Salt Lake Herald | 1902-02-09 | Page 12 | St. Valentine's Day

I ST VALENTINES DAY NEXT FRIDAY the postman is Ic sched scheduled sc ed L tiled to play pta the part of Cupid Right Hight sorely will he b be burdened burden with flowery hearts true lovers toots knots I and all aU the trill Jill and fancy which the I mind of at signing sighing 1 swain can an devise Mayor Major Thompson and Chief Hilton will exchange tokens of affection because b ause I they love loe each other so Councilmen Councilman Robertson and Cottrell will send tend each to the other a greeting which will show the fondness with which the gea gen from the Fifth regards the gen gentleman tieman from the Second and vice versa era And the Ule cuckoo will fly y up on the limb and shake ake his head and say sa Well ell well Now Xo few of all aD 11 these those mon men and maid maidens maidens maidens ens who delight to pay pa a tribute to the good Valentine believed to be the pat patron patron ron run saint of love lore know kno just the origin of the day a St was not a aman aman aman man who went about a out the woods like Orlando pinning lovesick poetry upon the unwilling trees tree He was a simple Christian martyr who lost his head for his faith in the t e year ear A D during the Claudian dlan persecutions at I Rome It is difficult therefore to e a reason for Ol the custom of exchanging love loe tokens in his honor Some historians would have us be believe lieve Beve that Feb 14 was selected because it is the day lay on which the birds mate and the fact that it is St Valentines day is merely a coincidence Others I have lUlye traced the custom to the Roman celebrated Feb 15 l at which time practices to the theSte St Ste Valentines observances were in indulged in The pagans of northern Europe are said to have engaged in II such festivities and if this is true it itis itIs i is an additional a reason re son for believing that St Sc Valentine had bad nothing to do with it The Roman was a cele cehe celebration bration in honor of the guardian deity who kept the wolves from the tile shepherds flocks It was made up of many ma many iy peculiar rites in including Including eluding sacrifices of animals and cakes made from the first fruits of the har bar harvest harvest barvest vest preceding As exchanges changes c of lov by loving lag ing greetings were made on ou these oc occasions occasions occasions it Is much more reasonable to suppose that St Valentines day is isa isa isa a modification of an ancient pagan Fagan holiday