The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-02-19
ST. VALENTINES DAY.

ST. VALENTINES DAY.
This is the day Of gentle Valentine, all
in the morning betime, day to be long
held in honor if only for the sake of the
pretty Ophelia and Mr.. Weller the
younger. People who are annoyed to-
day by receiving penny lampoons in the
style of Tribune editorial about the cl-
pliers may reflect with satisfaction that
Valentine, Saint and Bishop. was beaten
with clubs and bcheaded in the third
century. He was not thus treated, how
ever, by reason OF any connection with
the post-ofice, and it is vexed question
to this day how it came to pass that prac-
tees and sentiments not always either
sanity Or episcopal came to be put under
the special protection of his name. The
most plausible explanation given of this
is the fact that the Roman l.upercalia,
in honor of Pan and Juno, were cele-
brated in February, when among other
ceremonies, the names of young women
were put into box to be drawn bv a
corresponding number Of young men.
This custom having outlived the religion
in which it had it's origin, the pastors of
Christian Rome, it is supposed, allowed
their people to associate with 1t the
memory of st. Valentine, to whom dav
falling about the same time had been as
signed in the Calendar. Under the new
dispensation maidcps chose their mates
as we'll as bachelors, and in the north of
Europe particularly certain obligations
and ceartesics early grew out Of the Gus
tom which gave 1t real social value and
grace. These have long since faded
out of it, and with. n the memory Of per.
sons still living "Valentine's gifts,''
which III the days of Shakespeare were
posies and poems, and in those Of Pepys
gems and gold, have degenerated into
doggerel and rubbish. Chaucer and
Lydgate allude to the feast, and Charles
Duke of Orleans, the princely poet who
was captured by Henry V. at Agincourt
is of record as one of the earliest writer's
| of valentines. Drayton introduces the
legend that the birds pair to-day, in his
pretty verses
Muse, bid the morn awake;
Sad winter now declines,
Each bird doth chose mate
This days St. Valentines
For that good bishops sake
Get up and let us see
What beauty it shall be
That fortune us assigns
and Dome, in his epithalamium on the
marriage OF the Princess Elizabeth to
Frederick, the Rhen1sh Count Palatine,
in 1914, begins
Hail Bishop Valentine, whose day this is :;
All the uir is thy diocese,
And all the chirping choirstcrs
And other birds are thy Pensioners.
Never was St. Valentine held IN such
honor as under the Merry Monarch in
England. Married people as we'll as
bachelors anu maidens were liable to be
chosen as valentines, and as the chooser
was entitled to present the choice often
enough fell upon householders of sub
stance. Mr.. Pepys records, this day 212
years ago, that little Will Mercer came
up to his wise's bedside to be her valen-
tine, "and brought her name written
upon blue paper IN gold letters, done by
himself, very pretty, and we were both
| we'll pleased with it. But am also this
year my wife's valentine, and it will cost
me IS, he: observes "However, he adds
philosophically enough, "th:t 1 must
have laid out if we had not been valcn
tines" MIR. Pepys himself drew Mrs
Plerce's little girl, fact which rejoiced.
his thrifty soul, ut easing me of some
thing more than I must have given to
Others 1t was costly distinction to a
reigning beauty's valentine. The same
chronicler records that the beautiful
Stuart, afterwards Duchess of Richmond.
received from the Duke OF York on the
occasion an $500 jewel, and from the Lord
Vaudeville of that time on another a
$500 ring, gifts of this value being sort
of ransom from the obligations of valen-
image: To-day in some parts of Spain
much jealousy and homicide are avoided
by the practice of drawing valentines, the
''pair being good tor year, during
which time it Is obligatory upon the
swain to act as his bellies escort on all
social occasions, after the manner
more or less of Canadian muffin
dom. In February, 1868, Mr.. Pepys, be-
ing again his wife's valentine. pre- ;entcd
her with turquoise, which he calls a
'sTurkey-stone," set with diamonds. Mis-
sion tells how in England and Scotland
the lottery of love was drawn, the valen-
tines giving balls and treats to their mis-
tresses and wearing their bullets several
days upon their bosoms or sleeves, "a
little SPORT" he says, switch often ends
In love- Gays verses recall the popu
lar belief that the first unmarried per-
son of the ether sex whom one met on
st. Valentines morning in walking
abroad was destined to become the en-
counte1cr's wife or husband, and in the
Connossseur, pert young miss tells how
she pinned four bay leaves to the corners
of her pillow and one in the middle, so
as to dream-like the heroine Of The
Eve Of St. Agnes-of her future lord,
whom she would infailibly espouse ere
the year was OUT. Adapting to another
day Halloween custom, she also devour-
ed hard-boiled egg and shell, the yolk
having been removed and the cavity filled
with salt. After such dose, she might
have dreamed herself an Andromeda cap
tured from her Perseus by the Cape Cod
sea-serpcnt. So late as few vars ago
the sentimental valentines still competed
even in this country, with the penny lam
poon for popular favor, and from %
cents up to $5-or on occasion to $50
the signing swain might obtain a testl.
monial in lace and embossed paper, with
hearts, cupids, hymeneal affairs, flowers
and all complete. Perhaps the growing
popularity of Easter with its eg gs, out
OF which with the help of the jeweler and
the contectioner so many pretty things
may be Matched, has had something to
do with the final decline and fall Of St
Valentines Day.
Only a Cape and a Sword.
Bonaparte never forgot anything; least
OF all the days of his poverty, and the