The sun., 1898-02-14
DAN CUP|D'S LOVING DARTS
Many Probable Marriages the
Present Year.
ST. VALENTINES BUSY DAY
Legend Concerning the Valentine
The Many Pretty COnceits and
Cheap Autographed Prints.

The anniversary of st. Valentino
which occurs today according to ancient
history promises to be red letter day
in the biography Of Cupid" and before
the year ends in this city the probabili.
ties are that his golden dart" will have
pierced the hearts of more than one low
ing couple and replentish the purses OF
the clergy in numerous ways.
Not in many years have the stationery
dealers had such demand for the low
ing messages and all employees connect
ed with the postoilce are busy in their
respective offices in forwarding these
tender missive-.
The salesoirls and salcsmrn employed
in the stores Of this city state that dur
ing the past three years the valentine
business has improved annually, and
this year has exceeded all expectations.
Valentine Day is, they say, only sec.
Ond to Christmas in the amount of bust
ness transacted and the Easter trade
ranks third.
Each year new designs and quaint con
ccits in ceIuIold come out, and any pref
ty and original idea, if tastily carried
out, is sure to sell. A paper bicycle built
for two is Il popular valentine, and an
other handsome and suggestive conceit is
heart-shaped in design with verse in
the centre, which reads:
cone touch from you, my heart will
open wide,
And my sweet valentine you'll see in
side"
Through pulling Il shall string the
words disappear and small looking
glass is displayed.
The valentines now in demand are of
Il finer grade than formerly and the
demand for the old fashioned lace de-
sign is a thing of the past.
\ dealer in the numerous conccitS of
st. Valentine was asked how he ac-
counted for the increase of business and
replied by saying 81 cannot tell unless
there is more Iovc-making going on than
there has been lur almost five years, and
we and Cupid you know, work together" !"
Continuing he said: "All kinds and
conditions OF men send the designs sold
| distinctly remember one day that an
ash wagon drove up to my place with Il
flourish. The driver a|ighted, entered
my place OF business and requested to
see my valentines. judged he wanted
4 cheap affair and you can imagine my
surprise when he ordered and paid for IL
s. missive and sent it to a lady friend on
seventh street.
The comic valentines are cheap litho-
graphed prints OF an aggressively per-
sonal character and still in great de-
lnand.
This year the greatest attention has
been given to gclf and football iiends,
bicycle cranks, lnurdcrous gripman and
Nay peeper. They are on sheets OF
almost every size and are known as
sharp darts "hit-'em harls.' "fault.
finders and 'long-jokers" The assort-
ment of the caricaturc sketches cover
almost every lfrivolily to which modern
humanity is subject
According to the legend of Valentine
day, Valentine was priest OF Rome
during the reign Of Emperor Claudius
IN the second century. lie had such u
great following Of worshippers that the
Emperor became jealous and issued Il
decree ordering Valentine to leave Rome.
The priest refused, w,s eventually
captured by the minions of Ciaudius
and bchcaded His followers soon
learned Of his death and made it the
anniversary for missives OF love, they
claiming that on the day Of his behead-
ing that birds first began to mate
From that day has arisen the custom OF
young persons of both sexes choosing
each other as valentines.
Valentine was canonizpd ten years
after his bchcadlng, and thus became Il
saint.
Am ,ny the first missivcs exchanged
by the Roman maidcns, it is said, were
gartcrs.
At the beginning OF the ninth century
it is claimed that IL proposal OF marriage
was the valentine, the rich swain send
ing his elect II herd of cattle and poor II
slain sheep.
In the words OF the immortal Shakes
pearc in Hamlet is this beautiful and
suggestive verse:
To-day is st. Valentines day,
All in mourning betimc
And !, Il maid at your window.
To be your valentine