The Washington herald., 1915-02-14


the Louises that are prevalent in our
house and dress decorations, has come
a recrudescence of sentiment. For the
modern maid-whose latest nickname,
''the little creature smacks of the Early
Victorian-for her of the ruffled skirts
and the lovelocks have returned the
burning hearts, the arrows of Cupid, the
altar and the garlanded rings, the paired
doves nesting in lace-paper-all the
sweet, passionate symbolism and the lilt-
ing rtmes that wooed and won the dam
sells beruffled and becurled great-grand-
mamma. These will be hers to receive
and give, II she follows the old, old rules
OF the game. The slim modern youth
with the slightly romantic air induced by
his Byronic haircut will not disdain to
send his love a realistic picture Of his
young heart in a serious aortic con1a-
grafton II he knows she will not laugh
at it, but rather be moved by his fash
ionable Offering, and perhaps even blush
a little, in the manner of vieuX temps,
as she sticks second patch on her por-
celain cheek.
Happily, too, they may both cease
thinking of good Saint Valentine merely
as a pious pis aller for the delicious
ly wicked Lupercalia, or even as a sort
of phtlandering, gray-bearded, amorous
cousin to Saint Nicholas, for there is a
delightful secret concerning him, a
pathetic but charming bit of gossip!
The handsome Valentinus of Rome, be-
longing to one Of the leading early Chris
tian families, was an ambitious young
presbyter, reputed austere- He was
cruelty opposed by that impossibly pagan
HaT
Valentinus into prison, and all that sort
of thing. and finally had him beheaded,
on the Flamfnian Way. Ammo Domini 2O7.
But here is the gossip, which l will let
my informant give in her own words:
Il have by me a very old Book, which
has the following Account of Valentine
being confined at Rome on account of his
Religion, and committed to the care of
Man whose daughter was blind, whom
Valentine restored to Sight, and from
that Time the Girl became enamored of
him. nor did he treat her Affection with
Contempt. But after a long Imprison-
ment he was ordered for Publick Exc
cution on the 14th of February. While
in Prison being deprived of Books, he
used to amuse himself with cutting Curl
GUS Devices in Paper, on one of which
he wrote some pious Exhortations and
Assurances of Love, and sent to the
Keepers Daughter the Morning of Exc
Cution; and being concluded in the
Words. Your Valentine there is great
reason for supposing that to be the ori-
gin of the present Custom" Thus saith
Mistress Diana Mason in the Introduction
to Kemmish's Annual and Universal Val
entine Writer for 1897. After review
ing the variants of this legend as sub
mitted by Miss Mason of Clapham, and
John INITIAL of Bury, the compiler of
the Annual thus delivers himself: I'VE
give it as our opinion, that the first ap-
pears to be most genuine origin" 1t is
a pity that you cannot see the long,
lisping esses. They are SO cheerfuIly
convincing withal.
1t is pleasing thus to be able to con-
ceive of the saint as young lover, the
initiated Archflamen of Hymen, as
Charles Lamb named him. removed in
the early stages of a mounting passion
to be the patron of all true lovers, and to
inspire forever the daintily sentimental.
endearingly naive. over-decorated human
documents we call valentines.
The pretty customs of the Lovers
Festival have flourished for centuries on
the European continent, in England and
Scotland. and even in America to some
extent. But the ceremonial of Valentine
Choosing. which is actually an adapta-
tiOn OF the blind lottery of the Roman
Lupercalia, is now unused. Mission the
lTdNPleG gives IQlS seventeenth century
account of the ritual
IAN equal number of maids and bach
elors indite their names upon separate
billets, which they roll up. and draw by
way Of lots. the maids taking the mems
billets and the men the maids; so that
each Of the young men lights upon a girl
that he calls his valentine and each of
the girls upon a young man whom she
calls hers. BY this means each has two
hr,t ba Ctio
the valentine that has fallen to him than
to the valentine to whom he has fallen.
Fortune having thus divided the COM
pany into so many couples the valentines
give balls and treats to their mistresses.
wear their billets several days upon their
bosoms or sleeves and this little sport
often ends in love"
Kemmish's Annual, which is a little
paper-covered pamphlet of only forty-eight
pages. is one of the oldest known guides
to this picturesque manner of loYemaking.
The battered book of III years holds the
place of distinction in the large collection
Of valentines owned by Mr. Frank House
Baer, of Cleveland. an authority on quaint
love missives. From the yellow pages of
Kemmish many ingenious conceits have
come down the years, to be repea-ri, eX-
panded and initiated again and again in
the recurrent Annuals which sold for six
pence and had an enormous circulation
among British lovers in all walks of life.
"Cupid's Cabinet or Lovers Pastime,"
"Cupid's Annual Charter, or st. Valentines \
Festival" The GentIemen's Polite Valen-
tine Writer" Richardson's New Fashion
able Lady's Valentine WRITER aud THE
Lovers Companion, or Valentines for
Trades" are some of their alluring titles.
In the obIging little books, of which
the last mentioned is a type, tradesPeople
and servants were carefully provided with
appropriate sets Of verses Such was the
BARRIERS:
shave well for a penny. for two pence
cut hair.
On my windows is written in characters