Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-02-18
Valentines Morning.

THERE is excitement in the household,
the postman has come with his letters, as
he usually does, but why on this particu-
lar morning, the 14th of February, should
ALL old and young, rush to see what the
letter-carrier has brought, while on
every other day in the year there is no
such eagerness? 1t is St. Valentines
morning, and the youngsters, and some
not so young, are expecting a valentine.
Twenty-Five years ago a similar scene
might have taken place in almost any
city house, and in the country where
there are no letter-carriers the interest
would be shown in some other way
Even now, when the custom of sending
valentines is much less common than it
was, the business of the Postoffice is
greatly increased on the 18th of Feb
ruary, and in some parts of the country
the day is much more observed than in
cities. Still, young people of the pres.
ent time can have little idea of how
their parents and grand parents regarded
the day, and it is likely that before many
years Valentines Day will be lost sight
of altogether. Perhaps you would like
to know something about the day and
how it was formerly observed. There
was once very good man, who, in the
time when people were made to suffer
for their religious belief, was beheaded
because he thought differently from
other people. Then, after he was dead,
his goodness was remembered, and he
was called ST. Valentine. All this hap
pened in Rome, some 1900 years ago.
when they did very strange things. One
of the customs of that time was TO put
the names Of all the girls, or as we
should say now, young ladies, in a box,
and for the boys, or young gentlemen,
to draw out the names-a sort of social
lottery you will see. Well, it was ex-
pected that each young man would be
very polite and attentive to the young
lady whose number he drew for a whole
year, when another drawing took place.
As this ceremony was held on the birth
day of St. Valentine, or St. Valentines
Day, Feb Il, the girl was the
young mans Valentine" and the
youth was the young lady's "Valen-
tine" 1t was harmless amusement, and
was probably one Of the few ways young
people had in those old times of having
bit of fun. In later times the custom
of choosing Valentines by lot was re-
vived in France and England, and in
cluded married as we'll as single people,
and those who were thus chosen as Val
entines were expected to make costly
presents to one another, and sometimes
great fun was made by having little
girl drawn as the Valentine of one old
enough to be her grandfather. One
very learned man wrote in his
diary some 200 years ago that he
was glad that he had that year
drawn his own wife as his Valentine, and
he should not be put to a heavy expense
for presents. At length the custom
changed, and young ladies wrote pretty
little verses and sent them, with no other
signature than Your Valentine" to the
young men, who, if they were lucky
enough to find out the writer, would send
a present. Then the letters were or
namented with drawings Of hearts,
Cupids, and all such designs, and this
ornamentation increased to gilt and
other papers cut in very handsome man
ner. When this was the work of the
young lady who sent it it was all very
pretty and proper, but after a while val
entine- making became trade the pretty
verses and the flowers and Cupids were
were printed, and the handsome
ornaments were cut by machinery.
To such length was this car
ried that some of the valentines
cost $50 or more, and did not show the
taste and skill so much as the length of
the purse of the sender At length
young men as well as girls sent valen-
tines, and at last very coarse things were
made and sold for valentines, with which
a low-minded person could convey an
insult to another without being known.