The Holly chieftain., 1913-02-14
CUPlD'S ESPECIAL DAY
IS THAT OF GOOD ST.
valentine.

AY ~sS-s KOeS~s
other autAogity known to man
~ has 1sesssa hat on St vaien-
uns's day theos Of opposite seq
soau ezchaAge mlnsives and episuees
eitasf comic o. senumental. In vnien
the foibles of Tie receiver or the love
of the sendes are sst forth in prose.
In verse and n emblematic picture
Nov there b 10 custom without .
reason. bat the reason for this can
not b found h Tie life of the gooo
saint who 10 made 70 indorse this Gus
tom With his name.
He wrote no-Sovs song!
No one rises to accuse him OF cast
Ing sheep's eyes on any Roman
maiden. He vas . bishop or pope OF
Rome who stood steadfast to the
Faith during the Claudian persecu-
tons. and for that faith was cast Into
Jail. whore he cured his keepers
daughter Of blindness Honi soft Qui
NAL , pense! Il 10 the pleasure OF
Cupid. blind himself. to bring upon
bis votaries . similar blindness. not TO
cure II.
Nor was there anything comic or
sentimental In the fate Of st. Vaien-
tine when the miracle was made
known to the. authorities. They nrst
beat him With clubs and then De-
headed him. What was left Of him 10
preserved In the Church Of St
Praxsdes at Rome, where . gate. now
known ~ the Porta del Popolo. was
formerly named In his honor Porta
valentini. or Saint Valentines gate.
says William 8. Walsh in his ACuriosi-
ties Of Popular Customs"
Bailey's Engiish Dictionary (172D.
under the subject Of Valentines. says:
About this time Of the year-Febru-
ary-the birds choose their mates. and
probably thence came the custom OF
the young men and maidens choosing
valentines for special loving friends
on that day"
Francis Douce (1so7. discussing
the same subject. says: 1T was Gus.
tomary to put the names Of young
women into . boz. from which they
were drawn BY the men az chance d.
rected and the Christian clergy, and
ing It dimcult or impossible to ex-
tirpate. the pagan practice, gave 1t at
least religious aspect by substitute
ing the names Of particular saints for
those Of the women"
But sec how strong 10 the old
Adam in the hearts OF the unregen-
crate" comments Me.. Walsh. .Wan-
ton youth was not satisfied to imi-
tate these holy fathers and ballot for
q ghostly partner in heaven. 1t
longed for tangible flesh and blood
here on earth-fiesh and blood Of that
delightful variety which has . spice
Of the devil in it and Is known as
woman
''1n the latter part Of the sixteenth
century" (according to Rev. Albain
Butler) the church. In the person OF
St Francis de Sales. once more
stepped in to sanctify the rites Of St
Valentines day. st. Francis severely
forbade the custom OF valentines or
giving boys in writing the name OF
girls to be admired and attended on
by them. and to abolish It he changed
It into giving billets with the names
Of certain saints for them to honor
and initiate in particular manner
But in the end the boys ~and the
girls triumphed over the saint Nay,
the girls triumphed also over the
boys, wrestling from them their ex.
tclusive privilege Of choosing mates
Othelia sings:
Good morrow. 'tis st. Valentines day,
All In the morn betime,
And a maid at your window
To be your Valentine.
Last year an irate old maid who
had been the recipient Of q comic
valentine which had stung her to the
quick repaired to the factory, where
1t was made, with a rawhide and a
limb Of the law. She demanded the
name of the person who had sent her
the Objectionable missive. In vain
she was assured that the factory was
the last place in the world 70 learn
the name of the sender. When told
that the factory sold comics by the
hundred gross to jobbers who, In turn,
sold to wholesalers. and then supplied
the retailer dealer who vended to In
dividual customers. she swore round
ly.
Many clever young people in society
with artistic and literary ability write.
paint and otherwise decorate the val
entines they send to favored ones. In
some instances a part Of the decora.
ton consists Of Jewels, diamonds,
pearls or other gems, and the In
trinsic value OF the bauble II thus en-