Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-02-08
Why | Love
St. Valentines Dag
iecause It Helped de In NJ
Courtship and to Get the
Girl ] Wanted
BY ARTHUR GRAY


A hundred years ago. when there
were but few million people IN the
United States. our progenitors fen IN
love In he old fashioned natural way
aud, being once in love, married as ?
matter Of course, very few Of Their
considering what they would live on
In the married state. One reason Tor
this. or cause, whichever one choose
% consider It. was that they fell IL
love and married young.
The reason why appreciate St Val
ontine's day Is that it had great deal
TO do with ny present domestic hoDpl-
ness. A valentine began Il. yalcn.
tine furnished means Of keepin, 81 up.
and valentine settled IL.
Ele Winston at seventeen was et
the exact axe her mother married
married for lovo-m married without an.
provision FOR the future. But Mrs
winston married much later tsan 4.
hundred years aro. when getting Ii,
ns was easter and not 20 much w
required. Consequently she didu't IL
married lie as charming as Il ni~i-
have been had Files father had a for
tune or at least IN income commei-
surate with the requirements Of 81 f..
crsasing family. Thcccfare az riic'
be expected, the lady Old not pruposs
that her sons should take wives uut.
they could support them or that hc-
daughters should marry men who wer-
not prosperous.
This was sensible, but when a sens.
bic Idea is carried too far it ceases E..
be sensible. To come to the point
Mrs. Winston determined that he
daughter LIE, in whom l came to L.
Interested, should marry none otho.
th.-a rich man. l wanted EMe, anu
| hadn't cent. Ergo, Mrs. Wipstos
was very stupid and a very cbsti.
nate woman. This was my boyhooC
reasoning, and since I have grown {,
middle age l have not. IN my case.
seen any reason to change it. l con
TESS, however, that my daughter Enc
shall not marry pauper.
l made Edie's acquaintance at dane
Ing school. l asked her to dance with
me twice In one OF cur afternoon dane
Ing school meetings. St Valentines
day came along soon atterwnrd, and
she sent me q valentine. This was
the beginning OF it. Indeed, the pretty
little missive was my frat indmation
that a member OF the opposite sex saw
IN me something more than in the
other boys Of her acquaintance.
didn't stop to consider that she might
have sent one to dozen other boys
If had fba baavaulv doryar - 1o,e
might have been nipped in the bud. |
knew Efne had sent me the valentine,
for, fearing l might be mistaken with
regard to 1t, she scrawle6 her name
on It. / assumed that the verses print
ed on it had been laid down there by
the printer for the express purpose Of
letting me know that Lille loved me.
Many a verse, many q letter, has
been penned by q woman who intends
to tell Of the love she bears 4 man
that have not IA them 4 1.-THE of the
pure sentiment that came to me III
those lines. which had been slunS OF
In thousands by a pressman IA a dirty
apron. i dreamed over nay valentine
and l dreamed of Ellie. She Ia nov
very necessary to me, but she Is In.
capaSie Of inspiring me- with any OF
that delicious feeling which welled VI
within me Ike waters stted to be
quaned by angels. l carried 1t t.
school with me aud at recess stole
away from the other children to look
at 1t. had it with NE IL my room
when l went to bed and studied 1t till
| knew every flower. every vine, every
cupid. 1t was The last thing thought
of before going to sleep and the first
after awaking in the morning.
Where was /? / remember-I was
abusing my future motheT-in-law for