Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-02-14
ST. VALENTINES DAY.

sands of valentines" pass through the
postofRce on St. Valentines day.
They are of all sorts-comic, vulgar,
witty, sentimental and loving.
st. Valentine is called the saint of
lovers, but the original st. Valentine
seems not to have had any such am
bition. He was Roman priest, who
suffered martyrdom, being beaten
with clubs and tEen beheaded in the
year go A, D. The Fourteenth of
February wss appointed by the church
to be observed in his honor But dur
ing the month of February, in ancient
Roman days, festivals were held in
honor Of Februata-Juno. These feasts
we're called Lupercalia. One Of the
celebrations consists of writing the
names Of many young women upon
slips, and these names were deposited
with much ceremony in box, from
which they were drawn by the young
men as chance directed.
The priests 81 the early Christian
church sought by every means to abol-
ish all the old pagan festivals and sub
stitute Christian ones. And the Low.
ers' festival of February was one
which is said to have been altered UNI
der their direction. 1t was placed I'M
der the guardianship of St. Val
entine merely because his church
day came at the same date
az that of the old pagan festi.
val Of Lupercalia. This is the
explanation accepted by most learned
writers on the subject. The mates
chosen were called valentines" simply
on account of the day of choosing.
And it is likely that the pretty pre-
tense of secrecy observed in the send
ing of valentines can be also traced to
this old custom of hiding the written
names and having them drawn out by
chance. The fun and romance of
valentines all depend on these con-
ditions
The Valentine day celebrations
have been kept in England and Scot
land for many years. Shakespeare
and Chaucer both allude to them, also
the poet Lydgate, who died in 144O,
A learned traveller named Nilsson, who
wrote in the seventeenth century, de-
scribes the old English valentine
party.
ION the eve of Feb. IA the young
folks gather together, an equal num-
Der of maids and bachelors forming
the party. Each one writes his or her
name on separate billet and these
are rolled up and cast into pile.
Then the names are drawn, the maids
drawing the bachelors names and the
bachelors the maids. The names
drawn are valentines to those who
draw them. The young men were ex-
pected to entertain their valentines
with dances and treats, and often to
make them costly presents. They
also wore the billets containing their
valentines names on their sleeves OF
their hearts for many days" And
often, says the learned mission, the
sport begun in fun was continued in
earnest.
Ia some places, particularly Lon,
don, the lads valentine was the
first lass he met after leaving
the house on Valentines day,
and the lass's was the first
lad she met under the same cir
cumstances. Presenting ones valeu-
tine with a present was called ire
lieving," because being drawn as a
valentine obliged the chosen one to
bring gift to his lady. At some val
entine parties the young man had a
right to kiss the maid whose name he
drew, and drawing the same name
three times was thought very fortu-
nate omen.
''St. Valentine was chosen to be the
guardian Of lovers" says our old
writer, mot because lovers are more
superstitious than other people, but
because they have more Imagination. -
So he gives us to understand that low
ers were helpless set of people, who
needed saint to take care of them
There are slight differences in the
customs of different countries, but
the same idea runs through all the
ceremonies. st. Valentines day is the
day of choosing ones mate. The old
country tradition has it that all the
birds of the air choose their mates for
the yesr on St. Valentines dayl
An old English rhyme says;
Where can the postman be, Isayl
He ought to fy-on such dayl
Of all days in the year, you know,
IT'S monstrous rude to be so slow.
The fellows 30 exceeding stupid
Hark-there he is-Ah the dear Cupid.
To My Valentine.
II should write valentine
And tuck within its coveTtine