Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-02-15

and tinsel and the silken flowers OF
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 ruftled
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 SYM
bolism and the lifting rimes that
wooed and won the damseis beruff1ed
and becurled great-grandmamma
These will be hers to receive and
give, if 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 realistic aortic con-
fagration if he knows she will not
laugh at it.
Happily, too, they may both cease
thinking of good Saint Valentine mere
ly as a pious substitute for the de-
liciously wicked Lupercalia, or even as
sort of philandering, gray-bearded,
amorous cousin to Saint Nicholas, for
there is delightful secret concerning
him, pathetic bit of gossip!
The handsome Valentine of Rome,
belonging to one of the leading early
Christian families, was an ambitious
young presbyter, reputed austere. He
was cruelty opposed by that impossi-
bly, pagan person, Governor Calpur-
MUS, who hurled Valentine into prison,
had him beheaded, on the Flaminian
Way, Ammo Domini 2O7. But there is
the gossip, which l will let my infor-
mant 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 commit
ted to the care of a Man whose daugh-
ter was blind, whom Valentine re-
stored to Sight, and from that Time
the Girl became enamored of him, nor
did he treat her Affection with Con-
ICLlpts A1uI dAtCA q lOAlS5 LII Dl ASOuluSuI
he was ordered for Publick Execution
On the 14th of February. While in
Prison being deprived of Books, he
used to amuse himself with cutting
curious Devices in Paper, on one of
which he wrote some pious Exhorta-
tons and Assurances of Love, and
sent to the Keepers Daughter the
Morning of Execution; and being con-
cluded in the Words, Your Valentine
there is great reason for supJosing
that to be thu origin of the present
Custom" Thus saith Mistress Diana
Mason in the introduction to KEN
mish's Annual and Universal Valen-
tine Writer for 1897. After reviewing
the variants of this legenL as sub
mitted by Miss Mason of Chaplain,
and John INITIAL Of Bury, the COM
piler of the Annual thus delivers him.
self: I'VE give 1t as cur opinion, that
the first appears to be of most genuine
origin" 1t is pity that you cannot
see the long, lisping esses. They are
so cheerfully convincing withal
1t is pleasing thus to be able to
conceive Of the saint as a young lover,
the initiated trchfamen OF Hymen, as
Charles Lamb named him, removed
in the early stages of mounting pas
sion to be the patron of ali 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 fiourished for centuries
on the European continent, in England
and Scotland. and even in America tC
some extent But the ceremonial of