Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-03-13
About Valentines.

During the glorious days of the an
cient empire the feast of Lupercalia was
celebrated a, Rome with license and
energy that render the Carnival a small
affair in comparison. Among other
ceremonies the ynung people of both
sexes would let Chance assign the
matters that we now leave to Sentiment
and other considerations, by mingiing
in an even and equal number youths
and maidens' names; and as Fate deter
mined the succession of them, Corydon
and Flavia were matched as lovers.
From time TO time the privileges apper-
tanning TO this festival caused such
abuses as to shock even Roman morality,
and among the notifications enforced
this game of lovers was abolished. As
matter of course, some less objec-
Iionable custom was substituted; and
through various phases it took the form
of valentine gifts, where, ignoring the
barbarism of choosing by lot, a natural
course for election was permitted, and
the dynasty of Pan was overthrown. If
this had been legitimate indulgence,
the Cyprian goddess would have been
the patron saint; but aside from his re-
gard for shepherds and their flocks, and
the protection of the game-laws, Pan
had reputation for depravity that
should have excluded him from re-
spec'able society; and the fact that he
was selected as patron of the Lupercalia
reconciles all well-disposed people to
the abandonment of those rites.
st. Valentine came on the scene
during the third century, but he was
kept pretty well occupied with his own
affairs by reason of continuous perse-
cution on account of the bold assertion
of his religious tenets; and if he did
anything worthy of the succeeding
veneration exacted from signing lovers,
1t must have been at an early period of
his existence. 1t is certain that he
lacked either the time, inclination, or
opportunity, to make any impression
on the sex, as he died bachelor-a
victim to the harsh Claudius. As St.
Valentine was conspicuous for the
purity of his life, it is probable that in
The reaction of popular feeling the rites
substituted for the licentious orgies of
the preceding age were named in his
honor.
The indifference of late shown for the
recognized prerogatives of St. valen-
tines day is a sad commentary on this
age, when sentiment and the science of
the beautiful are giving way to sordid
interest and devotion to affairs practi-
cal. The shop-windows are no longer
decorated with the gorgeously-illumi-
mated missives of Love for which cages
the youth of our country were wont to
straiten their lollypop supply for time
in direct ratio with the ardor of their
affections. There is dearth of rosy
checked cupids; and the conventional
illustrations of lovers vending their
way through cosy hooks, surrounded
by a halo of atmospheric splendor.
would now excite ridicule from our
groundlings, if they were exposed.
In fact in delicate sentiment, we are
on the verge of another social revolu-
ton, and we may infer its character
from the tendency of our people in the
matter of their tastes for public amuse-
ments. With the teachings of Wood
hull and Andrews, the riotous jollity. OF
the Pandean yotaries menace the inno-
cence that has hitherto characterized
the celebration of this love festival.
The personal" columns of our public
journals now carry the messages that
were formerly intrusted to scented paper
aud questionable photography. The
merits of st. Valentine will soon pass
out OF mind.