St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-02-23
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and when maidens resist a jealous
sutton they must expect SUMMARY
treatment
Cupid was the son of Venus, hersel,
the goddess of love; hence by inheri
lance he had right to expect tt
know all about the tender passion
But while Venus was queen of love
she also had all the power of expert
encing to the full that other passion
that so frequently comes with love
| jealousy.
The green monster was stirred In
her breast by the acclaim that greet
ed the youngest daughter of a certain
King and queen, a maiden known as
Psyche. All men ragged to possess the
hand of this beautiful young girl, and
Venus, unable to see her complete do
minion even disputed, called to her
aid Cupid.
MY son" she said, punish that
beauty. Give thy mother revenge. In
fuse in her bosom a love that shall
be unrequited, so that her eventual
modification may be as great as her
triumph now"
mus it was that Cupid set out to
WOO Psyche, not with real love, not
with a right motive, but animated by
the base desire to feed a mothers
hatred.
In Venus gardens were two foun.
talns, one of sweet, the other of bit
ter water. From these Cupid filled
TWO amber vases, and suspending
them from his culver, fastened to the
chamber of Psyche, whom he found
asleep. He poured a few drops of the
bitter liquid on her lips, then touched
her with his arrow in the side.
Love has queer ways of working out
its destiny. and even the god of love
was not exempt from it's perils.
Psyche awoke, and In his eagerness
to escape, Cupid slightly wounded
himself with his own arrow.
Instantly he himself became stirred
with the throbbipgs of tenderness,
and knowing only the motive to re-
pair the damage he had done. he
poured all Of the sweet water over
the startled maiden, and being invis
IDLE himself, was able to escape be-
fore she could comprehend what had
happened.
The two waters and the touch with
the culver may be accurately termed
the first valentine. of which history
affords record. The valentine of to-
day represents the desire of the sutton
to win the lady of his love; so did the |
waters and arrow of Cupid.
That his first motive was base |
makes little difference, for afterwards
ne came to love Psyche with genuine
loyalty, and against the wishes of his
mother, married her.
Cupid, being a god, and Psyche
only a mortal, it was not possible that
he union should be of the earthly
zind. Psyche went to the mountain.
conducted by the Zephyr, and was set
Town at the palace of Cupid.
Then he came to her in the dark
less, proclaimed her his wife, and
1eetng always before the dawn of
lay, SO Unanswered that while Psyche
vas filled with love of him and the
oy of his presence she had never
'een able to see him.
Her envious sisters played on her
ceilings, told her that the husband of
Ter choice, whom she had never seen
night be some dangerous monster,
Who, having fattened her to his liking,
would eventually feed upon her.
So they persuaded Psyche to the
Ian of stealing upon him as he slept,
nd knife in hand for protection, to
axe upon his features.
Psyche followed ont this program,
ut just as she discovered that her
usband was no monster, but the
lost beautiful of gods, she was I'M
enough to spill drop of
IL from the lamp. 1t fell upon his
boulder and awakened him. Sad /
ened and angered, Cupid, after re. ]
liking her for her curiosity, van
she'd.
Psyche wandered alone and forlorn
'r long time, but eventually Jupi I
er made her immortal, and she was
nited to Cupid for all time.
This is the story of Cupid, the real n
ero of st. Valentines day, as w.s
now it.