The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1913-02-14
SETTING TABLE
TO DO HONOR TO
ST. VALENTINE

"a OMEHOW or other Cupid never
u seems half so busy as at st.
~ Valentines day. Then the little
god of love holds full sway. How
Cupid came to be connected with the
idea of st. Valentines day is rather
vague. There has been a current be-
lief for ages that on the fourteenth OF
February the birds choose their mates;
possibly that is the origin Of the
idea
st. Valentine lived in the third CEN
tury, and ever since that period his
birthday. the fourteenth of February,
has been named In his honor.
Formerly it was the custom on st.
Valentines eve to drop an equal num-
ber Of lanes Of young men and wom-
en- in box. The maiden whose name
was drawn was presumed to be the
young mans valentine. This was con-
sidered an omen predicting the happy
termination Of a love affair.
The old-fashioned valentines were
usually homemade" with the verses
written especially for the person they
were intended for and conveyed many
real affectionate sentiments. Though
the present valentines are factory
made, and many thousands can be
bought of similar kind, surely the
maiden of today welcomes the verses
printed on lace paper and decorated
with hearts, or forget-me-nots. with
much the same enthusiasm as did the
girl of long ago, for valentine is
a message fragrant with love, or
friendship, and causes many heart
throb.
The day which has an enhancing
charm, especially for young people and
children, Is a favorite occasion on
which to entertain friends. A Valen-
tines party could be called a hearty
party" because hearts play such a
prominent part in the decorations and
games.
All the world loves lover" So
perhaps that is the reason valentine
affairs are so popular. With little
expense one can decorate a table
for a valentine luncheon, or dinner,
which will call forth expressions of
surprise and admiration from your
guests.
Send your invitations on heart
/ shaped cards, or postal card valen-
tines. If it Is to be a children's par
ty, buy a supply of candy notices aid
| hide them in different places about
the room, then allow 20 minutes for a
h1n rd
thing that Is in keeping with the
event, to the one who collects the
greatest number.
Another way to entertain the young
sters is to have a large heart of pa
per with a small red heart in the
center. Blindfold each child in turn
and see who can pin a paper arrow
| nearest the heart
An interesting game which adds to
enjoyment of the affair is to cut paper
! hearts Of different colors in small
pieces and scatter them about the
room. Award a prize to the one
who is successful in putting together
the most hearts of the same shade
If the guests are old enough, request
each one to write an original valen-
tine, either serious or comical, ad-
dressed to another child; read the
verses aloud and let the children Judge
! which, Is the cleverest.
A unique way to choose partners
for the supper is made by having an
immense heart Of cardboard covered
In red crepe paper. The girls take
turns in standing In front of the
heart, while the boys march in front
of them to the music of some lively
song. When the player stops sudden
ly the girl who is framed in the heart
becomes the partner of the youth in
front OF her.
Red and white have always been the
acceptable colors for decorating a val
entine table, but latterly there has
been a strong indication towards pink.
Cupids, hearts, bows and arrows, are
the most appropriate decorations for
this holiday. "All the world loves a
lover" so the more hearts and Cupids
that adorn the table, the prettier the
effect will me.
The table illustrated had two ruff
ses Of crepa paper gathered around