Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-13
THE FLEETiNG SHOW.
Some of Its Facts and Fancies. Written for the JOURNAL AND CouRIER.l Tomorrow is St. Valentines Day
 All in the morning betime."

Some of Its Facts and Fancies.
 Written for the JOURNAL AND CouRIER.l
 Tomorrow is St. Valentines Day
 All in the morning betime."
 Many of the shop windows are now sug- gestive of a second Christmas festival, SO bright and light and gay are they with Pretty trifes, useful and useless costly and inexpensive.
 St. Valentine, Christian bishop and martyr, who passed from earth's triviali- ities rather more than sixteen hundred years ago, would be speeches. with sur prise could he examine a collection of these dainty, tasteful, or inartistic and ri diculous things, and learn that they were love tokens, bearing his name, and sent upon his natal day, throughout the civil ized world, by children and maids, and men. That mail bags were crowded with them and mail carriers overburdened, that the receipt of them delighted many and exasperated many more, would sstonish him into disclaiming any responsibility for these strange rites, while the sight of row of comic valentines would drive him into state of irritability unbecoming to a saint.
 Is it because the present year of grace is leap year that there are more valen- tines than usual in market? They are un- usually unique also, and many of them have taken practical turn, in order that they may serve as reminders of the sender until St. Valentines day shall come again. Some of them take the form of photograph or handkerchief holders, others are glove boxes, port folios, jewel boxes, writing tablets and sachets.
 A Boston art publishing firm has issued wall pocket valentine. It is formed of two panels covered with pink silk, hinged together with wide silver-colored satin ribbon On the front panel is fine re- production in color of Church's celebrated painting, "The Lion in Love-" The picture is framed in dently intended as a receptacle for love letters, as it bears the inscription, "For the archives of Love-"
 Any number of celluloid designs are in scroll form, some of them bearing tiny thermometers, and some of the prettiest effects are found in combination of parchment and celluloid. hand painted or exquisitely embossed with gold. Much in genuity and taste has been expended upon them, but in the less expensive and elabo- rate productions there is to be found as
 
 design. Those for children-and for them fully eight-tenths of all the valen- | tines are made-are noticeably dainty, and are found in a remarkable variety of deli cate and beautiful designs. To child, | however, nothing can take the place of 8 lace paper valentine. Its delicate, fragile border, it's glitter of gilt paper, it's roses, and wreaths, and cupids, and hearts, and arrows, it's paper hinges that allow sec- tions of it to be lifted, revealing new beau hating, and no card or booklet can hope successfully to compete with such charms. 1 Valentine book marks are pretty things. | A broad band of violet ribbon with dark purple pansies painted upon it, or bolting cloth with tiny flowers and an appropriate sentiment, laid over a ribbon with fringed ends, making very accept able and useful gift.
 For home made valentines, and great l fun it is to make them, too, cut water color paper in the shape of shoe soles. Tie two of these together, and upon one write in gilt letters, "A Whole -Souled Comics sion," upon the other copy a love poem.
 As for the so-called "comic" valentines. it is pleasant to find them each year more and more unpopular. They are always coarse and never in any way amusing, and they only prove that we are not yet refined of all traces of barbarism. They are in. tended to wound, though they seldom dc more than disgust the recipient, and when the presence of one is suspected it is best to lay it upon the purifying fire, unopened
 and so save one's self little twinge of ir ritation.
 ! As pretty and quaint valentine ss ma,