Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-02-10
ANENT VALENTINES.
Something About the Mission Of the Gentle
Mlssive.
OLD CUSTOMS AND THE NEW.
Loves and Hates Mixed Up in the Letter
Carriers Pack.
THE HISTORY OF THE DAY.

|
'While writing verses for my love
| looked up from the paper,
And there she stood; rose in haste and over
| turned the taper
How careless to put out the light she taid.
answered, that quenched my lamp
When l saw the sun arising"
Somewhere about the middle Of Febru-
airy, as near as the almana :-maker could
get it, was PIT down day called st. Val
entine's Day. Nowadays, letter carriers,
who are the greatest sufferers on February
IA, wonder how any saint could see any
thing funny or sentimental in making peo-
pie send SO much love poetry, printed on
fine paper, adorned with ribbons, flowers,
Cupids without any clothes on to protect
them from tho winter weather, and maid
ems in undress COSTUMES, and other pictures
supposed to be pretty, through the mails
to other pecp'e, and have letter
clrriecs break their backs Juggling
the tender stuff all over the coun-
Try and giving it to people who
pretend they can't imagine why anybody
should send il. These mea see no poetry,
brightness or love in anything Of the kind,
nor in the Christmas card business, either.
With them it is q so ia fact that there are
plenty of fools and asses still living. This
is one aspect of the case, and gloomy one.
1t is not the way we look at it. The book
sellers. stationers and dealers in fancy
goods do not view it in that light. Ifpeo-
PIE have to be humbugged and pleased,
they say, let it be done in soma sort of de-
cant, expensive, aud, if you choose, funny
way. 1t may be pat down here that st.
Valentine, who, was said to be gentle
sweet and kind, and, mayhsp, somewhere
in his soul sentimental before he gave up
the vanites of the world, had his head cut
eff by Roman Emperor, but it has not
been proved that this was 6oue because he
sent love messages through the mails.
That Roman Emperor probably had other
reasons.
Valentines do serve a purpose. Some
times little picture, enclosed in 6 harm
lees-looking envelope, with nothing to be-
trey the Identity o. the sender, and costing
only two cents to transport il, will start
violent kind of war that will end ID blood
splitting, hair-pulling, GOODNESS, estrange-
msnt and death. An innocent reference By
poetry or picture to certain psculiaIities of
the receiver may break up domestic felic-
ity, lead to divorce, suicide, flight from
debt, withdrawal from church or en- as
Segment for the benefit of creditors.
Sensitive people say some law ought to
be passed against the manufacturers OF
these pictorial bombs. 1t is one way TO
wreak revenge without mourning danger
ous risks, because it can be done anoDy-
mously. Old maids, bald headed men and
those who are advertised to the world by
marked characteristics no art can hide do
not enjoy reading their mail February IA
The comic artists, they say, paint without
regard to truth. Young men and maidens
like to see the day come around. Il is q
harmless way OF lying, they say, this send
ing these missives freighted with the most
extravagant rhetoric A man who is thor
oughly Objectionable az lover in sight
may do something with poetry ground out
by somebody else and printed on costly
paper, with cologne and ribbons added. 1t
is better to read the poetry than to be al
flicted with his presence and hear him stam-
mer and hem aud haw trying to declare
his passion. Ladies, also, can indicate the
growth of their regard without signing any
name, if so inclined. This is the bright
side of the picture. Why not keep up
these innocent delusons, if they make peo-
pie happy and serve to keep money in cir
culatiOn? Never let the custom OF sending
valentines die out. If the realities that
follow the decisions, after the trick has
been successful, are different from what
might have baen expected. it will be in
struc, We, at least, to think how
SOM bJdy enjoyed making fool
of yoa. We regard a good comic
valentine as powerful lnstru-
ment. The philOsophic artists this
year have made en- extra effort to
make things lively and pleasant for the
tender Sex Some of the pictures have
been little overdrSwn, bat the intention
of the artist is not obscured. The Cupids
are about as fat, chubby and devoid Of
dressing as ever, and the maidens are
signing aud the young men praying, ss
they have always done. The price Of the
show cards have gone up, because 1t ls
said sentiment is harder to find now than
it used to be. Dealers in it say nearly all
Of it nowadays is aiultera'e1.
Tbs pure article is ae hard to
fad as genuine butter. There is,
however, plenty of olesgenous love,
which slips through the lips with an oili-
ness that can hardly be Disseminated from
the genuine thing. Experts say analysis
after marriage, which is as good as a chem
icaI reagent, never fails to lay bare the
frauds, if there are any. 1t is wrong to go
TO extremes sending valentines. The thing
ought to be encouraged in an innocent way
and no undue advantage ought to be taken
of vindictive eremy or pretty young
woman who ia madly in love with man
and tries to conceal it, which be knows he
can never do. Do the squsre thing. Re-
member the boot might be on the other
foot.
The proper ceremony of st. Valentine
day was originally kind Of drawing, re-
sembling lottery. S. Valentine suffered
martyrdOm in the third century, and just
why his particular day was chosen for the
exhibition Of the softer sentiments has
never been definitely settled. O1e super
stition was that the birds choose their
mates for the year on that day, but an au-
thofity holds that it is relic OF Roman
feast in honor of Pan and Juno. Michael
DraytOn alludes to the prevailing custom
in the sixteenth century in this charming
way:
Each little bird this tide
Doth choose her loved peer,
Which constantly abide
In weilock all the year.
AS nature is their guide,
SO may we two be true