The Russellville Democrat., 1875-02-11
SWEET VALENTINE.
The Modern Style of Practi-
 cing an old Custom.

There was 8 time when valen tines were simply love-letter written on very fancy note-paper with some poetry and a bunch 0 forget me -nots at the head. Year ago my dear old grandmothe made me happy by sending on' of these, which l have still, ant very pretty it is, although the ink is faded to a yellow. The poetry is especially nice, but the punctu- ation marks are left out, as they didn't care about these trouble some little things in the good old days. l think it said:
 "W len the sunshine is around thee
 In the dark and silent night
 In the cottage and the palace
 May thy way be always bright!"
 Of course 1 couldn't imagine who sent it,-nobody who gets val entine ever,-but I strongly sus- pected Sally Lawton, and she had a bite out of all my apples until l found out my mistake. Tommy Jones was her valentine, and I gave him a punching for it, too, as he was mean, and pretended all the while that he didn't like her.
 However, the old fashion has passed away, and valentines are now very elaborate things, em- ploying thousands of skillful workmen in their manufacture. They serve as the cover of all sorts of costly presents, and some of them are real works of art. Clev- CT designers are constantly em- ployed in the invention of new combinations, pleasing effects of grouping or color, and whimsical surprises. The most careful la- bors of draughtsmen, Autograph CTS, wood -engravers, painters, color-printers, cardboard, artiti- cial flowers and feather makers are spent upon them, to say noth ing of the assistance given by workers in silk, silver and glass. Even the tropical forests of Brazil and the depths of the sea are ran sacked for fresh materials.
 There is one firm in London which has three hundred and sixty-eight different kinds of valentines. The cheapest are two cents each, and the finest cost nearly sixty dollars. All asspretty, and some magnifi- cent. He is called Loves Pho tograph." A timid mirror is hid den beneath a bunch of flowers, and some dear girl finds that the reflection of her own face is your loves photograph. There are true lovers knots painted on the softest satin; birds of bright plu- mage under gause; girls in silly r frames; paper flowers which bloc m when the valentine is opened and close when it is shut; more paper flowers hidden behind screens of silver and in little wicker baskets, with exotic flowers painted by hand on the finest silk and framed in silver lace.
 No florist ever succeeded better than the modern valentine maker does in putting together the pret- tiest colors. Blush roses and for get-me-nots; camelias, with rich dark green leaves; lilies, ferns and pansies are combined with a wondrous degree of taste and skill, Sometimes the valentine is the miniature of a transformation scene in theater. It is folded and unfolded by an ingenious ar rangemeut, which reveals a gar den, with flock of birds flying over it, and lake of mirror-glass, with swan upon its shining sur face.
 Sometimes, too, the flowers arc neither painted nor made of paper or muslin.
 Far away in Bazil, there is larg, convent in which the sedate nun make gay artificial flowers entire ly out of the feathers of the gor geous birds that haunt the forest of South America. cannot giv you an idea of how rich and Jus trous they are. More than thi marine flowers gathered from tn bottom of the Mediterranean SC are used in valentines, and req birds are quite common. As Lu \ cy opens the box that comes fo her with a whole string ofpostag stamps upon it, it is possible tha