The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-14
ST. VALENTINES DAY
1t Still Retains It's Popularity Among
the Young People.
ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS
What a Standard" Reporter OBJ
served When the Boys and Girls
We're " aking / heir Purchases
Origin of the Custom.

The old sentiments and notions IN
regard to st. Valentines day preNall IN
Butte probably to as great an extent
as in other cities. Judging by the num-
Der OF valentines sold by dealers ana
the glutted condition Of the mails. FUR
chas,rs. however. are confined u chll-
dren. young men and girls and women.
During q half hour in which report
er for the standard yesterday took on
serVations in dealers place on west
Broadway a. score of women ana 'ilil
dren made purchases of valentines, but
only one man made a call for one OF
the missives. lie was a rough-loohlnE
miner who had a wife and little girl
somewhere in the East and he wanted
something nice and appropriate me
women bought dainty little cards ana
the young men selected elaborate ar
fairs in cases, and costing, some or
them. as high as s. each. The school
children and older people. too, invested
in the hideous and alleged comic Things
which sell at the rate of i've Tor
nickel The number of this character
sold is something surprising, sald the
dealer The designs on the comic val
entine" have increased in variety ana
hideousness over former years. ana the
"poetry" on them is more villainous
than ever but a great many people get
lots of fun out Of them and in some
Instances. doubtless, great deal or
satisfaction when one is found that VIII
particularly ridicule an enemy.
While many people take advantage
of St Valentines day and indulge IN
great deal of sentiment in sending
missiyes il is doubtful If more than
half a dozen in a hundred know the
origin Of the custom OF sending Nalen-
! tines. The Standard has been in re-
! ceipt of several queries on that qucs-
/ ton during the past week. According
TO the legend Nalentinus, presbyter ana
/ martyr, was arrested and thrown INTO
| chains at the instance or Emperor
| Claudius and handed over to Calphur-
Mus. who employed one Asterius to try
and win him back to idolatry. Nalen-
| tine miraculously healed the daughter
| of Asterius who accordingly believed
! and was baptized with all his house.
| The saint, after long imprisonment.
was beaten with clubs and finally be-
headed on the Flamnian Way on the
/ 18th of February. The name OF Nalen-
time is the name of a considerable
| number Of saints, who were also COM
| memorated on the 14th Of February.
! The peculiar observance OF the day, by
| sending love missivcs. dates back TO a
very early period in England, Scot
land and some parts Of France and al
fusion Is frequently made TO II 10y
English writers from Shakespeare on
ward In Hamlet occurs this:
"To- morrow Is st. Valentines day.
All I'm the morning betimc!
And | q maid at your window,
To be your Valentine"
The celebration of the day I'm thi
manner and its appropriateness To tn
spring season is in a general way, per
haps obvious enough. The old notion
was that birds began TO mate on thi
day and hence arouse the custom o
young persons Of both sexes choosini
. each other as valentines for the en-
suing year by species of lottery, an
2 of sending a love missive 10 each other
| the pratice OF sending valentines b.
: mail appears, according 20 the post
l Office authorities, 10 be diminlshin
5 year by year, the later practice. con
J. fined almost exclusively TO children, be
. ing to insert them under the door c
3, | the person 10 whom they are ad
= dressed and then to knock or ring tn
. door bell and hurry away. In the va
I rious cities OF the country many mil
e ions Of hideous carlcatures thus chang
e hands on ST. Valentines eve, and Butt
5 last night was no exception.