Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-08
DAY OF ST. VALENTINE.
DECLINE IN THE POPULARITY OF
THE HIGH FESTIVAL OF CUPID.
Water CoIors Now in styIe-OId-Fash-
i0ned Artistic Missives Express
ing Affection sent out Only
In the Country.

From the Chicago Post.
Shop windows the world over are begin-
ming 10 take on IL new interest. IN country
stores bashful lovers ure glancing aSkance
at dainty and befrilied devices in paper,
fearful lest some observer may read their
own thoughts while they are engaged in
deciphering the tender sentiments which
adorn the missives. In the large retail dc:
partment and stationery houses of the city
laughing young girls are scanning still
more delicate examples of the valentine
makers art.
The day of all the calendar which Cupid
claims for his very own will soon be at
hand But its celebration will not tend
To dimple the checks of the rosy boy with
culver and bow, for lie will lind chilling
decline in popularity of his high festival
at least so far as its reception in the city
Is concerned. But. according To the valen-
tine dealers, he still claims undisputed
Ieign over the rural heart and rejoices in
the fact that the rigid conVentiouality OF
city life has not yet unseated him in the
affections of the simple country dwellers.
Perhaps he may also derive added ConSOls,-
ton from the fact that all days and. sea-
sons are his own and that he conducts =
thriving business in pierced and bleeding
hearts from years end to years end i'll
city as well as in country.
Although fashion may fail to rule the
gOingS and ComingS of Cupid as distinctly
as it has failed to regulate his costume, 1t
is certain that II has set the stamp of its
authority upon the form and texture of
those gay little emblems of sentiment with
which his festal day r. celebrated. There
are modes and styles in valentines as well
as in hats and gowns. The change has as
yet, made but little impression upon the
country although the favorites of one and
TWO seasons since are not even displayed
upon the counters of the city dealer in val
entines. Where once elaborate designs in
lace paper met the city shopper at every
hand not one Of these fragile and fanciful
creations Is now to he found. In their
stead are simple, hand painted cards and
panels bearing inscriptions which are also
- IN hlaf sRF
these are far less expensive than We're the
intricate lace paper structures Of the past.
Very neat little cards decorated with -
water color or pen and ink scene may be-
bought for 30 cents, and the valentine shop
per will find 1t difficult to spend more than
81 for Il single hand painted valentine
without placing special order for some
thing more elaborate than IS to be found
in the showcases of the leading stationery
stores.
These dainty little water colors are prin-
cipally the work of young women students
of the Art institute, many of whom would
lind 1t difficult to continue their studios
were il not for the card harvest" which
each general holiday brings. While they
are able to dispose of many wares OF this
kind at Christmastide and at Easter. St.
Valentines day IS probably the most profit
able season for these struggling young art
tricus art workers have received the neat
sum of 500 each for their valentine cards.
while others are content with a harvest OF
$25 These amounts may appear small and
insignificant to the general public. but they
mean much to the Self-supporting girl art
student. who is well skilled in the arts OF
economy.
In one particular there has been no
change in the style of valentines. The ira
ditionaI tokens employed py the decorators
are the same to-day as when the first val
ertlne was sent; Many years ago Charles
pretations no emblem is so common as the
heart-that little three-cornered exponent
of ali our hopes and fears-the bestuck and
bleeding heart; 1t is twisted and tortured
into more aIlegories and affectations than
an opera hat
quite as great to-day as when the Essays
of Ella were first given the public ana II
which is not enbsllished with this arrow
riddled symbol. The dumpy figure OF tho
hostile little Cupid ranks next in the ire
uuency of its appearance upon these tokens
of sentiment. But the "beStuCk heart Is
SO predominant that it is small wonder
this piece of anatomy should have been
hcHcred by tradition as the home or the
affections and eXciaim: Mhat auIhorlty
We have in history or mythology Ior piac,,
ing the headquarters and metropolis OF god
CTpid in this anatomical seat rather than
in any other Is not very clear; but we have
H. and il will serve as well any other
Else we might easily imagine, upon some
other system which might have prevailed @
for ANYTHING our pathology knows to the
contrary a lover addressing his mistress
in perfect simplicity of feeling: Madam:
my liver and my fortune are entirely at
Regarding the change in valentine setti-
mont an extensive dealer in these pretty
so far as the city Is concerned. Ealen-
tines day is almost wholly 4 children
festival: It has lost interest to the adult
population and the metropolitan no long,
er adopts the sending of one or these To-
kens as a sly way of expressing his al
fertions for the young woman OF his choice:
He considers it altogether too childish and
unidentified. But the city children still
continue TO make much OF the occasion
and valentine parties are in vogue AT
these entertainments. the hand painted TO-
kens are dispensed in the form of favors-
But in the country the young man VINO
Is too bashful TO openly declare his love
continues to regard this festival as the
day of his salvation. and willingly spends
from 50 cents to s. for q highly decorative
valentine with burning verse or poetry
attached He feels that this will delicately
nave the way for him to come out from
cover and make bold and open aVowai
II ia also to the country that we send the
comics which are known to the trade as
'Hit-'em- Hands, Long Jokers and 'Fault
Finders -,
a rush of Young men here in the city, who
would buy these by the dozen and even
gross and mail them to all their frlendS-
THAT day has passed. Now we do not
even offer them for sale In our retail de-
partment Nearly all OF them go TO the
country. although the city shops which
are patronized by school children con-
tine 10 keep them In stock. believe II
n society young man were to send one OF
these highly colored and very pointed af-
trouble on his hands. although the same
person would probably have received II in
a spirit of fun a few years ago. One or
the most popular forms which the valen-
tine Is taking this season Is the decorated
perfume sachet.