Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-02-09


man would appear as Pan, alias Lu-
percus, alias Faunus, alias Inuus,
dealer in grain and crops, grape grow
er, proprietor of the woods and fields,
the god of plenty" In ancient times
so important a parsonage as he who
controlled the increase of the products
of the earth must necessarily have been
shown great consideration. and it was
peculiarly fitting. when the grasp OF
winter was about to be loosened from
the face of the earth and life was
about to spring up in grass and flower
and tree, that an entertainment should
be given for this god of the aliases.
From time immemorable, therefore,
the 18th of February was given up to
his worship. Youths of the best Ro-
man families assembled then in the
grotto of the Palatine hill. Cakes
made by the vestal virgins from the
first fruits of the preceding year were
offered. Goats and young dogs were
killed and, when two of the youths
had been chosen and brought forward,
their foreheads were smeared with the
blood from the knives used in the sac
rifice. A feast followed and then the
young men, clad in the skins of goats
and armed with thongs of the same ma
sterlal, ran around the city, striking
with the thongs the thousands who
put themselves in the way. To be
struck thus was a symbol of purifica-
ton, implying increase for the future
The thongs were ''februa," purifiers
and so the month. But the most pop
ular custom of this festal day was the
assembling of youths and maidens.
The names of the maidens were put
into an urn and those of the youths
likewise, and then each drew a slip
from the proper vessel, having upon
1t the name of the one to whom it was
his duty to be devoted during the re-
mainder of the year. The custom was
almost universal in the city of Rome,
and continued undated for five hun
dred years of the Christian era. Then
happened one of the most humorous
incidents recorded in history Pope
Gelasius was a sober minded man,
shrewd and sanctimonious, having lit
lie tolerance for the revelries of pagan
tome. The festival of the Lupercal,
With its attendant worldly customs,
eemed to him out of place in Chris
an age. He was sagacious enough,
aoreover, to know that a suppression
4 so long standing popular observance
ras impossible. He therefore decreed
lis change in 496. The date of the
stival was put day earlier in the
Dnth and the occasion was made one
d honor to st. Valentine, a good and
charitable bishop who had become a
martyr two hundred years before
When the young people were assembled
for the drawing of lots, instead of writ
ing their own names upon the slips,
they were to inscribe there the name
of saints. The saint whose name any
one might draw was to be his patron
for the rest of the year, to be honored
and worshiped by him. 1t was indeed
a clever idea to accept the existing con-
ditions, and to endeavor to turn them
into a channel which would make for
the building up of the new faith. But,
shrewd as he was. Gelasius was not far
sighted enough to see that there was
something deeper than the worship OF
Pagan Pan behind this little custom Of
the Lupercalia. Human nature was
there, at the heart Of it, and the task
of Hercules with the River Aulis was
less difficult of successful achievement
than the Slight change which the pious
pope had made, involving matter Of
popular fancy.
1t is little wonder, then, that, though
the name and date remained as chang
ed, the old custom of drawing lots for
partners, or valentines" reappeared.
In Europe and England until recently
young people came together on the day
in question an observed the identical
custom which the Romans celebrated
of old on the day of the Lupercalia.