The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-13
ficted upon him will revert with terrific force
upon the side which wrongs him.
St. Valentines Day.

St. Valentines Day.
It Is q tradition that the original st. Valen-
tine, who was bishop or presbyter or some
thing of that sort, was famous for his charity
and loving kindness, and that the sending of
valentines was grated upon this fact. If So
it is interesting, seeing that tomorrow is St.
Valentines Day, to consider how widely we
have departed from the pristine spirit in which
these trifes were posted. To be sure, q GER
tain percentage of kind and generous emotion
survives. There is scent of chivalry about
many OF the valentines which the young man
OF the period sends to the girl The embossed
paper, the cream-complexioned envelope, the
dainty Cupids, the fastidious love-knots and
the poetical couplets, embalm what remains
of medieval gallantry. But contrast the
number of sentimental missives that are sent
on tho 14th of every February with the
amount of grotesque caricature and disgusting
doggerel. What satire upon human sweet
ness the preponderance of coarseness and
impertinence becomes Every ignorant mis-
anthrope rejoices that st. Valentines Day
gives him an opportunity for venting his
spleen once year. Spite gloats over such an
anniversary, and Malice throws up its cap in
triumph. If we have a neighbor who drinks
more than is good for him, then is the
time TO post him penny print repre-
senting red-nosed monster sitting de-
jectedly before an empty bottle If o friend
who has cut us writhes under private mis-
fortune or personal infrmity, the nearest sta
TONERS store will furnish us cheaply with the
means of grinding the agonizing sense Of his
sorrow more deeply into him. Let us heap
Goals of fire, not upon his head alone but
upon every quivering and naked nerve. And
the beauty Of it is that all the time we may
console ourself that the whole thing is perfectly
legitimate, and cloak our heartlessness under
the sanction of tradition and the cant of hav-
ing perpetrated ''devilish good joke" The
good Valentine whom the Church canonized
foreseen to what base uses the institution he is
said to have created would be put.
On the other hand, let us be secretly thank
full that the coarse and vulgar asperities of the
anniversary are little sweetened by the art
lessness of children and those gently amative
feelings which glow in the breasts of young
people who inherit fine natures and have been
carefully brought up The sending Of valen-
tines is such an extremely old fashion that
very likely it is dying out. Perhaps the nine
teenth century will see the last one posted.
But every large stahoner's store presents
pleasant evidence that graceful fancy and
delicate feeling are still expressed to an appre-
ciable extent by this means. The emotions of
youth are often mild and milk-ike contrasted
with the bronze and crimson passions of ma
turity. Hence well-nurtured youth pours its
sweetest expressions and warmest fancies into
the innocuous valentine, and imagines that
the institution will last forever. Probably it
will last until the end of the nineteenth CEN
tury shall have been reached; but after that
time few will regret that the hour has come to
bid it goodby.