The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-14
ST. Valentines DAY.
The Origin Of the Merry Day and
the Manner Of 0bsorv-
ing Il.
Real Live Young Men and Women
Were Valentines in the
Olden Days.

VIM There He y Valentine Party In Hol-
ona?-seyeral Enjoyable Events Dur
Ing the Past Week.
There has been much discussion regard
ing the origin Of Valentine day, but IL still
rests in obsourity. Some writer's claim tho
day was named after Valentine ~ being
his birthday q priest Of Rome who suffered
persecution and was behsaded in the early
part Of the third century, and after his
death was worahipped ss q saint, while
other writer's claim it was only BY accident
his day was used. 1t was the practice in
ancicnt Rome, to celebrate the Lupsrcalia
"a series Of feasts in honor OF Pan, the
Greek god of all floeks and shepherds, and
Juno, the queen of tho heavens. On this
occasion the names Of the young ONE
were placed III 4 box and drawn by tho
young men, and during the festivities these
partners wore kept Re- Valentines. Az time
passed on and Christianity became more
general, the Christian pastors used all their
power in trying to eradicate the superstition
OF the pagans. Az the festivities Of the
llupeECAlih bOOA PAuOO IN IoOAuAAIS WIN ~
saints day was about the middle of the
month, they took this day as their feast.
Still accepting the tradition Of tho Chris
tian leaders Of the early days Of Christian
ity, on the eve of st. Valentines day the
young folks OF England and Scotland cello
brate a festival. An equal number Of
maidens and bachelors conRreRate and
each writes his or her nRmo o. q billet and
those are drawn by lot, and thereby the
'%Valsntines'' are chosen. The festival 10
kept up for several days. The young men
giyo fstss and balls for their chosen valen-
tines and the time is filled with mirth and
gaiety.
In the early day of the valentine the mis-
sives sent only contained PROVISIONS of at
taohnlent from the young mon to the young
women, with hopes that their love would
be reciptocated, but as time passed on the
valentines Nonsisted, as we'll, of jocular
anonymous letters, sometimes holding the
receiver up to ridlcnle, and proving any
thing but what they were intended to be in
the beginning.
Valentines have been regularly sent mi
regularly received since our gay and festive
ancestors gave US the custom, and probably
will continue to be sent and received as
time goes on. As one grows older it takes
those of greater value to satisfy; but are
We ever so delighted with tho more expen-
slve productions of later years as when
We received our first valentine? The eaud-
ilv-fashioned card. with q picture Of q little
girl and boy in the center claspinR hands,
a Cupid in one corner shooting arrows that
pierced the hearts of the two. and in an
other u big red heart. and all the beautiful
red, blue and yellow gingerbread work
around the whole, while on the inside page
was printed: ". "
'If you love mo as l love you
No knife can cut our love in two" II
Or: .
Roses red, violets blue; - Al.@4.
'~Sugas's sweet and so are yOu.' S
Or, may be: 4.5@
II love you, / love you for all the time,
'Oh! wont you, oh! won't you, be my valen-
tine"
Will we ever forget the receipt Of this
valentine in the sticky envelop. with tho
soiled mark along the seal? How it was
dropped on the doorstep, after which tho
bell was rung and the donor had flown? Do
we not remember the exciting moment
when the envelop was opened, the senti-
ment hurriedly read and the entire gift
searched SO thoroughly for some indication
of whose heart may have beaten so quickly
when the valentino was selected? And the
wonder whether it could have been Harry
or Willie or Jamie that sent it and why
couldn't they have given some sign?
: At the present time it is quite the thing
to entertain on this day, and in the cities
there will be many valentine Dinners, lun-
cheons and hops, will the cards. menus
and programmes suggestive Of the day the
participants wish to commemorate.
The thirty three young men who consti-
tute the we'll known "3 club of Helena
gave their young lady friends a most en-
ioyable time at Business College hail on
Friday evening. 1t had been intended to
make this hop a fancy dress occasion, but
owing to the objection of some of the mem
bers it was given up, and they decided to
have a plain every day dance. The rivalry
among the gentlemen fearing their cos
tunes would not prove the first i'll the eyes
of their most immediate lady acquaintance,
may have been the reason for this change
of programme; however, the music was in
spiring, the p%rogrammo ent.cing, the re-
freshInents, served by the young ladies as q
compliment to their hosts, delicious and
the young folk had one of their most enjoy.
able events of the season. The ladies who
Mesdames Child. Wilson, Larson, Nc
1ntyre, Wallace, Cunningham, Potts. Guth.
RE. Swallow, Fretz and Reinig. The par
ticipants in the dance were: Misses Jur'
gems, Quirk, Alta and Fnnnie Child, Bessie
and Caddie Kirkendall, Sadie Dixon
Glsndora Burton. Haskell, Kate ano
Adah Roberts, Curtis. ReiniR, Nor
IN, Silverman, Baird and Marth,
Baird, Tom, Rector, Maude Wallace
Sanders, Mcintyre. Ths young men that
constitute the club are Messrs. Sterling
Clifford, Campion, Kleinschmidt, Sanford
Harry and Fred Yaeger, Bullard, Fretz
Hiltman, Kicker, Voolfolk, Wilson. Silver
man, Davis, G. Silverman, Thompson. M
Fl. and Il. X. Prsuitt, league, A. ana $
Henry, Sheppard, G. Hedges, W. Curtis
A. Hotter, Bradley, Reinig, Dahler, Muir,
ply, nj. S. Murphy aud McNerney.
The first entertainment given by tn
newly organized Musical society Of thi
city took place at the residence Of Judg
Wade on Tuesday evening, and was a rar
treat in q musical way. The following pro
gramme was carried out by several mem
beers of the club whose duty it was to pro
vide the evenings enioyments. and BY tn
names of its participants no room ia left t.
doubt but that it entirely came up to tn
expectation of tho listeners. About eight
guests were entertained i'll a hospitable wa,
BY Judge and Mrs. Wade, including I'll
members of the club, who number abou
twenty. Delicious refreshments wer
served at tho closing of the programm
club and it's guests will accept the hospital
ity of Mr.. Martin III. Hlrschfeld on tn
occasion of its next meeting. Following i
the programme:
PART FIRST.