The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-12

eSC auu pTetGieSI girls III 1OeOTBld SeuU
me the following on a Valentines day
Of the long ago.
"The rose is red,
The violet's blue,
Sugars sweet,
And 30 are you"
When I received the above / was
carried away, for knew the handwrite
and loved the girl. It encouraged me
to advance. Wherever that girl went
I was sure to go, after that. lodged
her steps till folks said I was a fool.
I thought they were mistaken, but I
finally agreed that they were correct,
when, upon one summer day, this
sweet girl asked me if I couldn't take
a joke. It liked to have killed me
then to find that folks did not mean
what they saidin valentines. but it is
mighty consoling at this writing.
Though lam considerably disfgured
SO far, Tive in the hope that I may
receive some sweet ones before the
season is over. The day is too sweet
to spend in making people feel bad.
Make everybody feel good and you
will be in touch with the occasion and
feel much better yourself. Tennyson
gets into the old-time spirit of the day
when he says:
'..In the spring q fuller crimson comes
upon the robins breast,
In the spring the .wanton lapwing gets
bimself another crest;
In the spring a lower iris changes or the
burnish'd dove,
In the spring the young mans fancy light
~ turns to thoughts Of love-"
There is nothing in these sweet
lines that could be in touch with these
ugly comic things that some folks
delight so much in sending out-never
make a mar feel bad, never joke on
facts, is my advice, after a good deal
of experience and q long life of obser-
walton.
IF the valentines that I have lately
received represent the feelings Of sem
ders, I would remark that there are a
great many mistaken people in this
old world. Most all Of them deal with
me as if I was a drinker-a drunkard.
This needs no defense from me, for
all who know me personally know that
I have long since declared against the
vile stuff called whiskey. I used to
take a little just for "the stomach's
sake. but not a drop can be got down
my throat now. I cannot see to save
my life how the feeling got to be 80
unanimous that I am a drinkcr, as in
dictated by these comic valentines, I'M
less it be that I am mistaken for
BROWNIE look considerably alike
when there is no rumors Of wal in the
land, and this may account for my
having to bear the stigma of drinking.
I am in a good way of reforming Brown
at this writing, and then I hope that
my traducers will have no other chance
for an honest mistake.
There are other features and chan
ges than this comic valentine craze
that have come to Valentines day.
Once it was the custom for young peo-
pie to meet and kiss and mate off a
year on the morning Of this day. The
custom gave privileges to the young
men that found no laggards in those
days. Just think OF a young man be-
ing privileged to kiss the first girl he
meets on this morning-don't you
think there would be some active STIR
ring? Besides, the couple that met
each other first in che morning were
mated for a year, they we're sweet
hearts till next St. Valentines day,
with privileges that no other fellow
could have for that time. This made
the mornings of St. Valentine mighty
lively then, as it would now and
then, as it would be now, the girls
we're not caught and kissed by every
fellow that came along.
1t was generally arranged beforehand
who should meet one with another,
and this made it all the more pleasant,
and most always ended in a marriage
before another St. Valentines day
would roll around. After a day of
fun and frolic the night would usher
in a good old-fashioned party that
wound up by a kiss all round among
the mated couples.
These old customs are gone these
innocent privileges are no more. They
don't write the sweet little verses shat
they used to write and the kissing
would not be innocent now. 1t takes
money now to celebrate the day.-it
takes money to do anything. Even
lovers-with all their boast Of educa-
tion-sail away to the stores and pick
out something according to it's money
value as a gauge of hearts. The val
entine that cost the most money is
now the valentine that expresses the
warmest feeling of the heart. BY
many the happy day is passed uuno-
ticed in the greed of business. Others
make it an occasion for the pouring
out OF the Walls of their wrath upon
poor down-trodden folks like me
through the medium Of the comic val
%entine. 1t takes no talent to reach
whom you would reach through these
comics. A nickel spent is enough to
vent your spleen. Me-thinks that
anybody, even an Englishman, would
feel bad in taking the advantage that
these comic valentines offer.
How much better does the old way
of celebrating this day seem to me
Ill., 49, &c.