Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-14
VAL DAY.

! Valentines day is edging off toward
lnnocuous disue'ude like many other
| things that held our rapt attention and
| complete interest in the period usually
| referred to as the long ago by writ
ers of sentimental fiction. To be sure
the children take interest in the day
and the interchange of dripping hearts
| that emulate the display in the butch
er's window, but the older folks pay
mighty slight attention to Valentine
day. Even the children fail to grow
real excited over it. But then every
| body big and little took an interest.
Perhaps the reason is thar we hadn I
many holidays then, that our excite
ments were mild for the main part
You know We had never seen an auto
mobile race or a flying machine loop
ing the loop in trails of tire or a
scorcher whisking thru a crowded
street at ~ miles an hour then It
didn't require SO much TO awaken in
terest. Folks grew quite excited over
Sunday school convention with a
basket picnic attachment Fourth OF
July was an epocha date with the
lemonade and little fizzy firecracke.s
Of the time and the congressman 10
make speech from a platform in the
grove. and election day was wildly ex-
citing while we waited and trenlbled
lest the democrats should win and the
remains Of the confederate army head
ed by "old JEFF Davis" come sabering
thru the peaceful! countrysides. So we
turned to Valentines day with it's
skewered hearts lovingly and gladly
reaped the advantage of anonymous
comics which in print and picture
safely lampooned our enemies and fed
our little grudges. Also we had fun
with our friends by sending comics
under the shelter of the probability
that we would not fall under suspicion.
Thus we revelleG in sentiment grave
and gay. made the valentine the ex-
pedient of our loves and the resource
" oui HIediiHtSoes. II WAS al once the
troubadour beneath the window. the
nightingale OF tenderness and the petty
Iago carrying secret cartels of SANDER.
But it was all very exciting in its way.
Perhaps somewhat of the Gus
tom and the incentive remains, but so
many things are going on nowadays
that We don't notice it.
Then, too, the youth of this genera
ton seems to need no valentines to
hint their preferences. There is little
OF the retiring in the puppy love of
the present. On the contrary the
youth of the period. whether Of grades
or high school, boldly storms the from?
door unbMshingly and unafraid. He
stays until the sour looks of his elders
drive him forth into the night. And
the buds smile calmly without percep-
tible iutterment and welcome his at
call upon her at her home demanded a
herois1n before which the bravery Of
the blazing trenches pales its ineffect-
ual fires. Let those who faced those
specialized faces and ran the gauntlet
of the giggling half dozen of the fam
lily of yore tell the story. 1t is ancient
history. A past epoch. The linger-
ing mem cries of the past century. This
is 1915 and the glorious Twentieth.
But after all they are the same chill
dren. Elementaliy they are no differ
ent from US. Climate does not change
| whatever the temporary observer may
| imagine. 1t has periods of drouth and
| Of rainfall, seasons Of cold and heat.
Neither does human nature change. 1t
| sticks along about like the weather.
! Customs change but humanity breeds
true to feather. Life may change its
| dress but it is the same under the
fashions Of the time, the same impulses
and aspirations, hopes, successes fail
ures. Our children are ourselves as
We were and are our fathers
Perhaps much Of the fault Is with
US. This is an automobile age. May
hap we are sticking to the hand carts
Of previous generation, ploddine
along where modernity speeds at &
legal limit of rs miles an hour. Maybe
we haven't noticed that the speed limi
has been changed.
One of the most difficult things il
the world to do is to read newspape
in a street car, hang ON to a strap ant
be courteous to the man who insist