Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-02-08
VALENTINE. THE GOOD SAINT
The Custom of Sending Flowers
and Messages Of Love on Feb
ruary "a Began Many Years
Ago in Rome.

ruary ~ Began Many Years
Ago in Rome.
Long, long ago there lived in
Rome a very good man named
Valentine. He read and studied
God Holy Book and then he told
tho people about God. Many of
Those people did NOT know how to
read and write and they loved to
/ hear stories about the Heavenly
Father, and as this good man
lpracticed all that he preached the
people believed i'm his teachings
and followed him into the church.
Now i'm those early days many
people did moi believe i'm God. and
the Roman Emperor. Claudius III,
was very angry when he found
people preaching tho truth, so he
lpersecutcd these Christians. and
Valentine helped them all that he
could and continued his work in
spite of the emperor. Then
lClaudins put the good Valentine
Unto prison. But there i'm his
dungeon Valentine preached to
}his guard. The man was convert
ed. went home to his family and
told them the Bible story so that
they all Joined the church.
Wfcn the wicked ruler heard
This he commanded that the good
Valentine he heatcn and then be-
headed, so This good man gave
up his life because he believed in
1 God. But the people whom he
had taught continued to tell the
Bible stories and to live as VAL
entine had taught them. and they
said valentine gave up his life
Tor his friends: and the Master
said: Greater love hath no man
than this. that man lay down his
life for his friends. /" And they
called his saint Valentines" and
they said I'VE will always re-
member the day that he died,
February AZ. by doing deeds of
4 love in his name"
Now at this time it was the
I custom i'm Rome TO celebrate in
4 the month of February the Iup-
ercalia. or feast in honor of the
heather gods. The names of
Young maidchs were put into a
box and tho young men each drew
the name of a maiden who was
to he his sweetheart.
The pastors of the carly Chris
tlan church did not like tins pa
gan festival, and so, i'm place of
the womcn's names they put the
names of saints into The box, and
The young people were TO honor
! and initiate the saints whose
names they drew from The box
and as the festival of T.mpercalia
began about The middle of Frbru-
AIRY. hey chose Saint Valentine
i as the patron saint OF This love
festival. SO Ihc day became a
rel!sions festival. and the people
PRAYED To God and went about do
ing loving deeds as Saint Nalen-
time had done when he was with
Them.
Nfler q while they did not cole
ia'aie This time as II church day:
They went back TO The pagan fes-
i tival. Gcorgene Faulkner says in
! the Ladies Home Journal that in
that part of the land spring
comes carly. and when the flow
ers began TO bloom and the birds
began to choose their mates and
young mon chose their maidens,
land they sent their love tokens
upon February "A. They did not
have postmen in those early days
4 so their love messages were sent
by carrier pigeons.
Now on our messages we see
pictures of flowers. of mating
doves and also the little pagan
god of love. Cupid. But we call
these love messages "Valcntines,"
and the day Saint Valentines
Day. Yet we must remember that
these pretty, lacy cards, with their
flowers, doves and cupids, are
really sent as love greetings, and
we must not forget the good st.
/ Valentine who gave up his life be-
cause he loved others. Nebraska
Farm Journal.
-Q,
Severe Cold Quickly Cured.