Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-14

And much good In the worst of us.
That 1t hardly behooves any of
To talk about the rest of us
The above sentiment, prettily engraved,
printed in red and green and incased in a
golden frame, is fair specimen of the up
to-date valentine of 1905. This is in strik-
ing contrast with the homely valentines
that were exchanged by the bellies and
beauX Of several decades ago, before the
era of printed sentiments. In those good
old days crudely written valentines We're
the order. and the tender feelings of love
between the swain were expressed in some
such crude rhymes as this:
Roses red
violets blue.
Sugar Is sweet,
And you.
But there are many evidences on every
hand that st. Valentines day, 1905 which
is today, is a very different proposition
from Valentines day, 1860. In its up-to-
dateness the occasion has lost much of the
tender sentiment which formerly clustered
about it. and partaking of the commercial
ism of this strenuous age, articles of some
intrinsic value are replacing the tender
missives of yore as valentine offerings.
"Shure, you'd think this were Chris mus,
instead of Valentines dhay, be tn big
bundles they air sindin out"
Thus spoke an old Irish woman she
stood at nth and X streets today and wit
messed blue-clad messenger boy deliver
ing valentines in the shape of large par
cells of bric-a-brac, pictures books ana
other articles galore at the doors OF the
stately residences in that fashionable
locality.
The Business Section.
Down in the business part of the city the
stores were selling some of the printed
valentines bedeCked with flowers and lit
tie cupids, but most of the sales included
fancy pictures in frames; books, framed
modern sentiments and sayings such as
these: Cheer Up PLUCK Wins" Forget
It." Now or never" Try again. and
others of similar purport. Pass lit On" is
the heading of pretty framed verse,
which the dealers say have been sold as
valentines in large numbers. The first
line reads: Have you had Kindness
shown you? Pass 1t on
Colored photographs of great men, In
dian chiefs and gaily attired actresses with
a written sentiment on the reverse is
another popular fad for Valentines day.
Also prettily decorated sea shells floral
pieces and many other articles which were
never contemplated by the celebrants OF
St Valentines natal day even few years
back.
one of the best selling fads yesterday and
today according to a Pennsylvania avenue
dealer was the framed motto, keep Cool,
which appeared aggravating in Its sug-
gestiveness.
Thousands of comic valentines, some of
them almost libelous in their language ana
abrupt verSihcation, were sold yesterday
and today and some of the dealers this
morning reported their stock of this class
of picture goods as depleted as result OF
the rush.
Those valentines of the alleged funny
order" said eth street dealer, remind
me of anonymous letters. Manv persons
employ them TO tell their enemies what
they think of them, and, goodness knows,
the language used on some of them is
harsh enough to suit the most rabid hater.
Increase in Carriers Burdens.
Maj James f. Bell, superintendent of the
free delivery of the Washington post office,
stated TO a Star reporter today that the
sending of valentines had caused decided
increase in the burdens of the letter car
riers.
One of the carriers remarked that he had
carried almost as many valentine parcels as
he had those inclosed in envelopes. which
fact had reminded him of the Christmas
holiday season.
office, particularly the folding division, pur-
suant to a custom of many years standing,
exchanged covertly valentine sentiments to-
day in both funny vein and a serious one.
Some of the ladies in the other departments
OF the government did likewise, but not
generally as at Uncle Sans big printery,
where the exchange of Valentines day
tmentS has become fixed custom.
There is a lady in an apartment house
near the pension bureau who, bright and
carly this morning, placed in the letter
boxes at the house pretty valentines, con-
tanning virtuous sentiments. for all of the
more than twenty children in the several
flats. On Christmas morning she sent little
remembrances TO the children in the shape
of fancy bags of CONNECTIONS. This lady
says there Is no occasion from July 4 to
December % that does not present an OPP
pOrtunity for an outpouring of love and
good feeling for all mankind-especally the
little children.
In the Public Schools.
St. Valentines day is always a happy oc-
casion for the little pupils in the public
schools of Washington and today the cele-
bration was general among them. Valen-
tines printed. valentines written in the stiff
handwriting of the children, and even val
entines verbal were exchanged between
ruddy-faced lads and rosy-cheeked lasses.
Some were comic, while others were senti-
mental, and in a few instances pathetic.
For instance. the scrawl that a first-grade
IN IN