The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-02-13
q 700 90 } . = . . = = = =
. GOSSIP OF NEW YORK. .
e.. ~:
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BY Glenn Guernsey.
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New York, Feb. 13.-"Roses are
red and violets blue, sugar is sweet
and so are you.
Such saccharine sentiments,
slightly changed to meet modern
conditions but still sufficiently redo
| lent of the happy memories of youth
and ca1f-love as to be recognizable,
are to be seen in thousands of shop
windows today Their influence is
l-evident in the glowing faces of
thousands of pedestrians, who smile
at the display with all the blase
| worldly wisdom of Manhattanese,
and are yet made glad by the mem
cries the tender messages invoke.
St. Valentine, in the annual vista
ton of his tender spirit, supplies
| the incentive for million fond rec
objections that otherwise would
sleep soundly in the cemetery OF
| memory. From the limbo of the sub
conscious mind stalk the ghosts OF
millions of dead loves, clad in cere-
ments of filmy lace, embellished
with hearts.
| That the rising generation Of
! New Workers is not lost to sentl-
ment is abundantly proven by the
| throngs that today surround the
| counters where are sold the offer
| ings which will be placed on the
shrine of St Valentine. The swollen
mail bags and the heavy burdens of
the letter carriers also tell their
| story. 1t is a safe representation
| that many thousands of maldenly
| hearts will be aflutter tomorrow
with the JOY that comes of a protes-
tation and a promise half-revealed
| and half-concealed in the flowery
versification affected by st. Valen-
tine.
While the day of St. Valentine,
; the able ally of the pagan Cupid, Is
essentially a festival for the young,
there are many to be found among
| his devotees who are gray of hair
and fat of paunch and years. Shame
faced business men and financiers,
| whose lives are devoted to quest
of dollars and who would not be
suspected for a moment of any emo
ton resembling tender sentiment,
are mingling today with the calloW
devotees of the good saint at the
| valentine counters of the depart
ment stores, the stationers, jewelers.
and florists.
The Valentine counters this year
are indicative of a change in artistic
Istandards that speaks well for the
esthetic and sentimental growth OF
the people. Those pictorial horrors OF
mast wears. the comic valentines,
have almost wholly disappeared from
the New York shops, and while their
place is to some extent occupied by
the alleged humorous post caro-
the latter are lacking in the extreme
vulgarity that was the distinguish
ing mark of the old comics. Deal
ers say that there is no demand for
1.-The indecent caricatures, with their
disgusting doggerel, in any part OF
the country, and the valentine print
ers have ceased to make them.
Some of the valentines on sale to-
dav are more expensive than any
ever before produced Heart-shaped
bon bon and Jewel boxes, inlaid with
precious stones and costing nun
dreds of dollars, are among the OIL
ferings. Many novel and expensive
designs are offered by jewelers. and
silyersmiths to gladden. the hearts
of the cepients The stationer no lon
ger has a monopoly of the valentine
business, and in New York the pa
per lace creations are decidedly out
of style, except among the poorer
classes. Floral valentines, made Of
roses, carnations, violets and other
flowers woven into heart-shaped
wreaths. are extremely popular
among the young men who hope to
make hit" with their lady loves,
and the florists are doing rushing
business. The confectioners have
enterd the field with elaborate val
| entine like boxes filled with choic-
est bon-bons, and thousands Of
Youngsters viii reverse the old rule
and attempt to reach the hearts OF
their best girls by way of the palate
Books are increasingly popular as
! ST. Valentine tributes, and New
York publishing houses have brought
out many volumes of sentimental
verse especially suitable to the oc-
! casion.
! The annual ST. Valentines kettle
drum entertainment will be held at
| Sherry's this evening, and many
! other social affairs in which high So
ciety will participate are scheduled
| for the night.