The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-02-10

the gay ribbons, the brocadeS
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 rufiled
skirts and the lovelocks have returned
the burning hearts, the arrows Of
rings, the paired doves nesting in lace
paper--all the sweet, passionate sym
bolism and the lifting rimes that
wooed and won the damsels berufled
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-
flagration if he knows she will not
laugh at it.
Happily, too, they may both cease
thinking of good Saint Valentine mere
iy as a pious substitute for the de-
liciously wicked Eupercalia, or even as
a 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,
and all that sort of thing, and finally
had him beheaded, on the Flaminian
Way, Ammo Domini 2O7 But there is
the gossip, which 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 Man whose daugn-
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
tempt. But after long Imprisonment
he was ordered for Publick Execution
on the 18th 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.
tions and Assurances Of Love, and
sent to the Keepers Daughter tha
Morning of Execution; and being con-
cluded in the Words. Your Valentine
there is great reason for suppOsing
that to be ths 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 legenG as sub
mitted by Miss Mason Of Clapham,
and John INITIAL of Bury, the com.
piler Of the Annual thus delivers HIM
self: I'VE give 1t as our opinion, that
the first appears to be Of most genuine
origin" 1t il q pity that you cannot
see the long. lisping esses. They are
80 cheerfully convincing withal.
It is pleasing thus to be able to
conceive of the saint as 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 all true lovers,
and to inspire forever the daintily
sentimental, endearingly naive, over
decorated laman 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 to
some extent But the ceremonial oi