New-York tribune., 1905-02-15
4 VALENTINE PARTY.
Some Suggestions Useful to the
Young Hostess.

St Valentines parties are among the easiest in
the world TO manage, because there are so many
things TO do at them. ST. Valentine was amiahle
enough to surround himself, at least in tradition.
with hearts and cupids and arrows with the torch
of love thrown in and roses, forget-me-nots and
true lovers knots many stage accessories.
All of which is fish in the net of the modern
maiden who would give valentine dance or lunch
or party.
And the best OF 1t all is. nobody seems to grow
tired of hearts and cupids for February a. You
can keep on using hearts and cupids and all the
other old classic threadbare st. Valentines para
phernalia year after year. If you feel Inclined,
and if only you cont'ive to give a to
them no one will find any fault with you
Last night a valentine party given by a
young woman in her studio and suite OF
rooms at the top of her fathers old fashioned
house in Of the downtown squares. All the
festivities took place in my garnet, she gayly
called ii, except the supper, which spread In
the beautiful oak paneled dining below.
The invitations were written in black Ink on
invitation cards in the form of playing cards-the
Queen Of Hearts-and the top OF each was the
old, old legend. Hearts are trumps." Then
the invitation:
Come and yoEshiP at the shrine
Come Come sad AND % Dame Sst sfs eJehs eaaE dRs Sn
Come IN fancy dress or fire.
But come, Oh come Valentine
r.
And under it ran the legend mo previous at
tachments considered.
The variety of costumes enormous.
The men made up pretty generally as comics
policemen "coons,'' and other well known COM
edy characters with saucy notices pinned on their
breasts. while the girls went in for quaint old
fashioned dresses
Partners for the game were shot for. Upon
entering their hostess's sitting room the guests
found d number Of red hearts dangling by red
ribbons from the chandelier. On the back of each
heart the Of one Of the girls present
bIf- he m wt1 n
bow each and told TO hit a heart did not
know which which. Every man was required
10 stand certain line the big Persian rug,
but the distance from the hearts was so short
that OF the ''sharpshooters' experienced the
least difficulty in bringing their quarry down.
AS the hearts were hit they were given to the
men whose arrows had pierced them. while the
girls whose written the back were
declared their valentines for the evening.
One of the games was the valentine postoTlce
which an entered into with great zest The hostess
furnished each guest with sheet of paper and an
envelope. elaborately adorned with true lovers
knots and flaming torches all around the border
A pencil and sheet OF "scribbie" paper COM
pIeted each individual outfit Every one was then
requested to write original valentine VERSE; sign
1t with fictitious name, seal It and address it to
some one present Twenty minutes was the time
limit before the postrnan. the hostess's very small
brother, wearing postman's uniform improvised
out of blue denim, and with pair OF cupids wings
sprsUting nconsequentially from the neighborhood
shaped mail bag and collected the letters He then
retired to the '-postoice." a corner of the studio
left by a suit of mediavaI the one side
and a large Venus of Milo on the other. Thither
just before supper announced. the guests re-
paired To call for their valentines each of which
had TO be read aloud while the company guessed
the author of the tender missive. Only guess
was allowed for each valentine, but the person who
guessed the greatest number OF names prize
which happened 10 re an exquisite copy OF Shake
speaIe's ioTe sonnets.
-yere oiayed-one simply cannot get along at a St
Valentines party without hearts.
At supper red candle shades threw a romantic |
glow over the small tables, heart shaped and ar
ranged for four. which replaced the large dining
Ia be- The place cards and menus represented
ty one and the card, while at each cover was
"cI.te" little valentine for favor. Some OF the
notices on the menu cards were these:
Love Is q pleasant woe Love alone begets /
love" Loves night is noon. Love begins with !
love- Love can Vanquish death" Love better is |
love can fear no one :" "An mankind loves lover
Lovers who dispute adore" Love laughs at |
Woman is the altar OF love" Not |
10 know love Is not TO live"
TIE menu began with oyster cocktails, and in /
cluded boufiion in cups, with heart shaped sand /
salad of a heart shaped mould OF tomato aspic |
resting etruce leaves With cheese stTaws. fdncy
ices in heart shaped paper cases and heart shaped
cakes On eacn table there little heart shaped
silver and glass dishes containing olives. sated |
nuts and bonbong. Last of al cayne the coIee The
party broke in real frolic with Virginia Seel.