New-York tribune., 1882-02-15
ST. VALENTINES DAY.

CELEBRATING THE ANCIENT CUSTOM
rosT OFFICE CLERKS AND CARRIERS KEPT STEADILY
AT woRK-THE FAvOmTE STYLES OF VAL
ENTINEs.
st. Valentines Day brought no JOY yesterday TO
the clerks in the post office, even those having
sweethearis would probably have preferred 10 lose
the pleasure of sending them the usual tokens IL
they cond have persuade ID everybody else to do the
same Therewere nearly three times rs many letters
handled yesterday in the post Office as on other
days. FoTty-fivc extra carriers were employed, ana
all the regular ones were required TO take extra
trips The valentines this year, il was said by tho
superintcndents were much larger in size and more
expensive than in former years. There were many
packages large envelopes and boxes. The boxes
had to be all opened and examined for the detection
of fraud If any were attempted. In one of the
bexes was a valentine handsomely painted On white
satin and richly Ornamented. the value of which
was thought to be $50. The number of letters sent
ont of town is much greater than usual. and is
SAID to have been larger than any ous Valen-
tines Day. The distributions by carriers: WhlcE
usually close al $50 p. m., were not ended last
night until nearly m'dnighl. Nine-tentihs of some
Generally speaking, the old style Of valentines,
with lace-like tinsel and imitation fiowers, has
given place to the neater more convenient and
more artistic card valentines Although these
cards comparatively new, this beng thelr
second year. the demand for them has amounted,
said dealer almost to craze" The designs on
all of them are very fine. Little children and pen
sive maidens can be seen wandering amid all the
suggestions and surroundings of summer-bowers
leaves and meadow grass. panSles pre-
dominating-and the most sentimental verses Tor an
accompaniment. Some valentines are i'll the shape
of little fans and some are frngcd with various
colored silks. For The better transmission OF These
frnged ones the purchaser is provided with TWO
fiat pieces of card board, with which to enclose
them. The ld cheap styles of valentine has been
driven entirely from the fashionable shops this year
and the windows and stalls show only the new and
more costly varieties. great number of these val
entnes come from abroad; four or five London
statiOneTs having agencies in this city which on
the several anniversaries when the use of cards ls
fashionable, distribute hundreds of thousands of
English make in this country. These valentines
range in price up To $40 Near the Fifth Avenue
Hotel aesthetic colors supplantcd all the rest, and
the lily and sunfower Teisned supreme. These
deiuand and he sllcs:nen SAID that they went like
rpe cherries" .
Down town and OF the East and West side
avenues the display OF va entincs was only oil tie
sort that is equally serviceable to please ones
friends OF insult ones enemies Comparatively lew
of these valentines sold III ths city Nearly all
especially 10 the West ana TO California. These
prints retail at ccut piece, and each
of them has cheap doggere, aptllcable
TO every nationality, trade or occupaI"h'
large staiuncr doing buSl Itss IN Yes y-st. saws
that not less than ri .OOO,JUO l. spent every year
for the different varieties of cards uscd on dHIlNer-
strirs and hiT hdaV iem,mhrII!cUs