Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-02-14

st. Valentine was Christian martyr
who died under the tortures of pagan
intolerance at Rome in the year of
Our Lord, 270, but historians are able
to trace no connection between the
saint and any of the characteristic
customs by which subsequent genera
tiOns have celebrated this day, the
fourteenth of February.
The celebration of this day was COM
mon among the people of western Eu
rope, but enjoyed a particular distinc-
ton in England and Scotland, and
in the provinces of Lorraine and
Maine, in France. The method of the
celebration was anciently as follows:
On the eve of st. Valentine a number
of young folks, maids and bachelors,
would assemble together, and inscribe
on little billets the names of an equal
number of bachelors and maids Of
tfeir acquaintance, throw the whole
into a receptacle of some sort, and
then draw them out, as in lottery,
care being taken, of course, that each
should draw one of the opposite sex.
The person thus drawn became ones
valentine. Of course, besides having
gotten a valentine, one became some
other PERSONS valentine. But right
here we may note that human nature,
especially male human nature, is
much the same in the Northwest
III 1898, as it was two hundred
years ago in France, as is demon
strated by the remark of a quaint old
writer of those days: "The man stuck
faster to the valentine that had fallen
to him. than to her to whom he had
fallen"
These imaginary engagements often
became real ones, as may be supposed,
since one necessary consequence of
them was that the bachelor was sup
posed to be bound to the service of
his valentine for a whole year. At
one time it was the custom for both
sexes to make each other presents,
but now that custom seems to be
limited to the young men.
In these latter times the festival, at
least in England, Scotland and
America, seems to have lost it's grace
ful symbolic meaning and to have be-
come an occasion for rather coarse fun.
The approach of the day is heralde1
by the appearance at newstands and
bookstores of vast numbers of mis-
sives, each consisting of single sheet
OF paper upon which is seen some
ridiculous caricature in colors of the
Enale or female figure with burlesque
verses, usually of an abusive turn, be
low. More rarely the print is of a
sentimental kind, representing
couple at the marriage altar or two
hearts transfxed by Cupid's arrow
AS stated above, nothing in the life
or death of ST. Valentine suggests any
of these customs, and they were not
connected with his name for centuries
after his martyrdom It has been
suggested that this celebration is only
a descendant of a custom of the an
cient Romans during the Lupercalia,
which was ito put the names of young
women into box, from which they
were drawn by the men as chance di-
rected;" and that the Christian clergy,
dnding it difficult or impossible to ex-
tirpate this pagan practice, gave it
at least religious aspect by donating
a saints name for it's use
But it is thought to be more prob
able by scholars that the custom of
choosing valentines is a relic of that
nature-religion, which was I'M
doubtedly the primitive form of re-
Iigion in northwestern Europe, and
that it sprung from recognition of
the popularity of the season. Hence
the explanation that "about this time
of year the birds choose their mates,
and thence probably came the custom
of the young men and maidens choos-
ing valentines or special loving
friends on that day."
In America today the celebration of
st. Valentines day is practically con-
fined to the sending of hideous comic
pictures explained by. doggerel verses
of an uncomplimentary character to
acquaintances through the mails in
good-natured horse-play.