The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-13
MERRY ST. VALENTINE.
The Lovers Own Day Comes Again
With It's Happy Observances.

There is no good reason for believing
that Cupid and ST Valentine were on
particularly familiar terms. The care
full judgment of centuries has not
shown any evidence that the old priest
and martyr was the least concerned in
matters of love. Nevertheless. NaIen-
tine has for centuries been known as
the patron saint of sweethearts. He
was a bishop of Rome during the third
century, and is said TO have achieved
great success in converting the pagan
Romans to Christianity The wrath of
the emperor, Marcus Aurelius Claudius,
was for this reason visited upon him
and he was ordered to be beaten out
side the city. and later to be brought
within and beheaded. The date of his
death was February IA. 270 A D. When
the saint came to be placed in the cal
endar his name was given to the day
OF his death, and thus was created a
festival which offset that of the Luper-
Gala, which was observed on the 18th
Of the same month. Now the feast of
the Lupercalia was an ancient Roman
celebration in honor of Pan and Juno.
Among the numerous ceremonies
known to have taken place at this time
was that of placing in a box slips on
which were written names of the
young women present These were
drawn out by the young men, and each
youth had to offer a gift TO the maid
who fell to his lot and to become her
the Lupercalian feast and St. Valen-
tines day were so nearly coincident
they came in time to be observed on
the same day. And as has so often
happened with pagan feasts and mod
ern days of special meaning or inter
est. the significance as well as the
time of these two gradually merged in
to one
THE CUSTOM SPREADS
In due time England took up with
much zest the celebration of this low
erS holiday. It found it's way also into
Scotland, France. and later, of course,
into America; An early English writer
says. ION the eve of the l4th of Feb
ruary, St Valentines day the young
folks in England and Scotland, by a
very ancient custom, celebrate a little
festival. An equal number of maids
and bachelors get together. Each write
their true or some feigned name upon
separate billets, which they roll up, and
draw by way of lots, the maids taking
the mems billets and the men the
maids, so that each Of the young men
lights upon a girl that he calls his val
entine. and each of the girls upon a
young man which she calls hers. BY
this means each has two valentines, but
the man sticks faster to the valentine
that is fallen to him than to the vaien-
tine TO whom he is fallen. Fortune hav-
ing thus divided the company into so
many couples, the valentines give balls
and treats to their mlStresSeS, and wear
their billets several days upon their
bosoms or sleeves. and this little sport
often ends in love"
OF course there were various super
stitions connected with the day. In a
letter written about the year 1854 by 4
young English girl we have a glimpse
of some of the earlier ones. She says
Last Friday was Valentines day, and
the night before I got five bay leaves
and pinned four of them to the four
1 corners Of my pillow and the fifth to
the middle And then. if I dreamt Of
my sweetheart, Betty said we should be
married before the year was out But
! to make it more sure. I boiled an egg
hard and took out the yOlk and filed it
with salt When / went to bed 7 ate IT,
shell and all, without speaking or
drinking after it. We also wrote our
4 lovers names upon bits or paper and
rolled them I'd in clay and put them
into water. The first that rose W was
/ 10 be our valentine. Would you believe
it2-Mr. Blossom was my mani I lay
abed and shut my eyes all the morning
till he came to our house. Fee 1 would
not have seen another man before him
for all the world
VERSES OF LOVE
In those days one sent to ones sweet
heart-er yEoald-bs sweetheart-secret low
rnissivea IN the form of verses which weE.
sometimes written on plain paper IN q dis
Euised hand, sometimes printed and hid