Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-12
CUPID STILL RULES
Cynics Who Decry Power of st.
Valentine Are Unable to
Prove Their Case.

A CYN1C once remarked that the
~ two most irritating days on
~ the calendar were hose con-
secrated to Saints Swithin
and Valentine, because, said he, the
first often brought with 1t a stretch of
rain and the second a wretch Of u
strain; for, of all strains in the world,
he argued, the worst was that imposed
by having to read silly lot of foot
less and useless valentines.
The cynic probably does not stand
alone in his opinion of Saint Valen-
tines day. There are thousands of
men like him who believe that the day
has degenerated; that, where once Gu
pid conquered hearts through loving
missives sent on February IA, he now
merely yawnS and fails to heed.
But does he? Have the old valen-
tines, as love messages, really lost
their power? Or have new kinds Of
valentines succeeded the flimsy lace
kind of other years? And are they at
all effective1
The printed chronicles of the last
several years reveal numerous cases
that go to disprove the statement of
the cynic and his followers.
On Saint Valentines day, 1908, Ar
thur Trumbull of Oswego, N. Y, sent
young woman named Alice Cayvan,
whom he had been counting with in
different success for several years, q
large heart fashioned out of crimson
cardboard. Through the heart he had
stuck papier mache arrow. On it
he had written the single interrogatory
word "HOpeless?" The next day the
heart was returned to him by mail !;
but the arrow had been removed and
| the hole in the center had been patched
up with bit of white paper on which
Miss Cayvan had written a clearly
legible Eyes" They were married soon
after.
Not less productive Of result was the
effort of Albert Hildrummel of Topeka,
Kan, who, according to an article
printed in Western newspapers, sent
the young woman he loved, Clara
Sedgwick, a blank marriage certificate
on last Valentines day with these
verses on the back:
This is my idea of a valentine,
Practical, indeed, but true
II you'll write your name in it,
It Will be a valentine for two.
It is interesting to note that the re-
cipient did as directed.
An odd valentine was that sent two
! years ago by Francis Everlin of Chi
cago to Sarah Collins of Toledo, O..
Everlin had asked the latter to marry
| him on numerous occasions; but the
young woman had always asked him to
refrain from regarding her otherwise
than "a sister" Everlin had no such
tStention, however, and, biding his
time till Valentines day, sent her a
valentine made up to resemble a bal
| lot such as is used IN municipal cleo
tons. At the top of the ballot was
| pen and ink picture of a house, and
| beneath appeared Everlin's name op-
| posite all the offices to be voted for,
! viz, rentpayer, bundle carrier, loving
huSpohu' anu ~ Oh' "A sup was dp-
| pended asking the voter TO vote the
straight ticket. Whether it was the
humor Of it or something else is I'M
known; but the fact remains that Miss
| Collins put the matrimonial X under
| the house.
The ''missing-line" puzzle craze
| gave Herbert Randall of San Fran
cisco his valentine cue in 1907. To
his sweetheart, Vera SalisOn of the
same city, he sent this incomplete