The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-14
T. VALENTINES
DA Y IN A NJ ERICA.
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN.

The postcard craze has given the Val
entine habit a tremendous impetus in this
country. Fully 100000 postcard Valen-
tines viii be sent through the mails to-
day. The idea proved so successful last
year that the card printers and dealers
laid ia enormous stocks and they say
there will be few left over. One drug
ESore in an Eastern city. which makes
specially of souvenir postals. laid in
stock of 5000 Valentine cards, consist
ing Of 800 different varieties. The de-
mand for these began about the middle
of January, and by February /, there was
steady sale.
In making these postcards. the Nalen-
tine idea has been conformed TO in every
conceivable way. One may have a pref
lily embossed Cupid with a blue ribbon
on his CULVER. shooting a pale gold ar
row through two hearts of eerise. all set
of with a vari-colored background, as
vivid as a nightmare. or one may have
a selection from Browning printed softly
and without offensive ornamentation
within a simple border Of hearts. Charles
Dana Gibson and r. F. Outcault have
contributed their genius and we can
choose between the ever-stately Gibson
girl and the cute flirtations of Buster
Brown.
The United States and Germany each
prints 100000 picture postcards year,
and most of the American product, as
well as a large percentage of the Ger
man cards, are sold in this country. As
the souvenir card has made hasty CORE
spondence a joy instead of a burden, so
the swain will find the handy postal a
convenient means Of reminding his sweet
heart of his steadfastness. More likely
he viii find a dozen for a quarter. take
the whole pack, invest in twelve 1-cent
stamps. and thereby increase the popu-
larity account Of twelve girls instead Of
one
Another feature of ST. Valentines Day
in America, which would be appalling if
il were not confined to a single day. is
the production Of original poems. There
is no question that the output of
on this day than for the remainder of the
entire year. People OF an ages. from boys
and girls of twelve and fourteen TO an
cient beaux and bellies of thTeescOre and
ten, sneak of into corners, and with
much chewing of pencils, and much
counting of syllables, grind out their
rhymed-messages of tenderness. Most Of
these OutpOurings are never seen save by
two persons. Few of them ever get into
print
St Valentine was an economical soul
and the practice Of celebrating his day
by little anonymous gifts has never
changed II is the only holiday that has
not become expensive with age. Prob
ably more candy and flowers and books
are sent in America than any other coun-
try, but here, as elsewhere, it has never
been considered polite TO attach ones
name to any Valentine gift or give any
hint Of its authorship. The only eXCep-
ton TO this rule seems 20 have been in
the Olden days when the practice pre-
vailed OF drawing by lot fer the name of
ones Valentine. III Pepys Diary is a
story Of Madam PeDys drawing the name
of Lord Something-Or one St. Val
entine's Day, and that of her husband
the next year. Pepys regrets the fact that
his name was drawn by his wife. because
he viii have 10 spend five pounds OH a
present for her, which money he would
otherwise have been able 20 spend on
himself
st. Valentines Day has been a holiday
for boys and girls for many centuries,
and its observance viii undoubtedly re-
zation Indeed, the day has lived through
more than one civilization. Even the Dark
Ages could not blot il out. and its num-
Der is still red on The calendar. Il is
continuation of the old pagan festival Of
the LupeTcalia, which tie Romans cele-
brated on February 10. Christian Rome
could not stop the games of the day,
therefore it adopted them as d Christian
rite. In the Lupercalia it was the custom
of the young men and women to draw by
lots for the names Of their sweethearts
There was an organization composed Of
young men who carried the carnival into
the streets, and il was they who fairly
made Rome howl It vas thrice upon
the Lu9ercaI" that Caesar refused the
kingly crown. In those days there was
no festival more popular nor one more
generally celebrated.
St. Valentine was a Christian presbyter
He was crucifed in the Forum at Rome
on February Il. A. D. go, in the reign OF
Claudius II. When the church became
ascendant in Rome, a shrine was set up
10 his memory near the nook on the Pal
atine Hill, where the altar had stood to
Pan and where the wolf had sucked
Romulus and Remus centuries before.
The Lu2ercalia was a celebration by the
sons of the wolf in honor of the foster
mother of the twin founders Of Rome,
and of the gods Pan and Juno. The mar
tyrdOm of Valentine coming on the day
before tie Lupercalian festival. and the
proximity Of his shrine 10 the place made
famous by the rites Of the festival i'm the
old days. made II easy for the church to
set apart st. Valentines Day for observ-
ance
The change was ordered by Pope Ge-
lasius in the year 1876 ST. Francis de
Sales. desiring 10 promote piety among
the young, substituted the names Of saints
for those of the girls in the basket, and
instead &C drawing the name Of his sweet
heart for the coming year. the young
man drew the name OF a saint. whose
life he was TO study during the next
twelve months. This religious custom
lasted for centuries, but IL was never OBJ
served 10 an extent which blotted out the
old character Of the day. The Romans
believed il was the day when the birds
mated, and the mating idea has come on
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