The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-03-09
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
Ancient Customs and q History OF
the Saint Himself

The fourteenth of February-St.
Valentines Day-has now become one
of the most popular festivals in all the
Calendar, at least to young people,
with whom, on that day, the language
of the heart flows uninterruptedly
through the post.
So far back in the mists of antiquity,
is the origin OF the various observances
of st. Valentines s, that vein of legend
ary lore seems to cover them as with
a garment. In England, however, the
origin of poetical valentines can be
traced to the year 1415, when Charles,
Duke of Orleans, was prisoner in the
Agincourt, and who beguiled the dis
NAL hours by writing poetical illusions,
which are still to be seen in the origi-
nsl manuscript in the British Museum.
Two hundred years later the practice
seems to have varied, according to the
diary of p lady, Mistress Jeffries, by
name, who made careful notes in her
account book of the pecuniary value of
her Valentines, every year, covering a
period of ten years, from 1880 to 1910,
and showing that it was then the Gus
tom for the lady to give the present,
her Valentine being the first person of
the male sex who encountered her on
the fourteenth of February. Her en-
tries run thus: Gave Tom Aston for
being my Valentine, shillings; gave
Mr. Dick Gavel to be nv Valentine, 1
shilling; Timothy Pickering, of Cliff
ton, that was my Valentine at Horn
Castle, four pence. No reason is given
every year; perhaps she grew suddenly
stingy, r'pOor.
The gossiping diary of one Mr.. Pc
pys, in the reign of Charles IL, shows
another change, and the custom of
sending some substantial proof of affec-
ton on the part of the gentleman to the
object of his tender interest, was
greatly in vogue. This same writer
boasts of sending his wife, while she
was staying with friend, ga half
dozen pair of gloves, pair of silken
stockings and carriers, for her Valen-
tines" And in another entry, "chosen
my wife for my Valentine, which cost
me five pounds
In 1854 one John Birchall sent a
written Valentine i'm this wise:
These loving iines which TO you have sent
Ia secrecy, in my hearts blood are pent.
Ye knife slipt, as the pen did make,
And freely bleeds, and will so. for thy saker'
And so the Valentine was written in
the blood of the cut finger, the faded
lines still showing the ruby stain. A
very ingenious way TO turn his acct
dent to account!
Early in the next century an enter
tanning custom gained ground in the
United Kingdom. On st. Valentines
Eve Young people of both sexes assem-
bling together, and after writing the
names of their respective friends, male
and female, on little billet-doux, i'm
equal numbers, throwing them into
two receptacles, and then, like a lot
terry, drawing them out in pairs, when
the persons whose names were drawn
together were supposed to be Valen-
tines to each other, the gentlemen re-
naming bound TO the verdict of his
Valentine for at least one year, or until
the next fourteenth of February. Mar
riages were very often the result of
these engagements. This was kind
of revival of medi8val knighthood.
In 1851 querist asks if he has Sc
lected a Valentine of the fair sex,
whether he or she ought to make the
present, ard concludes by saying:
''SupposeTm her choice,
And the better to show It,
Ny ticket she wears,
The better to show II.
These tickets sent to the fair one,
might have led to the present fashion
of sending valentines by post; and al
though there were no post-offices then
as now, there were plenty of messen-
gers in those ancient days, and written
valentines were both sent and received.
From the collection of the last CEN
fury valentines we find the following:
'.Some draw Valentines by lot,
And some draw those that they love not;
But draw you. whom love best,
And choose you, from among the rest"
.The ring is round. and hath no end,
And this send 20 you. my friend,
H .ss &c Ses s ssf s L ~ Fl fG %s
In this valentine was q gold ring, a.
shown by the stitches in the paper.
Though nearly . century has passed,
the style has very little changed.
About this time the birds choose
their mates, hence the custom of young
men and maidens choosing valentines,
or special loving friends-
I'm Roman. Catholic countries it was
quite customary to draw billet for the
ensuing year. which Is headed by the
name of some Saint, followed by list
Of the virtues for which he or she Haa