American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-02-27

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| 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 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
oeCause ne Thought ulHerently 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 800 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 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
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
a 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 well 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
for presents. At length the custom
changed, and young ladies wrote pretty
little verses and sent them, with no other
signature than Y GU Valentine" to the
Young men, who, if they were lucky
enough to find out the writer, would send
/ present. Then the letters were or
with drawings of hearts,
Jupids, and all such designs, and this
increased to gilt and
,ther papers cut in very handsome man.
Ter. When this was the work of the
'Oung lady who sent it it was all very
pretty and proper, but after a while val
N tine making became trade; the pretty
yerses and the flowers and Cupids were
we're printed, and the handsome
ornaments were cut by machinery.
70 such a length was this car
cost $40 or more, and did not show the
aste and skill SO much as the length of
he purse of the sender. At length
'oung men as well as girls sent valen-
ines, and at last very coarse things were
made and sold for valentines, with which
low minded person could convey an
INSULT to another without being kn~-
'leasing thing, the sending of valentines
vas put to wrong uses, and many good
ersons thought it would be better to
i've up the custom, and comparatively
ew valentines are sent. 1t is one of
hose very old customs that we would not
Ike to see die out, any more than we would
hat of the visits of St. Nicholas, or Santa
'laus as we call him, and if treated
4 proper and innocent spirit is capable
f afording great deal of amusement
nd giving pleasure to others. But no
boy or girl will ever take
dvantage of the day to make sport of
ne intirmities or in any way wound the
ceilings of others. Rather than this
hould be done to one sensitive person
ne day had better be as dead as the
saint" whose name it keeps alive. Be-
ore ending this valentine talk, already
20 long, we must tell you of one of the
uperstitions of the time when they had
ne valentine drawing in Rome. They
lOught that on the 14th of February the
irds all met to choose their mates, and
was thought nothing strange if those
no were brought together by the lot
,ry should continue to be valentines
trough life. The Puritan fathers had
cry different view of the day, for they
,garded it as the middle of the long
-ew England winter, and had the coup
t.:
February fourteenth day,
Half your corn and half your hay.
Not much poetry nor valentining about
lat, is tberes-Amertcan Agriculturist.