Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-02-09
THE MODERN VALENTINE.

1t is in England and America now
that St. Valentines day is most observed
and on that day the postmen'S labors
are generally more than doubled by mis-
sives which have been sent as an out
ward sign. The skill and labor required
in getting ready for market all those
miSsives, which come under the general
head of valentines, is far greater than
the majority of people imagine. There
are five or six large establishments in
the United States whose sole business it
is to prepare Christmas, New Years,
Easter and Valentine day cards, and
they number among their paid list some
10000 persons, ranging from the pack
ers of the wholesale orders, porterS, etc,
up to the artists who design the often
very beautiful pictures which adorn the
cards.
The valentine of few years ago was
a cheap and tawdry affair, usually rep
resenting hearts transtixed by enormous
darts, Cupids and buxOm. red checked
girls in impossible gardens, surrounded
with lace paper and bearing some dog
gerel which makes frequent appeal to
| the muses. for the inspiration they sell
dom had vouchsafed them. From those
silly and garish things to the beautiful
and artistic productions of to-day the
evolution has been slow, but now val
entine is thing of beauty in an artistic
sense, and is also often mounted and
prepared in sumptuOuS style.
\ handsome valentine is now painted
on satin, or printed from the lithOgraph-
ic plates of these houses and decorated
with delicate silk fringe, tiny bows of
| ribbon, or perhaps silver or gold cord
and tassels. Then they are laid in box
wrapped in soft cotton and sent to the
| proud recipient.
Aside from these lovely and artistic
valentines it is quite permissible to send
a pretty gift of not very great value, to-
gether with bunch of flowers as a val
entine. The lace perforated paper en-
velopes and flaring colored efforts in the
way of Cupids and such cherubs are now
| bought but by little school boys, OF some
poor cOachman whose artistic sense is
scarcely developed, to send to his Dull
cinea of the basement floor, who thinks
| it lovely, of course.
The arrival of the pOStman in the
morning is always an event, where there
are any young ladies in the house, and
| yet Bridget is at the door before them,
and it is more rare for her to miss get
ting one, than for the young ladies, for
the fashion is slowly but surely dimin-
ishing among those called the better
class, apparently because they are trying
to stamp out such silly things as SEN
| timent.
! The comic valentine is vulgar and low
and yet the supply of them is sufficient
| proof that there is demand, and that
there are many sent each year. They
are sent from motives of petty malice
and viciousness, as well as from an idea
that it is cunning" to send a pictorial
honor to some one as practical joke or
as a personal insult, secure in their in
cOgnita. Comic valentines usually arc
of the cOarsest, most exaggerated bur
leSque upon whatever they wish to aSSail,
and have verse below as witleSS and
vulgar as the lOrid picture above it.
If the person who receives one of
these sO-called comic valentines could
but know who sent it, it would not hurt
their feelings in the least, for a person
capable of such thing is not to be eth
'ef feared, Or respected; but unfortunately
The it25iV5es ! often thinks it came from
IA sE,; different source, and carries
a 3WoundeG heart or pride for many days
thereafter. Indeed, st. Valentines Day
has sadly degenerated from its original
intention, and mOre's the pity, particu-
larly in this country.
In England, however, it is very gener-
ally observed, and though their finest
valentines cannot compare with our first
class ones, the sending of them is not
confined to lovers, but members of fam
lilies, and they are all satisfied. The lit
tie girl or boy away from home at school
gets them, and the fathers and mothers
receive them and there is much tender
feeling over it all; and then the big
brothers and sisters get some which us
TALLY are the themes of many pleasant
thoughts, and long after the day has
passed they are treasured dearly.