, 1875-02-14

thus a. patrons for the ensuing year However
this Latter chonge could NOT be . permanent one
| for The young men who tonk part in the feas
greatly preferred angels to saints, and the oil
sport OF the Luperoaln found it, way. but slight
y d1Veral6ed III form, oycs al tha countries O
Europe.
THE ELEMENT OF CHANCE
Tas oy the old custom, consideeed essential. II
Engaad, On St. Valentines Eve, :he young me1
aha ma1dens OF any village were wont to meet
tn former times. write their names on slips oi
paper, and throw them in vessels, whence tbeJ
we.,s Wese olawn BY tho members OF the other ssx
| lnus each man and each woman had two va1en.
tlnea as they we're called this, OF course, gave
opportunity for much sport. The man Was con-
@ @E1ueieu pound to prefer the ono who had
taAen a. to him rather than the one he had fallen
| to-, The Young men wcre wont to give treats
and Presents to their partners, during the
st: salensine's sports and to wear the
lady;a billet on their caps, and this
sport OF course often ended Id love.
rms practice le mentioned as in existence in En-
gland In l446: 1t il, even now, not wholly erali-
| Gated: Two centuries after ita first mention, 10
1915, Dudley, Lord North, writes Of it as lob
solste, and only belonging to the customs OF the
vulgar, which lady OF Wit and quality would
nave none o." Yet, subsequently it is spoken
OF - In universal practice.
There is
ANOTHER OLD IDEA.
even now familiar and believed IN, viz. that the
first ps rso6 seanb by anv unmarried individual OF
] either sex on St. Valentiae's Day is his or her
futu'e husband or wife. II this idea, as in the
custom of drawing lovers By lot the idea has a.
ways existed that the chance in some way
governs the choice To influence this chance,
however, many ceremonies were often performed
By maidens, similar to those Of Halloween
night. In regard to these and attendant super
stuiops. ne quote nu extract from sketch in a
very old number of the Gentlefnan's Magazine.
It is so frankly natural in the e1pression OF the
young lady's determination to c,rcumyent Fate
that it provokes an irresisib;e smile,
1t reada as follows:
Last Friday was st. Valentines Day. and the Night
before got i've bay leaves pinned four ot them
the four corners Of the bed, aud the ff In the mid
die, End then Il dreamed OF my sweetheart knew
we would % m rriel before the year out. But,
make it more sure, boiled egs aud, taking out tue
ye!k, filed !: with salt and ute II without speaking
paper, rolled them in clay and put them into water,
and tbs first that up was the right one. Would
you believe 1T alr. Blossom was my man. also Lay
our house. for Tolll not h,ye sesn another befors
him for Tho world. =
St. Valentines Day has alwaya been one Of
frequent mention among tue poets: but then, no
topic that CONCERNS the affections, the legitimate
This year, notice that one Of the Eastern pub-
fishers has issued cyclopmdia OF phrases and
quotations on the subject Of love, sort OF
library for st. Valentine, it might be called.
IL GNk1AHl AuElnE Tue pAHE 16H JGAf2
AFAsHtoS mA8 BEEN 1NTRoDucEp
which ne may expect to SEQ transp!anted to this
country in = year or two. It Will doubtless tond
to 1eylye much Of the lost INTEREST In st. Va!en-
tines Day: Indeed, 70 maks a.ipterest fashion,
a1!e would be enough ot itselt to Fayi!s il. "
out recently come into vogue among
the aristocratio and cultured people Of
English towns. tWhe.e company Of
really brilliant people are brought together
tanning. Tvo slightly di1erept customs are
followed in conducting them. By the first,
the hostess invites her friends aud, in
accepting the invitation each is respected 10 send
at least one valentine, which shall consist Of
original yerses, those Of humorous Or bantering
not obliged to reveal his Or her name in any
Wayne ye1ses may DO sent in by themselves
quite anonymously, so that oven tho hostass
canllot recognize them m,-must. however, indicate
dsssnsa Ghnf fes es saasso @ss arc Or ses sna
then the hostess addresses them to whom
ever she chooses, without herself knowing the
contents. The other custom is for the hostess
to furnish to each Of her guests list Of all
those whom she has invited, thereby giving
them opportunity to write valentines to par
ticu1ar persons. All Of these should be sent to
her, and che should bare had Iha forethoue1t to
provide several extra ones for such Of the guests
as may have been overlooked. When the COM
pany mas assemDlea, tho lazy o1 the nouse pro
auces her valentines, and delivers them severally
lis or her misslve aloud for tie benefit
Of the rest OF the company. Some
of the letters will be 90 applicable and pertinent
to the persons addressed. aud some will be 30 in
appropriate to their recipients, that they will
often OCCASION unbounded amusement II one
gentleman finds himself good-hurnoredly laughed
ut, he still has the opportunity OF laughing at
his neighbors in return aud, generally it said,
By those who have attended tbese pleasant. gath
erings. the general Eerriment is 40 good ,natured
md 80 heartfelt that it entirely oSercomes al
feelings Of annoyance. We have said that VAL |
antine parties are very likely to become fashion
able in this country, following tue custom Of our
transatlantic eociety-1eaders if. by any means, |
hey could be preserved from the oesecratlon Of |
,eing made mere theatros for tine dresses, and
malice aud all unchalitablenesa could be pre-
'entcd from invading them, they might be Yery
pleasant,