The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-25
600, 900 Valentines Ready
For Work of Dan Cupid.

i the custom is increasing with the sales
| of every year True, 1t Is that the ma
| ture of the presents rendered: are of a
| different character than formerly when
the rudeness Of the coarse Jokes. of our
forefathers had not yet been subjected
| to latter-day treatment.
The head Of ST. Paul firm, one Of
the largest of the kind in the West,
was recently approached on this sub
| ject and during the course of his re-
| marks said:
Business Does Not Fall OFF.
mo, indeed, there is no falling off in
| the valentine business; if anything,
there is a marked increase every. year.
But it is true. that there is a. very
marked change in the character of the
presents sent abroad now to what
there was in the days when / first
started an this business, many years
ago.
Yes remember that at that time
| it was the sole object of ones life
about the date of Feb..-14 to see who
could SECURE the very ugliest and most
applicable valentine to send ones en-
| envy. Of course there We're the old
fashioned .sachet package. gotten up
I'm fancifdI form. made in paper lace,
like a concertina, and smelling about
as vilely as the ingenuity of man
could render it, OF course they inya-
riably bore greeting, something like:
with Fondest Greetings Best
still in vogue-just as they were forty
or fifty years ago, and with little
change to mark the year of their man
| ufacture. Without doubt, If one
were to take some of those old Valen-
tines Of say twenty-fiv years ago,
they could be matched almost perfect
ly, without the slightest trouble-per-
fume and all.
But the general tendency is to
something that is of a better and more.
substantial nature-generally tending
toward what are known among the
trade as box novelties. In this regard
some very handsome and really ac-
ceptable things are made, usually
bearing a calendar. Then there are
torchon panels, with overlay of gilt
decorated parchment-yes see this
one, with satin ribbon bows at the
| corners, fastened with angel heads,
and the center ornamented with cut
out figures. Now, you see that is al
most a foot Square-and 1t sells away
up in the dollars
mo. no; the old-fashioned comic
things are going out of the market as
quickly as possible-with the passing
of those who demanded them. Peo-
pie are becoming refined in their tastes
and do not care to waste their time In
the buying and mailing Of such
things.
How do 1 account for the general
impression that the valentine custom
is falling? Why that is simple. 1t is
accounted for by the department store
as many other things are accounted
| for in this century. Time was when
| the stationer's stores were filled to
| overlooking with the attempts at carl
cature, as we'll as the better class of
valentines. The windows were literally
| packed with then-and the depart
ment store has taken this over and
now, about the middle of February,
they devote entire aisles to the display
and sale of this article. Last Febru-
airy I was in New York and was sur
prised to see the enormous sales in
valentines. Yes, it's because we do not
seen them in the windows that we
think they are no longer being sold.
Foreign People Buy Most.
What nationalities do / consider
buy most of them? The Germans and
| Italians without doubt. They cannot
forget the teachings and customs of
| the old country. The Scandinavian
people come next in proportion.
DO valentines of all kinds sell for
less than formerly? Assuredly they
do. That is one of the chief reasons
why stationers have ceased to sell
them, whereas they were, but a few
years dSO, d SOuICS Oh great prOIlC TO
| them.
ooh, no, it does not necessarily fol-
| low that because there are few of the
| cheap valentines sold that there are
| few of them manufactured. Just the
| other day there were shipped from
| Worcester, Mass, two carloads of
| them. Those were all purchased by
one firm in Chicago. That, at first
blush, looks like a lot of money to tie
up in such articles, but really the whole
| thing would not amount to more than
$4,000. They are used extensively by
| large manufacturers, such as brew
ers, etc., upon which to print their
advertisements and distribute them at
the proper season. 1t insures them be-
ing read. OF course, l. know that this
is not seen in the vicinity of st. Paul
and Minneapolis-it has not reached
here yet. But it's done just the same
Where are they made? They are
manufactured in many places. New
York leads in this country as the home
of the valentine houses, but they are Of
the cheaper grades. For the good
things we still have to look for the
time-Worn phrase, Made in Germany
Germany and her provinces still are
the great sources of such things. Then,
In this country, there are the two states
of Massachusetts and Connecticut that
figure largely In such outputs. There
is but one house in England that may
be spoken of at all--the mammoth con-
Germ of Raphael Tuck & Sons, London
They practically control the valentine
and Easter card trade Of the British
&oninions.