Show Val t t e D th If a A mt c j y i Ii I th C d. d iso 4 k t ty N y SS jb iI iIi i r tt r p v c as S I t 3 r 1 V J 1 t M a 3 AYA N d Q or x I f T i By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Ki mK Christmas St St. Vulentine's Valen tines tine's day combines to In Its L traditions n a queer mixture L of Christian and pagan elements It derives Its name from an on early Christian Chris Chrls tian two martyr U o of ot them say some gome historians historians but but Its observance comes straight from front the ancient Romans who not hot only were re not Christians but bat who showed what they thought of ot Christianity by their playful habit of ot feeding large numbers of that relIgious religious re re- sect to the lions The ChI first St. St Valentino Valentine was one of these early Christian although his martyrdom was not nol vhf lu the I Urn lion route During the reign of the Emperor Im- Im m- m Claudius a certain Bishop Val Val- sous brought before the emperor emperor emperor em em- and ond the high priest charged with a of high crimes against the Roman toman gods When II faced by his accusers the bl bishop hop Etui started led to tomake snake male a plea for the Christian cause 1 but he was silenced and hurried away to noted us as the time severest of Roman Itoman judges and one who luul n a particular par hatred of or Christians to be bo tried mind Meanwhile the emperor sent n a secret message to commanding him to use se every means possible to win will back hack to the native gods and ond to try to Sll save his life When the bishop was questioned by and found to to be firm In to hi Ids hiS adherence to tho the new religion tho the Itoman Homan exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- claimed If your God Cod Is Indeed the time light of the time world let Him prove pro Ills divine power by hy restoring sight to 01 my blind daughter I Bring Dring her to me answered Val mil and when the blind girl was brought before him he be laid his file hands upon her tier head bead and und prayed aloud for forthe forthe the time restoration of ot her sight Then HO so runs run the legend her sight was wall Indeed restored and uDd was tx ro O Impressed Im hn pressed by this miracle that he be andall and anti andall all of his household forswore their pagan gods and were baptized Into the Christian faith by Martyrdom When the emperor heard of this he was furious not aol only at the tho bishop but bot also at Dt his greatest noble who had thus deserted him lie Ito Immediately ordered and all till of ot his hla family Imprisoned and the Chr ninn bishop first to be beaten benten I I e and then beheaded What ened erred to As As- or his family tory story does docs not record but In the tile case of the bishop the emperors emperor's orders were carried out lie suffered flagellation and was Yos eked cite exe on the Way oy leading from Home to on the Adriatic sea The year In whIch this dots took place Is In dispute At least leas three dates 70 A. A D D. 78 A A. D D. and Sod 00 A. A D D. are D.-are are variously given but I It itis Is hs certain that the execution took place on a day dllY correspond to our February 14 At any ony rate rote the martyrdom martyr dom of the bishop made mado him St. St Valentine and his remains are enshrined In the church of ot St St. ruedes Praxedes In tome A gate In Home was also alro named after hint him Val but hut It was later changed to del Although Bishop was the original St HI St St. Valentine there Thero was un un- other lither bop bit who bore that name nome lie lieI was vas from he be beas was as also u II bishop and u martyr and performed I many litany miracles before he be was no exe E r C I a 9 ie r lF a V I. I M p t r I ON aF m L d P d CUIN limit Hut beyond that little to be known of his hili career nail and nothing In hi time the lives of either Saint Valentine would woud seem to have given ghen rise to tho time celebrations l of the day do dedicated to these e two t anima Significance Lost Far Tor the religious of or St St. Valentines Valentine's day has been Itell entirely lost and amid the celebration of the time anniversary ry as us we know it conies comes from the time Homan Boman feast of one ODe of time the features of which wits what w was ns called the tho lottery of 10 love lose e. e In to Inthe the lottery of love lo the time names of young joung women oll were placed In III u II box or some borne other receptacle from which they were drawn by young joung nun men who thereupon become became their sweethearts Ii for the time following year ear slow How this pagan custom came come to be associated with the day duy dedicated to toa toa tou a u Christian saint Is explained by au an early writer as us follows It t was us th the practice In ancient Home nome during a great Knot part of ot time the month or ot February to 10 celebrate the which were wn tenets feast In honor of ot lan lall