Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-02-14
TWO CENTS
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
Time Set Apart for Love Sick
Young People.

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Comics are also Much In Evidence
Something about the Observance OF
the DAY Hallowed by Tradition to
Lovers.
On February Ii, the day that has
been commemorated by lovers since
! the martyr st. Valentine was be-
headed at Rome on this day, in the
long ago, many lovers sent to the
person of the opposite sex whom
/ they deem the sweetest human be
ing in all the world the lace or vel
vet creation known as the valenti
Not only is the day noted for the
expression of the softest sentiment
of human kind, but also of the has.
est aud for those whose feeling to-
ward another are the direct anti
! patty TO love there is comic valen-
tines, expressive OF hate. The shop
| windows about town are ing de-
coratsd with the love tokens and
hate tokens and the lover and hater
can now give vent 10 his feelings.
Valentine day is the most quaint
and curious of all the days observed
in American chronology. The day
comes and goes without the knowl-
edge of many and its observance is
confined mainly to persons OF tender
years, though not exclusively By
1.-THE multitude the custom Of sending
valentines is new regarded In light
er vein, but there are few OF the
staid residents who now riaieule the
custom, who cannot recall the time
when he sent valentine or received
his first valentine Probably never
since that day has his heart been In
such iiutter
The comic valentine is used by
many as an expression of hatred,
but more generally as d joke on
some friend. Persons usually SEE
lect those whose verse contains some
thing which magniiies their triena
weakness, fallicies. or foibles. Some
of them contain the trade or occupa-
tion OF the subject. the picture, Of
course, being an outrageous traves
| ty. These are boons to dealers, in
asmnch as they pay about twenty
| five cents gross for them and re-
tail them at a cent apiece. But con-
sidering the patience spent in wait
ing upon customers who ponder
over them, the money, every cent of
it, is earned As before said. many
persons annually vent their spleen
in this manner, but for the most
part they are sent and received in
the same spirit, that OF joking
The valentine trade is the most
peculiar Of all ira les. inasmnch as
it seems neither to grow. nor de-
crease. The average dealer sells
practically the same quantity each
year. They are manufactured by
only one firm, that of Mclaughlin
Brothers, in New York, the same
concern that makes the Juvenile and
highly colored picture books tor the
Christmas trade A we'll knowa
dealer who has sold valentines for
many years, said the other day that
the trade remained the same from
one year TO another
There was no increase and he did
not notice any falling off in the de-
mand. In some cities in the east
no attention was paid TO Valentine
day. The trade for valentines was
confined chiefly to the manufacture,
ing centers, as it was this class of
persons who purchased them.
The fancy lace paper creation is
the valentine mostly sold, chiefly on
account of its cheapness, the prices
varying from one cent to fifty cents.
They usually contain design in
shape of heart or two in the cen
ter, Cupid's arrow penetrating the
organ, "Roses red, violets blue; SUI
gar is sweet and so are you" was
once popular inscription on the
valentines but in later years it has
been superseded by verses as home
ly, but in loftier expression. The
sentiment on all the valentines is
the same.
Many love sick swain has taken
a sentiment from a valentine and
written it in his beloved's autograph
album. There are many designs in
highly perfnmed novelty valentines
that make suitable wall decorations,
ranging in price from fifty cents to
SIS and more They do not find
ready sale, however, as the age of
foolishness is past. The sending Of
them is confined to mainly the youth
whose affection is of the head and
not of the heart. Those afflicted
with the disease Count Leo Tolstoi
described as devotion to one person
to the exclusion of all Others in
these days of materialism usually
make no bones about the thing and
simply say, Il love you"