Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-15
DID YOU RECEIVE A
VALENTINE YESTERDAY?
HERE ARE EXPLANATIONS AND
SOME CONSOLATION
interesting Analysis and Significance
of Misslves Both of Love and of
Spite--History of7Day's
Origin

1.-THE rose was red, the violet was
blue" and in every other way Los An
geles yesterday passed another ideal
winter day--a little more interesting
than most of our ideal days, perhaps.
because it was Valentines day--the day
that commentaries the death of the
ecclesiastical martyr beheaded by the
Romans under Claudius more than 200
years b. G.
Although Valentines day is saints
death day it derived it's modern ro-
mantle significance from the old myth
illogical belief that obtained even before
the time of Chaucer. l. e., that on Feb
ruary IA the birds are mated.
On this day, according to the es-
teemed ancients, the billing and cooling
of the winged world ended In the
coupling of their melodious destinies.
and the feathered Hymen of the fowl
realm married the bird lovers at the
sylvan or cloudland altar of love.
So in moder.. times the day of st.
Valentine is observed as lovers day
the sacred occasion for the sending of
idle idolizations," sweet, rhythmic
nothings; confessions of fervent pas
as the spite workers day for giving
vent to all the pent-up hate sizzling in
his heart; the jealousy, anger, spleen
that corrodes his soul and hisses itself
into the Venomous effusions of satire,
anonymous accusations, criticisms and
vulgar cartoons that serve antithetical
purposes to love and good will.
1t Is day particularly to be dreaded
by certain types of men and women
who may not happen to be what the
world calls popular" But after all,
if you received hard Jolt from the
knocker yesterday there is left the con-
ISOLATION that your presence in the world
is felt and that-even though you de-
served the knock-you have an enemy,
which is one of the best signs IN the
world that you also have a friend--a
good friend, a true one-for you cannot
have one without the other.
If you have enemies you must be a
good man or a good woman, for the
class of people who send mean, vulgar
valentines are generally those who hate
almost detest-good people, good
things, good principles.
So, good or bad, your valentine
should comfort you. 1t indicates that
you fill niche in the world, however
small, which some walking nonentities
have never done. Better be a man,
or a woman, with enemies hissin6 you,
than a breathing corpse nestled among
the flowers. It's not only the real dead
corpses that have roses and all the
nice things which go to mask a coffin
and make it beautiful, for there are
lots of pulsing cadavers who have
everything beautiful, but still are dead.
They have beautiful clothes-not neces-
sarily shrouds--and beautiful flowers
in their corsage or lapel buttonholes,
and good, beautiful homes (Which are
fashionable sepulchers) and flower
gardens that have no children to play
in them, and so are more like grave
yards; and they have everything that
men call grand and beautiful; but still
they are dead; still they grope through
the world-unthinking, uncaring. un-
knowing, unloving, unloved, uncon-
scious.
If you are not one of the dead kind,
be happy. If you are really alive you
may be the victim of vulgar valen-
tine, but the more reason you should
be joyous, gay and thankful.
A vulgar valentine is hiss from
coward, for it is always anonymous
and an anonymous accuser or critic is
a coward. F1a
Some great actor once remarked to
an audience that "only geese in their
foolishness and snakes in their venom
hiss"
So the mau who Kisses you, according
to this logic, is either a goose or
serpent.
Vive, st. valenfine! w. S. M.