and Juno whence the time latter deity dilly war wa named and Feb loeb rulla ruila On this thin occasion amidst a an va n of ot ceremonies the names of ot the young youna- women were put In a box train from which they were drawn by the men as ns chance directed The pastors pastor of ot the early Christian church who by every possible means endeavored to eradicate the ve vestige of pagan superstitions superstition and chiefly by some commutations of ot Ih their lr forms torms substituted d dIn In In the pre present ent In Instance In stance the names of ot particular saints Instead of ot those of ot the women and as BS the festival of ot hl hurt had commenced commenced com com- about the middle of ot lo February they appear to ha have hae e chosen St St. Val day for tor celebrating the new feast because It tt occurred nearly at the same name time It would seem leem however that It was utterly utter ly Iy Impossible to 10 extirpate alto altogether ther any ceremony to which the common people had been much accustomed accustomed-a a fact which It were easy to prove In tracing the Ih origin of ot various other pop pep ular superstitions And accordingly the outline of ot the ancient ceremonies was pre preserved but modified d by some lome adaptation to 10 the Chr Chi in n system It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is rea reasonable to s that hat the above practice of choosing ei es would gradually gradually grad grad- become reciprocal In tn the sexes and that all alt persons person a so 10 chosen would b bP b. called Valentines from the day on which the ceremony tool place There Thero Is one oilier touch which needs need to be added d to 10 the St St. Valentines Valentine's Vulentine's Valen tines tine's tradition to make this thin strange composite complete Among the time un an- dents It U was popularly believed that the mating sea season lion of birds bird began In Inthe Inthe inthe the middle of ot February and oDd from that grew V the time legend of ot February t H 11 us liS the exact date dule So St St. Valentines Valentine's day dllY Is ts a n combination of a natural I nn the pagan lottery lot tf-iy tf of 10 1 love lose and the of ofHie the Hie death of ot a II martyr suit 1 win when n lie of SL lit Valentines Valentine's day ilij 1 In the dl direction lots lotsof of t vali mines Is unknown Tim The common I. I U Is that the first were those penned It by Chillies I Yalu of or grandson of Chillies' Chillies lee V of Ii France mice and father of ot Louis XII He lit w was ns taken prisoner at atthe atthe the tilt battle bailie of In 1415 1115 nail and was kept u II I 1 In la the time Tower rower of London for 23 j years before he ho wa was wu dually rOIl ransomed omell for tor crowns Who VImo his liU love lu love was to whom GO 00 GOlove love lee 10 e poems poem were lIe written while there Is not lIot recorded but nil all of ot them arenow arenow are aro aronow now pre preserved en In ht a n large lorge volume In la Inthe Inthe latime the time British museum I Business and Sentiment A c curious of business and I In the time observance of St. St Valentines Valentine's day Is recorded In the time fact fact i fi that during the year jear ear of ot the reign f of Henry VIII vm of ot England that Bmat mon moo arch granted a Q charter to the city of ot u i Lynn setting stUng apart St St. Valentines Valentine's day dayas as all the dole dale of ot be lime opening ripening of the an an- f nun market when the housewives of h t Lynn bought their dry goods provisions pro pro- I li visions and other supplies for the sea sea- K r ton son In n that part port of I England Feb reb- r 1 14 became known as Valentino Valentine Market day and beribboned valentines volentine were sold from stalls und and on the street In n BO so fur far as os Henry VIII VII had something of a reputation as being a tj great groat lover lo It Is singularly q I prate that he be should have ha been the tho I Ir one who should 1 forward the wider observance ance of this day doy devoted to love making But Hut It remained for tor another great F f flover lover Charles II if to bring the ob ob- p of ot St St. Valentines Valentine's day dllY to Its Ita 1 zenith During his bis reign It was not only customary for lovers to send Bend i f f ardent ardnt messages to their maidens fair but also expensive gifts as os well It Itis Is said that the most expensive ve gift presented during this period was wu that of the time duke of York to the famous Miss Stuart who later became the tha duchess of It was WIlS n it Jewel Jewe valued at At Al least leot we have hove ho limo wor word of ot timid that most celebrated of I nil all diarists Samuel lI lf for It for he he having ha noticed the Jewels of Miss Stuart recorded that The duke of Ct York being once her valentine did l give gl her n Jewel of about end and 5 my Lord her valentine 11 1 thus this year a ring of about V 4 w s i |