The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-12

The Festival No Longer Perpetuafed
in It's Original SignIneance-De-
Scriptions of Old Obserynnccs of
the Day by Celebrated Writers.
Pagan Origin of the Custom.
The coming of st. Valentines Day IS.
in these times. heralGed by the appear
ance. in the shop windows. of those choice
specimens OF the caricaturist's art whirh
appeal 10 the multitude as specially
adaptable 10 persons they don't like. The
good Saints day has, indeed, sadly CO
generated from its original amorous sig
nitcance- At no very remote period, -idi-
culous letters or pictures were unknown,
and if missives of any kind were sent.
they contained only a courteous profess
sion OF attachment from some young man
TO some young maiden, embalIished with
a few compliments to her various -,erfec-
tiOns. and expressive Of a hope that his
love might meet with return. But the
great and distinctive ceremony of ST. Val
entine's Day was the drawing of kind Of
lottery, followed b. ceremonies not much
unlike what is generally called the game
OF fOrfeitS- Mission, a learned traveller
of the early part Of the last century, gives
apparently L correct account Of this priD-
cipaI ceremony Of the day. He says:
ION the eve of St. Valentines Day the
young folks in England and Scotland. by a
very ancient custom, celebrate little fes-
tiTal- An equal number Of maids and
bachelors get together; each writes their
true or some feigned name upon separate
biliets, which they roll I'D and draw by
way of lots. the maids taking the mems
billets, and the meD the maids: so that
each of the young men lights upon a girl
that he calls his valentine. and each of the
girls upon young man whom she calls
hers By this means each has two vaIen-
tines; but the man sticks faster to the
valentine that has fallen to him than to
the valentine to whom he has fallen For
tune having thus divided the company into
so many couples. the valentines give balls
and treats to their mistresses. wear their
billets several days upon their boscms or
sleeves. and this little sport often ends in
love-
In that remarkable record of domestic
~ * A@At5AS~A4O IL the reign VI AudT Il.
"Pepys Diary" there are found some IL
Illustrations OF this OLD custom 1t would
appear that married and single were then
alike liable to be chosen as q valentine,
and that a present was invariably and
necessarily given to the choosing party
Dir. Pepys enters in his diary. on Valen-
tines day. 1867:
This morning came up to my Wifes
bedside Il being up dressing myself. lit
tie WilI Afa=pa- IN h. r;-,a
brought her name written upon blue pa
per in gold letters. done by himself very
pretty; and We were both well pleased
wiki il But I am also this year my wife's
valentine, and il will cost me So; but that
L must have laid out If We had not been
Valentines
It appears 10 have been popularity sup
posed that it was on St Valentines Day
the birds chose their mates. superstI-
tioa charmingly alluded to by many Of the
older poets. People seemed also TO have
imagined that an influence was inherent in
the day, which rendered in some degree
binding the lot or chance by which any
TO fix his or her attention
on person OF the opposite sex.
II was thought for instance. that the first
unmarried person of the other sex whom,
one met on St Valentines morning in
walking abroad. was a destined wife OF q
destined husband. Thus. Gay makes = ru-
raj dame remark:
Last Valentine. the day when birds Of kind
Their paTamOurs with mutual cLrppdines find
early Just at the break OF tav
Before the had chased the stars away
Afeld went, amid the morning dew
To milk my kline (f0r should housewives dol
Thee first spied-and the first swain We see
In spite Of fortune snail our true love be.
St Valentines Day is alluded to BIZ
Shakespeare and by Chaucer. and also h
the poet Lydgate died 1440)
The origin of these bygone observances
Of St Valentines Day is a subject of some
obscurity. The Saint himself, who was 4
priest al Rome. Enartyred IN the third
century, seems TO have had nothing 20 90
with the matter beyond the accident Of
his day being appropriated for such dem
onstrations. MT. Douce. in his 'IIiUstra-
tons Of Shakespeare says: 1T was the
practice in ancient Rome. during a great
part Of the month OF February to ceIe-
brate the Luperealia which were feasts
in honor OF Pan and Juno, whence the lat
t. deity was called Februata. FebruaIis.
and Februlla. On this occasion amidst q
variety of ceremonies. the names of young
women were put into q box. from which
they were drawn by the men as rhauee
directed. The pastors OF the early Christ
ian Church. who by every possible means,
endeayored to eradicate the vestiges OF
pagan superstitionS, and chiefly by some
communications OF their forms substituted
in the present instance, the names Of par
ticular saints instead OF those Of the 70
men. and as the festival OF the Luperc.ii
had commenced about the middle Of Feb
ruary, they appear to have chosen St
Valentines Day for celebrating the new
feast. because il occurred nearly at rhe