The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-14

VALENTINES ARE
STILL IN VOGUE
."Cheap Comics" and Senti-
mentaIs All Sell by the
Thousands.

Have the Japs chased the Russians
across the Yaloo?
Did the Russians scatter the Japanese
fleet of Wei-hai-wei? Or did the Japs
blow up the Russian fleet off Cheefoo?
These problems may interest trifiers to-
day. But what the World wants to know
is whether
81 never knew before
How sweet true love could be!
And now forever more
Will be true to thee!'
That is something worth learning.
The giddy few Of course, may continue
to ask whether Judge Parker win accept
the presidential nomination, or when the
street car company is going to take off the
bobtan cars it has so carefully preserved
from the horse car days of 1873.
But if anybody knew, it would matter
little; while it matters-well, judge for
yourself how much it matters-whether
your mail this morning informed you that
you are
The dearest one OF. all the dearest ones
know"
And adds,
''Give me one tender glance, to one that
loves you So
With this postscript:
MY thoughts are all of you"
Many discreet residents of st. Paul have
been so enlightened this morning. At
Wabasha street store yesterday the state
ment was made, I'VE sold $500 valentines
this afternoon out OF that two-for-five
cents box. We've sold $4,000 valentines in
punches of twenty for / cent"
There never was a livelier valentine
trade. If valentines mean love, and our
department chief says they do, people are
going in as strong for love these days as
ever. Professors in colleges, women with
big WIS in clubs, are knocking sentiment,
but just look at this bunchI
rs there anything practical, or com
mercial, or economic, or farsighted, about
that celluloid heart with the blood at one
end and the violets at the other? Is there
much of a mission in that young lady
holding the hand of the smiling gentleman
on satin, who is showing her into the
lace-paper coach and saying. in capitals:
My Love, of You 1 Think,
l Think of You Alone, My LoVe!"
''Of course, there isn't There's nothing
of the new century about the girls and
boys and young men and young women,
older men and older women-people from
all parts of the city, with a majority, in
fact, from the avenues on the hill who
have crowded our store all day.
"They have paid from half cent to
SO apiece for valentines, and they make
up in quantity for any reduction in the
price Many a woman buys twenty, thirty
or fifty valentines, some get several hun
bred.
mo, it hasn't been our experience that
the cheap comic are out of fashion. In
fact, we've sold them all out We haven't
1nft
with 10000 or 100000 of that sort.
But here's more refined comic
pointing to small water-colored trifles A
specimen of these showed lover in furs
crying bitterly across an Arctic sea to a
mermaid-like young person bobbing up
near an iceberg,
MY Valentine, my dearest Love,
Even when the North wind blows
And it 81 AZ below,
You are the chilliest thing 1 know
Celluoid is used more than ever in the
finer valentines, celluoid combined with
baby blue satins shell-pink lace paper,
hand-painted flowers Cupids and children
Autographed in colors. The favorite forms
this year are hearts-as ever-mandolins,
guitars, automobiles, chariots, pillows.
Tiny telephones are shown indicating the
message of True Love.
And here is blind mans valentine =
said the clerk.
1t was a very large heart-shaped pink
CONNECTION with the one complete and
satisfying word in pink satin raised half
an inch from a foundation of hand paint
ed roses:
LOVE-"
'And here's the bashful mans hint"
He picked up a hand-painted heart of
pasteboard bearing two radiant vage-
tables, and inscribed:
ga leaf of lettuce loved a red tomato
Loved her so much he almost ate her
Come, sit on my lay, my love- said he;
And she sat on the lettuce unmerciful-
.a lee"