, One
reason for his pleasure, however, was
that eased him off from giving some
costly thing that an older lady would
have expected, for it had then become
customary to present ones Valentine
with gift. These gifts sometimes
were very expensive jewels, but oftenr
er they consisted ola pretty ribbon, q
bouquet, or some simple token. With
these went adainty love-verse, written in
| the SoIlueT'S IIlOStE CdI0lut 'ShGlS,i dllu
fastened, perhaps, with a silken lock oi
hair, to be treasured by the Valentine
as a precious offering. By degrees, 1t
grew. to be held a great part of the
Echarm that the verses should be unsign-
ed except by ''Valentine,', and then
camethe sport oftrying to find this faith
Eful admirer who spoke so sweetly in
the dark. Even as lately as twenty
years ago, st. Valentines Day was gen
Ierally observed in a fanciful and .ele-
CANT way, but of late years it has been
decidedly abused. Persons Of the
rougher sort have taken possession oi
custom, or else the "grown ups" have
handed its sentiment over to boys and
girls. Still the boys and girls enjoy it.
and have it in their power to preserve
its prettiest and pleasantest features.
They cay scorn gaudy, fiashy VaieA.
4tine letters, or the shocking comic
kinds, and insist upon delicate en-
lblems, and the simple spirit of fun thai
becomes beautiful the moment it's
coupled with gentle thong ts. Y