The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-01-25
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
The Story Of tho Origin Of = Very Pretty
Eeatlynt.

80
Fcativa'.
Among tho many names Of saints who
have been csnonixsd by the church In past
received the wider cnnonization OF tbs hu-
man heart; ~. Nicholas. the patron Of
childhood, aud st. Valentine. the patron Of
lovers. Yet In the case Of The latter IL In
d~if1iculs. II not impossible. TO trace any
third century and the rites that have bcsn
40 widely celsbratsd in his name. writes
Florence Wilson, in Ladies' Home journal.
st. Valentine was mn Italian priest who
suffered mnrtyrdom at Rome in 27O, OF ~
Terni in BOG. Historians differ "a to the
date. Legend ampliies. BY dwslling on ne
virtues Of his life and the manner ot ms
death, and tells how he was brought %.
fore the Emperor Claudius IL. who asked
why no did not cultivate his frieha-
ship by honoring his gods. A.
Valentine pleaded the cause OF the one true
God earnestly. Calphurnius. the priest
Dried out that he was seducinR the emperor.
whereupon hs was sent to Asterius 20 70
judged. To him Valentine spoke OF Christ,
the light of the world, and Astsrius saia:
IF he be the light OF the world. % WI
restore the light TO my daughter. VINO mas
been blind for swo ysaFs;. n Inc m nra1sa
and laid hands ON her she received her
sirh+ Then Asteriug asked that he md
his household might be baptized. whereat
the emperor being enraRed. cnused all 10 DO
Imprisoned. and Valentino TO be beaten
with clubs. He was behoaded 4 year later
al Rome on February IA, 27O.
History having little to tell concerning
the man, makes amends by dwelling. at
length on ths ceremonies observed on MS
dav. They trace the origin OF these to She
Roman Luperoalia. celebrated in February,
at which one Practice was TO put the names
Of women in a box TO be drawn by the msn.
each being bound to servo II honor tho
woman whose name he had drawn.
The church tried to turn the existing Gus
tom TO religious ends by substituting the
name of saints, to whom a year's devotion
would be paid. Possibly tie change may
have been instituted on the day made
slcred hy the martyrdom of tho Roman
saint, hsnce his connection with these
obse vance
But changes came. and dead saints were
neglected, for living sinners. psrhaps, ana
the old Roman custom somehow was trans
planted to msrrie England. where lads ana
lusses met on the day of the Italian priests
martyrdom to choose their valentine by lot
or otherwise. An old custom was to throw
open the window carly in the morning, ana
the q ct person seen would be your vAlen-
tine for the year. The eager swain would
insure the right man peinR III the f'Rn'
pldCo Oh buHt AokuAuSs
But it ia historically and p~hysiologically
true that the man olung more to the maid
he had chosen than to her who had chosen
him. II the persons were not identical. 10
meet his difficulty a gift cancelled the OBJ
legation Of personal service.
A modern legend tells that in this nine
tenth century the good st. Valentine, with
Peters leave. revisited tho earth. thinking
to find youth and life and love the same as
in days of yore. But he found the girls
too busy with music and science and phil
anthropy to receive him, and he came to
the conclusion that they were nothing if
not p%edantic." Yet the spirit of st. VAL
entine will linRer, for love il never out of
date, and his fidelity marks him as the fit
ting patron and pattern OF lovers for all
time.