The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-14


 Here is the way one songster handles the subject:
 A LEAP YEAR VALENTINE. She who read the Book of Fate Said there was luck in SS.
 She tried hard her love to woo, With no result in '92.
 This year she will matters fix
 To have chance in '96. If this year she fails to score,
 The nex. Leap Year is 1904
 Another from the same pen is hard ly more hopeful. It goes this way: On pended knees he told his love, While bound with Cupid's spell; The maiden only gayly laughed, And rang the chestnut bell.
 She's sorry now she rang that bell, For she is single yet; | And, # another one should try,
 She wouldn't ring, you bet!
 "The inevitable comic valentine is ever and always the largest item of our pIoGQCl. Ut Iilttuc llo III ol dppGIl dlICt, believe simultaneously in this country and in England about fifty years SEQ. and now we print and see more than l0O 900 per annum. The demand for the comic has fallen off recently in New York city, but it is greater than ever in the west and the rural districts. Chica- go uses thousands upon thousands of | them. They are printed of course in the cheapest style and on the most in- expensive paper, because purchasers of comics do not wish to flatter the re- cipients, even with good ink or paper. The new scheme of printing several colors at one impression has not yet been introduced into the comic valentine business, the old way of printing first the black outline and then skipping in each color separately still being quite good enough for the end in view.
 'We have in our Brooklyn establish ment two men upon whom we depend for the creation of our comics-the art 1 ist, who caricatures the human form de- vine, and the poet, who sets forth their failings in ripping rhyme. Each sea- son these workers make it theii. business to burlesque the newest fads and freaks, | CT girl, and all the rest. Last year and | this the bicyclists come in for the hard- l est rubs from the poets pen and the artists brush, and their good natured rafllery has seemed to please the coun- | try folk immensely.
 "A few of the latest verses hitting off the we'll known types may be in l teresting. A picture of a bloomer maid en taking terrific spill from her wheel is accompanied by these lines:
 Here's a faithful photo,
 As life-like as they make
 Of you in a position
 Which frequently you take;
 But often as you tumble
 Off your wheel, yeu hon,ely elf,
 You will never have the gumption
 To tumble to yourself.
 "An illustration of pair of fabulous feet resting upon the pedals of bicy- cle has this explanation: A portion of your person
 This picture represents, That has been of late, they tell me, Very much in evidence; Your display, in fact, so free is, I hear 1t is the case
 That your friends all know you quicker By your legs than by your face.
 ''The elderly wheelwoman comes in for a share of the fun. She inspires these words:
 Do you know that you're perfectly
 shocking?
 An object for laughter and mocking? My object is not to upbraid you, But just as a friend to persuade you That cycling is an occupation In which you won't gain reputation; If truth must be told, you're too awk-
 ward and old,
 And you ought to resist so absurd a
 temptation.
 ''Then there is the Terror of the Road who scorches over men, women and children alike, and reels off cen turies while you wait. He gets this: What makes you ride so wildly?
 Is it lunacy or malice?
 Are you simply blind and deaf,
 Or cruel, mean, and callous?
 On what serves you for an intellect
 Allow me to impress
 That public patience has its limits Men have been lynched for less! 
 "Our poet, I am told, regards his verses upon The High Kicker as his particular masterpiece It is evident that he is an appreciat tive patron of the great American variety show. Here is how he condemns the talent: Well, well! What shall we come to
 next?
 It makes man feel quite perplexed, To note the things for which a craze Folks take in these fantastic days. Your sole ambition is to put Above your silly head your foot If foot and head should places change, You would not feel the least bit strange, For l am certain that with you There's no more brain in head than
 shoe.
 The embossed envelopes that are sold with the complimentary valentines are made in our manufactory and are supplied with the missives on special order. We are looking forward to a still more general adoption of the good old custom of sending valentines and do not agree with the cynics who say that this fashion is, like that of making New Years calls, going out" At the postoffice the usual prepara- tions for handling something more than 100000 additional pieces on Valentines day are al! completed. It is an annual iHiiiction that the postmen look upon l with rrnOd ma flira5 ras;oua+;o, or5