The Paducah evening sun., 1907-02-14
More Fancy Cards Sold Than
Ever Before in Paducah
Choice Runs From Beautiful TO Ri
diculous but High Prices
Are Paid.
POST CARD is IN EVIDENCE.

Sympathy with childhood lost in
the increase of years can be renewed
easily enough by visit to the valen-
tine counters of the book stores and
and 10 cent stores. Here the chill
dren have gathered with more en-
thusiasm this year than ever before,
and in such increased numbers that
st. Valentines day. which heretofore
has been only a transient furry be-
tween Christmas and Fourth of July,
for the novelty stores catering to the
youthful fancy, stands forth as dis
tinct feature of store management.
Few persons realize the extent to
which valentines are sold in Padu-
cah More noise certainly is made on
the Fourth of July than on st. VAL
entine's day, but 1t is equally certain
that more money is not spent for
fireworks than is spent for the Carl
catures and emblems of love- With
prices ranging from $40 each to six
for five cents, the sales this year
have not only been greater, abso-
lutely from the increase in popula-
ton, but have been much heavier
relatively.
There is one distinctly new feature
to the valentine habit this year. Post
cards have been employed to another
use of the limitless possibilities ap-
parent in the novelty. This year
clever artists have prepared the post
cards to suit the sentiment of the
day and having the ready-to-send
quality, they are the most popular
kind
The stores handling the post cards
and valentines for the last three days
looked like an echo OF the Christmas
business. Not only the children, but
the older young people and even the
"grown-ups' have been a constant
stream in and out of the stores.
Nearly every dealer in the city under
bought. Said one dealer, "I sold
$3.50 worth of valentines alone, yes
terday. The sentiment far from dy-
ing out is on the increase and in ain
stages of life. The tendency In my
trade is toward the fancy and higher
price valentines, and the post cards
are going we'll"
In the post cards, the Outcault
drawings are popular; but a new art
ist has appeared this year Katherine
Gassaway, whose studies of child-Ilfe,
Icaricaturing men and women, are
the finest work ever seen in the city.
The subjects are clever and the exc
lcution is faultless. These are in se-
ries and customers have been so car
ried away with them that they
bought in the whole series at one
| time.
In the comics, today is the day
when It is not necessary to be In tho
public eye to be caricatured. Humor
| is predominant in the comic valen-
tines, yet the choice and treatment
are so wide that 1t is always possi-
bic TO get one which pointedly exag-
gerate the recipients foibles. Elab-
crate in gilt and silver and design,
the more serious valentines, the ones
which more truly represent the senti-
ment of the day, are being bought
in greater quantities and of higher
grades than in former years.
st. Valentines day comes as an
additional burden on the postoffics
facilities The conversion of the
post card to the use of valentines
makes the mails today and indeed
for the last few days exceptionally
heavy. The mail carriers are groan-
ing under the extra loads today.
Another dealer speaking of this
years trade in valentines said: "Our
sales this year will make the day a
special feature day in the future. In
buying this years trade l added
what thought would be natural
increase to last years purchase, bur
/ have about sold out and could sell
many more. The comic valentines
are not selling as we'll as the good
ones. and the post card valentines are
out-selling all calculations. I ex-
Ipect next year to be stiI more popu-
lar for valentines"
At the Dostoflice yesterday 10000
lone-cent stamps were sold, the record
even for st. Valentines day.