Show World Owes Much to St Valentine If f for Nothing Else Than the Establishment of Pretty Custom It Is a far cry from the year 70 1 wl 11 1 li is Its pagan pann celebration and St St alentine alentine suffering martyrdom down downto downto downto to the pre present ent one nod and yet he lie still bold bold majesty In the lice heart of today Down through se seventeen enteen centuries has l ted a pretty custom 1 which pro proves es that human nature does docs not J after fter all change so very ery much The origin of ob observances of St St 1 s day Is some somewhat hat clouded In o obscurity but ut It I Ii Ie fairly well es hed tint that the saint who pet met let his lils death by being first beaten laten with Ith clu clubs s sand and then 1 had very ery little to todo todo do with the lie celebration except that his day happened tp ly te to at handhen hand when hen It became desirable to substitute a Christian festival al for a long o list ed cd pagan observance In ancient Rome nome It was the custom oaring the greater part of the lie month of I l to celebrate the I UI u er calla colla or feasts In I onor of I an nn and Juno the latter deity was then named and I l rulla On these occasions art of ot the lie cere cere- ceremonies cere- cere ceremonies ceremonies monies consisted of placing In a boa bOI the names of young women and then as chance chonce directed they were ere drawn t out by the men Old Customs Modified The leaders lenders of tI tl c a early Christian church diplomatically endeavored to quash all nil such buch cele celebrations ratIons and superstitions I Tins Ibis his was chiefly ae- ae ac nc hed through changing the forms at or substituting other thoughts or Ideas for It ft had bad been roves roren that it was fiS Impossible alto alto- altogether gether to extirpate a 8 ceremony to which the else masses had bad become became ec me at attached through generations of ot ob observance servance Accordingly the lie outline of ancient ceremonies was followed but mOdified In ways ays more In keeping with the Christian era St 1 alentine was a recently martyred red priest and andas andas as the Hie lie festival of the I had commenced a about out the I lie middle of February eb It was as natural to choose his as the day of cele celebrating the substituted feast In various arlous countries the be cele ra ion has taken talen on different aspects At 2 1 In for Instance St St C s eve ese e e Is kept as os a time for Cor general Iving and receiving gifts In lad Jer sHambles In an on 01 Oil J City Is found a description of the scene as ac follows fhe streets swarm with car cor carriers and basi bast etc ets laden with willi treis ores ures hang bang ang bang bing go the knock knockers ers era and away O rushes the banger bunger de depo depositing po first upon the doorstep some packages from the basket a Let of stores Again and again at Intervals at every Cry door to which a missive ml she Is is h It tie e time same repeated till the baskets are empty Anonymously St SL tine line presents his gifts labeled only with St s 10 love lose e and Good morrow 1 dentine Fake Valentines Common Many of 01 gifts were hoaxes much like A 1 lojis oils I day for con continuing continuing I 1 e says Bays THe mock parcels that vanish from the doorstep by invisible In visible Ie strings alien the Ilse door oens 01 ens monster parcels lint d dwindle to thread pipers piper p denuded d of ot their mul dolled lied envelopes with fitting mottoes nil all tending to the final con consummation of gooi goo I counsel Happy Is he who ho expects g and he lie will not be It ft is 11 l a 11 glorious nIght marvel net lint hat we wo would perpetuate so o Joyous ous a fest festivity h Ity In a series eerier of ot essays published he d In In Ii I 0 other cu customs toms althe al 01 the day are given glnn Ono miss ll It Is re- re re recorded corded cordell sinned finned a bay let leaf to each LC err r nor ner of pillow and placed a o fifth in III InUi tb center If she dreamed of her sweetheart the marriage was sure to take during the J ear As the n of St Valentine Volentine comes comee do down don n to the present generatIon It Is one of ot purely sentimental remembrance remembrance remembrance brance the modern ten tendency tendency dency to sweep away owa the cobwebs of antiquity and retain the sociable cos toms of merit II |