Show NOT OBSERVED AS IN THE OLD DAYS st valentine valentino Is now neglected compared to what was done dono seme two Cent centuries uriCs ago HE sending by mall ot of em am bossed tokens of love or friendship la in bout all there la to left ot of the ancient customs ot of st SL Valentine 1 day the windows and play counter counters of our book stores and bazars are filled at this jesion of the year wim exam plea pies ot an am and near art to an extent that should please e very every sort et taste in regard to valentines there ia to a day or two ot of fun tan and merry chatter when the tokens are received or of even more tnora bolst Arous mirth it if the valen tines are comic hf here re acu ants there a va valentine lentine party la to riven given by the young people then the celebrating ceases and la Is fur forgotten gotten not so a couple ot of centuries ago then the festivities were much more in the character of observance and ceremonies the orl origin in of st valentines day is credited to different incidents one writer riter ot of ancient social customs saya that it originated with bime mme royale daughter br of AT ar i ryot flauta the lady having built a splendid palace near turin desired to name lame it for some good saint and finally chose sk S valentine thus the edifice war wais called the valentine Valen and at the initial entertainment given in the great drawing rooms time roy ale conceived tt the tte e idea ot of causing her guests io pair off by means of a lottery ladles ladies drew draw from lot the name names ot of the men were written on slips of paper and folded the ladles ladies then drew from the list and whoever each one drew waa was to be her valentine tor for the space ot at one year at the various balle bills which this gay spirited young princess printess gave during the beison it was understood that each lady should rec receive elve a bouquet from lr ler chosen lover lovet and that at every tournament the trappings of a knights horse borne be furnished by his allot ted lady with this that the lady eventually receive whatever arizo be he might wn mme royale however would t boi herself enter into this lob lot tery but reserved reer ved the privilege ot of choosing her valentins lentine Ta independently doubtless it la Is true that this lady did originate this costume at her palace in iu turin but it Is in also quite aa as true that this was not the th real teal origin of st valentines day f tr w it t aa 13 alluded to by english poets before her time lysett t monk who died ia tb year 1440 and abo has been described aa to tho the poet ot of his monastery wroe wrote a poem in 10 praise wat ot of queen catherine consort ot of henry V of england in abich he mentioned the observance of st SL valentines day and the custom of drawing lots indeed this custom seems tc to have haye been a 1 vey ve y ancient one and contin aed ts to fa an equal number of young men and women would meet together on the eve eye st Nalen valentines tilles day and hold bold alent a lottery in which the of both men end lad cornea women were drawn thus each maid and bachelor would ary two valentines who were required to make mako mutual gifts this of course courie occasioned an any y T 0 O urt 0 ot t mirth an and d some funny situations other superstitions one which held hold good until quite recent times wax was that chii first young man or young woman one chanced to meet on the morning of valentines ValentIn ss day would be ones valon tioff oher superstitions superstition 11 included 4 mystle rites particularly 1 la scotland which enabled maidens to leim who would be their autore husbands has bus bande bands abo abbit it the middle of the century one young yount jowsa to the historian of social of that time wrote as an follow follows last friday waa was fsr ay and tell tall you what 1 I did tua algat before I 1 gt five key leae lea e r four 99 them to the four comers orv ahyo pillow aad th gath to the middle if jrr if of mj my swee sweetheart aid said wo we would be married before the year avas out but to make more our I 1 boiled an egg hard took out th yolk end and filled the egg up with wo alt malt ind d when I 1 went to bed I 1 ate it ebell shell and all without Ppe peaking aking or drinking drI akIng after it and this also to have ef e feet with the bay leaves we also wrote our love names upon bite bits of pa per and rolled them up in 1 clay and put them into water ater and the first that rose waa was to be our valentine would you think it itt mr blossom waa was xay ruy man and 1 I lay abed and abut shut my eyes all the morning till be he came to our bouse house for I 1 would not bare have seen an other man before him for ull the world 0 children chanted songs this quaint letter shows how th the idea of the power powers of st SL were appreciated by the maidens ot of that time it waa was customary in the olden umea times for maidens to bane hang the tabt boea shoes the window on an the esq of st Varlen tines day in order that their love allaire should prosper al though the explanation ct of this belief la Is not lot given children also went about aboul chanting BOOKS about valentine and collecting coins as their tha r val leavines alea lea Unea tInes tle ali valentine gifts of those day dart were sometimes very costly Inc including ludins jewels rings brooches silken bashes sashes or belte belts with buc buckler klep silk glove gloves with rich embroidery and othet expensive presents which a man might meke me ke to bis his valentine ft valentines day was alluded tc by shakespeare and chaucer and ont on of the earliest known writer of valentines waa was charles duko duke of orleans dray drayton ton a poet of shakespeare time also wrote charming veri js along ihl thi theme what con connection necton the martyred bishor valentine las to do with these cus torae tome whose whoso ruler seems to be cupid would puzzle the baina himself the death of the good bishop which 00 burred in the third century was a moat most cruel one lie ile wae vita first beaten with cluba clubs and then beheaded headed be thu thus it seems that the commemoration me of him should be observed vod in the gayest of fashions and always away in conjunction with the pranks of th the little god of love 1 many blany learned historians brys wyen considerable time avd investigation to the origin of the romantic observance rance of st SL valentines day but the secret ie Is still a secret the real mystery U s still stul unsolved |