The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1901-02-20
OUR SAINT OF LOVE.
Something About the Kind and
Learned Old Roman Bishop
Who Liked Children

Valentine was q lovable old Roman
bishop. Cupid was a little pagan god.
Both of them stood for love and tender.
ness, so that now they can scarcely be
told apart by the hurrying modern world.
Valentines loving kindness was unto all,
and especially toward little children. He
was really much more like ST Christie
pher than like Cupid while he lived upon
the earth, and deserved to be sainted like
Christopher when he died, or rather
when he was killed; for Valentines head
was chopped off because he was too good,
by command of the Claudius who was
Emperor of Rome in the latter part of
the Third century. This was not the
Claudius of the early days of the Chris
tian era, that chief villain of historical
novels and husband of Messalina, but
he was villain enough, in all conscience,
for beheading Valentine, one of the best
and most learned of men.
Valentine was really martyr to love
in the sense of the revised version. He
believed that love suffereth long and is
kind; that God is love, as his Bible
taught him, and he would not revile
again when the pagans of Rome pitched
into him, nor would he resist evil. So
he was beheadeG, and was soon after
canonized by the still young Church of
Rome.
His festival day was February IA.
Now, although Rome is about in the
same latitude as New York, it is in
much warmer climate, as all the world
knows, and birds are mating there by St.
Valentines day. 1t came about very nat
urally, therefore, that the love Of all mat
ing, billing and cooling creatures became
part of the festival of this gentle, saint
ly old bachelor whose day we celebrate.
Loves and doves became associated FOR
ever with his memory.
Pagan Custom Christianized.
The fond devotion of early Christian
youths and maidens to st. Valentine was
soon found by their pastors to be carried
on in connection with an ancient pagan
custom, part of the old spring festival
of the Lupercalia. that was naturally
set of young friends put their names
ON slips into one box; all the young men
put theirs in another; then each drew
lots from the others list. Whoever was
thus drawn by lot was to be lover or
sweetheart Of the one who drew the
name.
The early Christian pastors found that
they could not put a stop to this artless
custom, so they used to chaperone the af-
fair, telling the lads and lassies that they
were really paying honor to good ST. Val
entine. In this way the blessing of the
church was secured for the mating; the
blessing of heaven also, and the priests
reaped a spring harvest of marriage fees
for mother church. Very soon all sorts
Of presents were exchanged upon this day
Of all days in young loves calendar.
Flowers and rings, gloves and carriers
have been popular all over Christendom
through all the centuries since.
1t is 1851 years since good st. Valen-
tine was beheaded lii Rome, yet here in
New York today heart-shaped paper tri-
fies are heaDed upon at least as many
counters as there are years since he left
this world, all bearing witness to his good
heart, as well as to the perennial beauty
OF the joys of natural selection. Flowers
and books are very popular modern val
entlnes for grown-ups.
Valentines for All.
Valentines for babies and little girls
for small boys and grandmammas are al
most as necessary nowadays as the ex-
change between lovers, plighted or pros
pectlye. The festival seems to be getting
back to sort of general celebration of
the variety of love which was Valentines
own speciality when he walked in humil-
ity among men. Little children are more
and more the recipients of pretty and
dainty gifts or pictures on the happy
winters day. They are taught to give
valentines. to one another, to their par
ents, teachers and friends Many small
people seem to look upon st. Valentine as
a sort of kinsman of st. Nicholas their
beloved Santa Claus. While it is I'M
doubtedly the duty of Santa Claus to
bring them things, some of them seem to
have an idea that it is their duty to give
things in honor of ST. Valentine.
Two very small girls who were turned
loose among lot Of pictures to select
valentines yesterday gravely chose sev-
eral pictures Of the Christ Child, and sew
eral others of the Madonna and Child
Those would certainly be acceptable gifts
to st. Valentine, who in life practiced the
precept, ''Suffer little children to come;
TO, oil \