Wichita eagle., 1889-05-04
MAKING VALENTINES.
A Factory Which Turns Them Out
by Tens Of Millions.
The Various Processes Through Which
They Are Put-Poetry Written by
the Ysrd-A Few Samples OF the
Hig a-Grade Divine AMatus.
fRrooklyu Magazine.1

brooklyn MagaZtne.l
recently paid visit to valentine fac
tory. The many operations through which
toy books and valentines pass before they
are ready to be delivered to the retailer Is
interesting. The first floor OF the factory
is occupied by paper cutting and enclosing
machines. The paper on which valentines
are printed is received from the manufact-
urer direct, and is not in condition for
use. 1t must be cut in pieces, 4x213
feet, ane On which are stamped sixteen
comic valentines. After being cut, the
paper is taken to the second floor and
printed. Three hundred out OF the four
hundred employees in the factory are women
and girls. While the majority Of the work
is done by skilled labor, some departments
are operated wholly by machinery.
On the sixth or top floor half dozen
artists draw the pictures used in valen-
tines and toy books. After drawing is made
and photographed the negative is coated
with solution and exposed to the sun. The
negative is again coated, this time with
photographic ink, and placed IN basin of
water barely deep enough to cover it. The
ink is washed off, except that part of the
plate on which the drawing has been pho
tographed The negative is then ready for
the etcher The etching process is too well
known to be repeated here. After the
drawing has been etched on zinc plate it
is ready for the press. The operation by
which rough zinc is made smooth is inter
esting. The zinc IS placed under movable
emory papers, which are changed
half hourly. These papers vary from hard
to soft. The constant friction Of the emery
wears away the zinc, so that in time it be-
comes as smooth as glass. Seven papers,
differing in quality and thickness, are used
in the operation.
The Superintendent estimated that the
firm owned 10000 steel and zinc plates. 1t
must not be supposed that valentine can
be struck off complete by one impression.
In some cases valentines pass through no
less than dozen Impressions. Each i'm
preston adds different shade or color to
the picture Take for example DRAWN g
of a machinist at work. The mans hat is
red, his face and arms are pink, his hair
and moustache are blue, with tinge Of
black, the apron and table are yellow, the
trousers are green, while his shoes are
blue with tinge OF black.
Sentimental valentines are made Of fancy
paper and satin. The plates pass through
the same process as comic. The handsome,
highly perfumed valentines, which the Ian
gushing swain pays from three dollars to
five dollars for, are hand painted, or, as
the superintendent SAID, touched-up. The
touching-up process consists of artistically
daubing paint here and there about the
outer surface of the valentine. These
hasty strokes result in flowers, pictures
descriptive of the billings Of turtle doves
and pastoral scenes. The valentine firm
employs a poet, to whom it pays a
weekly salary. This genius writes
yards upon yards Of poetry 0) daily.
The firms production of comic valen-
tines for one year includes two thou
sand different designs and the same num-
Der Of original verses. The poet has within
six months written two thousand comic
verses, in addition to five hundred verses
Of sentimental poetry. 1t is said that vaf
entine poetry is difficult to write and if
this be true, the composer Of twenty-five
hundred verses averaging eight lines each
is entitled to no little consideration.
Here are a few specimens ot comic valen.
tine poetry:
BARTENDER.
Fancy bartender, mixing up drinks,
Glory of - street, SO the fool thinks:
Poisoned hts bourbon-ale full OF als!
Careless what ruin his business entails;
All from his knock-downs, that is quite plain.
LAWYER.
Yes stretch out your mouth and open your jaw,
Don't think about justice, but plenty of law;
If you prove black is white and right is all
wrong
And keep the trial dozen years long,
So you pocket your fee, either criminal or civil,
Why, let your heeced clients 81 so to all evil!
LAprES' sHoE-sELLER
For ladies' shoe-seler you are Just the beau,
You can make believe shoe fits whether OF no;
II too tight, it VIII stretch; if too loose it VII
shrink:
Thus you shut up their eyes while you pocket
their chink.
You lace Up her boots on your knee with dash.
Aud you wax very kind as she foots up the cash.
Probably one Of the most interesting ma
chimes used il the factory is the lotto num-
bering machine. Lotto II San Francisco
and some Western cities is known by the
name of keno 1t is essentially gam
bling game, but in the household it is
no doubt played purely for apuse-
ment. In lotto round blocks numbered
from one to ninety are used. These are
thrown into a bag and drawn out indis-
criminately. Numbered cards are pro
vided the players, and the first who fills
five spaces calls 'Lotto'' and is declared
the winner. The lotto blocks are cut by a
buzz saw in exact lengths, and then taken
to the numbering machine. This consists
Of a movable circular board filled with
holes and a press which prints numbers
ranging from one to ninety. The press
works rapidly and requires but little atten-
ton. Connected with the factory is car
penter shop in which al, the wood used is
turned out Twenty hands are employed
in this depar tment-
On the top floor is what is called a var
nishing machine. Lithographic pictures
run through this machine and emerge with
a thick coat Of varnish. These pictures are
placed in hot rooms and there permitted to
remain, for twenty-four hours, when they
are taken out and cut. Hundreds of thou
sands Of toy books are turned out yearly in
the factory under notice. They range in
price from one cent TO two dollars. Hat
hours with the Bible" embracing Biblical
histories written in such a manner as to be
clear to the childish mind, and, in fact, a
full line Of youthful literature can be pur-
chased for nominal sums. Backgammon
boards, games. picture books, nests Of
blocks and MANY other indescribable toys,
are turned out daily in the Brooklyn fac
tory.
Plight of q French Lover.
At Reuil a man has sued a laundry own
er for assault and damages. The man was