St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-21
Jerome X. Jerome Has Con-
siderable to Say About
the Trite Subject.
Some Of Us Can Remember
When the Shop Windows
Were Full Of Them.
In Days Gone BY People Used
to Combine Valentines
With Utility.
1t Requires Great Nerve to
Walk Into a Store and
Buy Valentines.

Have you noticed how of late years
the custom of sending valentines to
those we love and to those we are sap
posed to love has steadily declined?
Why, when l was a young man the shop
windows were full of nothing but val
entines for weeks before the 14th of
February, and the pOstOffice authOri-
ties used to send around circulars
begging the public to post them early
in January so as to lessen the strain of
delivery, writes jerome K. jerome in
the New York World. Valentines were
then quite an item III ones annual eX-
penditure. / remember buying two
dozen once and getting discount, and
four men l knew used always to club
together and buy gross between them.
You can get them at wholesale price IF
you take gross.
Nearly every other shop then sold val
+ entines. Whenever a tradesman found
an article lying about his premises that
he did not know how else to get rid of,
he put it in fancy box and labeled it
useful valentine" If it was too big
to go into box he tied bit of col
ored ribbon round it instead. Braces and
"suspenders" whatever they may be-
were especially popular. but handker-
chiefs and stockings run them very
close. Then boots and hats and muffS-
were also regarded as goods peculiarly
suggestive of affection. Indeed, girl
of simple tastes might have clothed her.
self in nothing else but valentines and
have looked very nice, and have been
warm and comfortable.
But the most useful thing OF all to
send to your beloved was considered to
be soap. The more man or woman
was ldolized the more soap they got.
One year my brother-in-law had four
separate boxes sent him, each one ac
cOmpanied oy loving and encouraging
words. He was quite hurt about it.
During
The Height of This Craze
for combining utility with sentiment l
saw in green grOcer's window a large
bunch of carrots labelled "Useful Val
entine" But whether the intention
was satire or enterprise l cannot say.
In those days fellow was supposed
to send valentines to ali his sisters,
if they had any. He could also send
them to other fellows sisters and cous-
ms and aunts, but that was his own
affair. He could do so or not, as he
chose, and nobody said any
thing to him if he didn't. In
the former case people did. Now,
there is neither giving nor receiving of
valentines to any extent worth speaking
OF, except. of course, among professional
lovers. With them, so am instructed,
the fashion still maintains, but | have
very little doubt that even they would
be glad to see the end of it. The male
% fl,nr ut +
am sure. A young man may adore
young woman to distraction, but he
does not relish having to purchase and
post to her printed and published ex-
position of the fact. 1t requires good
deal of nerve to walk into a crowded
shop and purchase a valentine. l used
to have to do it myself once upon time,
and most unenjoyable proceeding it
was. would go in very red land ask in
husky voice to see some. After looking
over great traysful of what, in the lam
guage Of the trade. are, L believe,
termed 'fourpenny." "sixpenny" or
SHILLING sentimentals," and failing to
find thereon any adequate expression of
serve to the saleswoman that 1 rather
fancied there was one in the
window something like what wanted,
and l would endeavor to describe its
position. But she never seemed able to
understand me, and, after taking down
every one OIL the shelf but the right one,
she would be sure to say:
perhaps you wouldn't mind just
stepping into the street and pointing it
out, SIR"
Then 1 would creep out of the door,
feeling hot all over, and elbowing my
way through the mob assembled about
~ nf,,t+ %
desire against the shameless. Haunting
thing. The crowd, intensely interested,
would hustle around and read the po-
etry aloud.
to each other, and the woman inside
would smile and nod and unhesitatingly
take down and wrap up the wrong one;
and l. returning, would pay for it. and
put it in my pocket and stink huIriedly
away. hoping that st. Valentines mar
tyrdOm had been an extra painful one.
Once l thought 1 would get out of the
difficulty by pretending it was for a
child-a niece or god-daughter-that l
wanted valentine. A married friend
of mine always used to send valentines
the shop and ask for them as bold as
brass.
IL want 'em very affectionate, If you
please" he would say to the young
lady behind the counter. something
with poetry" And he would pick cut
the most outrageously spooney ones
that he could fnd-ones that l should
have blushed to the roots of my hair to
be seen looking at-and cOOlly lay them
aside, with Yes, that will do for
Johnny" and "Ah, here's a good one
for Nelly-young fellow kneeling and
offering his heart and velvet cushion
-,,,l ~ e I I
like-man shot dead by child with
my dear" He used to call all the girls
my dear" know other married men
who do the same. They go Oh anyhow,
some of them.
Well, this seemed simple and pleas
ant method of getting over tho business.
There was nothing to be ashamed about
in sending valentine to a child. 1t
would be kindly. thoughtful action.
The girls in the shop would respect
man for it instead of giggling at him.
l determined to adopt the plan.
Accordingly, when the time came, l
assumed an easy, family-man sort of
manner las easy and family-man sort of
manner, that is, as a gentleman of
seventeen CAM, and, marching into a
busy shop. airily asked to see a few
valentines.
81 want something to send to child"
l added; something respectful and at
the same time sincere; something suit
able tor baby, you know"
She was an addle-headed girl. She
said:
''Yes, sir; what sort of baby?"
1t annoyed me very much, that ques-
ton. | had been TO great deal of
trouble that morning, and some expense,
in acquiring sufficient amount of
nerve to carry me through this valen-
tine transaction with comfort and credit.
had calculated to nicely the quantity
l should require. had stocked myself
with just sufficient to enable me to go
into the shop, ask for and
Select My Valentine,
agree to what was said;about the wealth
er and make an original observation of
my own upon the subject and come out.
But that was all. had enough nerve
IN dO that if avQrythrno xyant