The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-02-09
St. Valentines DAY.

Next Monday is ST. Valentines Day, and We
presume that the usual number Of comic and
sentimental cpistles VIII be sent and received
through tho mails. There is always n pleas
ant association for the young connected with
this day, and WI would DC glad to know that
some arrangement will be made to entertain
them. Lie at best has few enough Of joys
and for this reason we think 1t we'll enough, TO
and pleasures. Below we furnish extracts.
giving some facts In reference to the observ-
ance Of st. Valentines Day:
Saint Valentine. according to some ecclrsi-
aSllcal writes 4 bishop, according to others q
preSbytcr, who wa Geheuded at llomc in the
reign OF the emperor C1audius ;2.U,, and WAS
eally canonizei. Wheatlc> says that ST. VAL
cntIne "w,s Il man of most admirable parts,
and SO famous was his love ami charity, thai
the custom, VI choosing Valentines upon his
festival (which is sill pIncti>cd} took It's rise
from thence. UtlcrS derived the custom from
birds being supposed 10 select their mates on
this day; others from 4 practice prevalent III
ancient Rome al the feStiralo Of the LupeIcalia,
during the tnonth OF February, when, among
other ceremonies, the names of younG women
were placed i'll II box, from which they, were
taken by younG men, u, chance directed. INC
pastors Of the early church, fpdlliS 1t impos$i-
b.etoextirpnte this pagan ceremony, Changed
its form. II Was the custom on the ere OF
X u. IL, 81. NsitlIlillt 5N.o AN hiiAS
OF Il select number OF one sex put into some
vessel by IN equal number OF the other; and
thcrcupon every one drew Il name, which Tor
the time being was called his or her Na!ei'
tine. The custom of choosing Valentines eX-
listed very early. Presents OF gloves, partcrs,
and jcweiry were common AS valcntincs.-
line, icnn Ehcyc'opds dta.
Valentines Day, the !lth OF Fe5rnary, Is,
or more cnri ectly WAS, celebrated in England,
Scotland, and IN different parts of the CONT
nent, particularly Lorraine and Maine in
France, by Il very peculiar and amusing Gus.
tom. On the eve Of ST. Valentine, u number
OF young ~fUlk-maidS and bncheiorS-wOuld
assemble together, and tnscribc upon little
billctS the names OF an equal number OF
maids and bachelors of their acquaintance
throw the whole into Il receptacle Of some
sort, and then draw them lottcry-w.se-care,
Of course, being taken that each should draw
one Of the opposite sex. The person thus
dra IN became ones valentine. Or course.
besides having got . valentine for ones self,
one became, Uy the univcr>ality OF the prac-
tice, some other persons valentines; but, as
Nilsson, Il learned traveller in the early part
or last century. remarks, The man stuck last
or TO the vu~lcn.inctl,at had fallen TO him, than
to her 10 whom he had fallen These iMaSl-
nary engagements, as may readily DC sup
posed. often lead to real ones: because one
necessary consequence OF them was. that for
II whole year, IL bacllc.o r remained bound t"
the service OF his valentine, somewhat after
The fashion of Il medieval kuigh: OF romance
to his lady-!ove. AT one period, II was cu>to-
mary for both sexes to make each other pres
pnt>, but ~latterls the obligation Seems to have
been restricted to young men. During the
10TH century this amusement was very lopu-
lar among the upper classes, and ut many
European courts. from Pepy''s Diary. we Sc.
that in Charles Ills reign, married US We'll as
single people could be chosen.
Inc connection OF the custom with st. Val
cnline is purely accidental. In the legends vi
The different saints Of that name recorded IN
the .Actd SunctUrunt. no trace or the practice
peculiar TO the 18th Of February Is found. II
has been suggested by Mr.. Douce, In his NuS-
trutionS Of Shakespeare, that the custom may
have descended to us from tie ancient Ro-
mans, who. during the L~upercdlin, celebrated
in the month OF February, were wont among
other things to put the names OF young wo-
men INTO a box, from which they were drawn
by the men as chance directed : and that the
Christian clergy. finding ii difficult or impos-
Siblc 10 extirpatc tins pagan Practice, gave II
at least n religious aspect, by substituting the
names OF particular saints for those OF tho wo-
widely extended I'm the Roman Catholic
Church TO select, either on ST. Valentines Day
or some other u patron saint for the year, VINO
Is termed Il valentine. But II Is far more
probable that the custom OF choosing Talen-
tines Is n relic Of that naturc-rcligion which
was undoubtedly the primitive form Of rcli-
gion in Northwestern Europeans elsewhere;
and that II sprung from q recognition OF the
popularity Of the season. Hence In Ballcy'S
Dictionary the following explanation Is given:
About this time of the year the birds choose
their mates, and probably thence came the
custom Of the young men and inuidcns cliooS-
Ing valentines or special loving friends on that
day.-Chumbcr's Encyclopedia.