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Show MAGAZINE SECTION SUNDAY, Inter-Mountain (COPYRIGHT BY JAMES Repub lican FEB.14, 1909 ELVERSON) OMFARISON OF OLD an OF VALENTINE LOVERS POR TRAY ED J AM AMERLOAM VALENTINE OF TO DAY KISS graceful RZSPLPZOITEFUL EWPRACE WSALZENITNE LOVER VLR MLMOTHEPS F the Valentine of 1909 sets him forth fairly, the lover of today is not as gallant and respectful as his precursor of ye olden time. The valentine of half a century ago was a very elaborate affair, rich in lace, gold braid and showy pictures. It still lacks nothing in point of workmanship or of rich design, nor yet of cost, but its pictures indicate a changed attitude on the part of the lover. of yore The valentines of days show the man always in the role of a suppliant. He was at all times, either figuratively or literally, on his knees. His lady love was a queen, a goddess, a being so far above him that the most he could hope was that she might be touched by his devotion, take pity on the tumult of his affections, and deign to cast him a look of encouragement. The valentine of then, hac him on his knees tendering her a bouquet Frequently he or gift of some kind. Indid not presume even that far. an angel was or cupid a stead a dove, or pictured as the bearer of his gilt that plea. The very greatest liberty shows the valentine of olden times himselt, the swain to have permitted the hand of was to bow deeply over his lips just my lady fair, and let - touch her extended fingers. of grandThis was the valentine PLR/OD mother's ent QF GeAAD.- day, but things are differ- now. The 1909 article shows no. such timid, long distance, worshipping lover. The keynote of the up-to-date valentine as shown in a careful search through all kinds, the trom costly fabrications of lace and ribbons that cost as much as five dollars, all the way down to the penny kind printed on the convenient and omnipresent post card, may be summed up in the two words: "Kiss," "Embrace." The embrace is the proper thing in the valentine of the vogue. Never mind the timid, respectful methods of the olden days. Maybe this is in part the fault of my lady herself The timid, shrinking, of queen-like, almost womanhood one" 1860 that unhuman ideal was "only the when grandma was a girl in has been banished by the ath- letic girl of today, who plays tennis and goit as well as her brother, is clever with the cue, can row, likes basket ball, fences, and in some in- stances is even a bit of a boxer. It is not so easy to think of putting this human flesh and blood girl on a pedestal. More likely than not she herself would laugh at the idea. So the lover of today presents on his valentine the embrace, the love brooks no waiting, but wants quick or the answer to a suit in kiss of acceptance, a that the rejection valentine is the the of every same. Irom valentine which Gretchen taken country German) shows by a surprise by a mustached lover, who has crept up behind her; she is seated by a table knitting and he with one arm dropped round her waist insists on a kiss { Irance, which was one of the first countries to know the valentine, its home in that country being Main and Lorraine, yearly sees the output of many artistic valentines, and in these this year the idea of the embrace is again prominent. A couple sit on a rustic bench, and the swain with arms around her waist seeks to has been temporarily DLLME WARES GREETING 4S LLL - &. SS ZPA TED acre VALENTINE FOR THE SLASO. aban- doned for the worship of Venus. In this case the object of the valentine is not depicted in a display of unwonted shyness. very frankly she has placed her arms around his neck, much as smitten maidens do in real life. That the valentine's recipient need not necessarily be a youngster, is the lesson of another English picture of the year, where a lady who could certainly hardly hope to hit the thirty mark again is receiving the attentions of a suitor who 1s not in the spring chicken class himself. The up-to-date American tendencies are not to be satisfied with any any more old-fashioned valentine ideas, so this year the lady of the sender's adoration is shifted to an automobile. As the pair sit back in the comiortable upholstery of the handsome tonneau to do their lovemaking in the most modern way, a little Cupid hovers a trifle behind them with bow drawn to send the love-dealing arrow on its vay. But somehow it is hard to get rid of the impression that Cupid is somewhat belated. The grand passion seems already to have possessed the pair. This style of valentine has one disadvantage in spite of its modernity. It might suggest to one cynically in- clined that the love of the young lady is, to some extent, to be encouraged by the prospect of controling the wealth indicated by the suit- ors possession of a motor Car. St. Valentine's Day is losing none of its popularity, and February 14th still imposes on the postman a burden second only to that of Christmas Day. The letter-carrier did not always have the task of delivering the love greetings. The first valentines were simple indeed. They contained nothing more, in fact, than the name ol the object of affection. England, Scotland, France and some parts of the Continent saw the start of the custom, where parties of young folks assembled and inscribed on little billets the names of all the bachelors and maidens of. their acquaintance, threw the whole into a receptacle, and drew them out lotterywise, care being taken, of course, that each person drew the name of a mem- ber of the other The DY OLD VW AL EELTALE The result can readily be imagined. The loyalty brought about by the valentine led toaclose association, and tell the old, old story, while in pretended coyness, she throws both hands over her ears as if to shut out the recital. \nother pair are in a field, spangled with brilliant flowers and having in the distance two picturesque houses. He kneels and kisses her hand. This comes perhaps nearest to the old-time ideal of any of the valentines. But another valentine Irom the same country swings the pendulum the entire distance in the opposite direction, for it presents a couple in the sort of a kiss that Nethersole made famous in Carmen. The English idea shows a lover so impatient to declare his affection that he does not wait to enter the bower of his lady love, but kisses her as they stand on the steps that lead to her house. A parrot hanging out of the window looks cynically on, perhaps wondering what can be the entertainment of the performance. Johnny Bull has another valentine that ranks among the prettiest, a scene in the open woods, with a couple in hunting costume, he with gun strapped to his side. The sport of Diana CALLANT LOVER = the idea comes ob In the person sex. thus drawn became one's valentine, and ‘he allotment decreed by fate was supposed to 1mpose on the couple a sort ol loyalty for the coming year. often than not, resulted in mar- riage. Hence it was considered a matter of prime importance to get the name of man or woman toward whom natural inclinations tended. This is the origin of the holiday. How it came to take the name of St. Valentine is a riddle, for nothing in the acts of that saint recorded in most painstaking and accurate history shows any observance similar to those we know on the 14th of February. The post card 1s coming into increasing use for St. Valentine's Day observance. Once the lover would have scorned to trust his words of tenderness to the open eyes of the world, an unsealed card, whose message any one could read, but all this has changed now, and the convenience of getting a postal card and val- entine all in one is a piece of good fortune not to be sneered at in these days when time has such a constantly increasing value. Thus the valentine is no longer a secret, or the deferential plea it once was. Like everything else, even the old, old story has to get itself up in modern guise to be assured of a welcome, Perhaps the day will come when Cupid must don evening dress for dinner, make his rounds in bile, and use a smokeless his love arrows. .n automo- rifle to fire |