Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-13
st. Valentines Day.

1t is a period when unrestricted IL
cense is afforded the young people
to express, by letter, the pent-up
passions which concealment has rem
dered the more intense. Wheth-
er the privileges of leap-year will ex-
ert any unusual influences upon the
custom or not, can only be surmissed
but it seems proper that the fair
sex should be the senders of the
fashionably expensive billet-dour, in
stead of the recipients. Good taste,
however, suggests the use of plain
note-paper, with brief sentiment
penned by the hand of the sender.
Such a memento would be priced,
by sensible people, far more than
the most elaborate display of fill
greed paper and tinsel ornaments.
The custom as now observed is
quite modern. The occasion was,
at one time, much more reve,ently
celebrated. 1t was the practice, on
the eve of the 14th, to put the names
of a select number of one sex into
some vessel, and thereupon like
number of the other sex each drew
a name which for the me-being was
called his or her Valentine. The
custom was quite popular, in the
early days, and frequent references
are made to it in Shakespeare.
St. Valentine, from whom the
day aud custom take their name,
was. according to some ecclesiasti-
cal writer's, bishop, and to others
a presbyter, who was beheaded in
Rome, during the reign of Emperor
Claudius, A. d. 27O, and was early
cannonized. Wheatley says that
St. Valentine "was a man of most
admirable parts and so famous for
his love and charity, that the custom
of choosing valentines upon his fes-
tival took its rise from thence" 1t
must be admitted that this assump.
ton is somewhat obscure. What
cold philanthropy has to do with
affairs of the heart, is to the average
mind quite obscure. Doubtless the
necessity for an acknowledged season
when conventional rules should re-
lax, originated the custom, and it is
we'll known that whom Cupid seeks
for an excuse it is easy to find a pre-
text for such overt acts. In any
event, St. Valentine, wears the crown
of roses, and it matters but little
how he came by it to an age which
bases it's estimate of merit solely
upon success.
We might just as we'll try to pre-
scribe uniform diet for the stom-
ach, or a unvarying meditation of
the voice, as to expect everybody to
conform to given set of theologi-
cal rules. When the teachers learn
that what is one mans food is an
others poison, they will be better
qualified to impart instruction.
The formation of a tradesmen' s
union is suggested to protect such
local industries as are established in
our midst. A union of this sort will
undoubtedly stop the importation of
articles of general use which can be
made and sold here as cheap as
they can be imported.
The steamship Columbia, the new
vessel designed for the Portland and
San Francisco trade, now being
built at Philadelphia, is to sail about
the LIST of April. She will bring a
cargo of railroad material for the
Oregon Railway and Navigation Co.
A PREpossEssING girl about Is years
of age, a mute from Mr.. Knights
school at Salem, has been visiting
friends in this place the past few
weeks, and now the boys all have
the deaf-and-duinb language at their
fingers ends.
LAST Monday was China New
Year, but the town authorities put a
veto on the firing of crackers and
the occasion was apparently devoid
of the usual interest manifested by
our almond-eyed residents.
THE usual meeting of the League
in Tacoma Hall, Sunday, at
o'clock, will doubtless attract q