Show i i I 1 fun for st mes doly annual saturnalia of loves THE carnival st valari tines day Is almost here this saints day la a sort of clearing house for that little rascal cupid the eld time love message with nothing at all elusive or subtle in the meaning ot its very direct couplet and em blazoned with cupida cupids coat of arms Is belill the childrens dearly beloved valentine but the greetings take the form of heart shaped baskets filled with violets or charming symbolic arrangements ot candy or big boxes ot roses with only the freema ot love as a name card the exchange 0 presents on st valentines en tines day Is an old custom sir walter acott in his fair maid of alludes to athla practice and de the gift the mighty henry smith had made as a valentine tor catherine glover this token was fi aliby cut in the form ot a heart with a golden arrow was in a small purse of knifed steel around the clasp ot thet purse ere the words t loves dart y cleava hearts through the la eald to havo been touch pleased altti this clever device which implied that his skill could defend all hearts save his orvn ancient gift may suggest to some twentieth century swain a pretty gift to tend a modern catherine the origin of most festivals Is easy to trace but st valentines day seems to be lost in a maze of irreconcilable myths the day doubtless had a cause which through the carelessness of the ancients lias been lost the most attributable source Is to that of the early roman celebration of the te alval of Luper caHa at which among other ceremonies was that of a matrimonial ri lottery small tablets bearing the names of young women were placed in a box and drawn out by the young men after the manner of sy lot arry the drawer was in duty bound to 1 the faithful attendant for twelve months of her whose name he picked ut ot he box sham ngae trots often resulted in real ones the reaton for holding athla during the Luper calla was that athla esth nl occurred at the bird the er a tradition which still attaches to pt valentines day whap christianity its rays over pagan nonie the ly fathers wanted to substitute fonts tor in the lottery but they only succeeded in altering the name 0 the festival from LUper calla to hat ot st valentine whose martyrdom tell on the same date in february although all the excitement 0 valentines en tines day Is supposed to be over when skirts are lengthened and the hair done up we know that the inter be one ot the amusements of this st valentines day the buds of the season are the only guests invited to a spread ot this kind and each ono Is pledged to tell her most thrilling heart experience of the winter with the name of the gay gallant suppressed the table a round one which will seat twelve girls perhaps has charmingly simple and dainty centerpiece ot puffed white chiffon lined with pale blue bordered with and held in place with small bisque cu alda in the middle of the centerpiece a gondola shaped rush basket filled with the white and gold candlesticks with pale blue shades are placed at intervals around the chiffon centerpiece and connected with ce of pale blue ribbon tying in a bow ion each candlestick the cut glass bonbon dishes are heart shaped as also are the menu cards which are 0 pale blue cardboard decorated with the hostess monogram in silver and adap prop verse prettily lettered the acea and entrees are in the form of our life sustaining little engine the heart the souvenirs will be little parisian powder puff boxes of ivory in each of which are a tiny powder puff and a sprinkling of rouge the top of the box has inserted in it a beveled glass mirror the hostess should explain when presenting these gifts that the old proverb of beauty unadorned has gone out of date and she la giving this aid to loveliness not only to paint the illy but to assist in ensnaring the heart of some brave handsome man if the girls are on intimate terms a receptacle fashioned like a post package box filled with funny presents may by a child dressed as cupid with the box clung across bis back eat does not atop even ahen Is no more ringing of bells aid no BUI den flights as the is left at the favorites door thee escapade s are put away with the flays ot child hood but other are in store or the children 0 o larger growth the debutantes debut antea cupid luncheon will HAYING THE SPIDERS WEB GAME and a bow and arrow in his hand each present Is wrapped in lots pa tied with blue ribbon and as the hostess calls out the names the rles will reach out fagerli ea gerli for much ahn the who thinks she knows it 10 lo cut her al receives an ivory alne on or when tha who a dainty boot ha to her pair of dolls sheea with the remark ft etze too large for helen that rara avis tha silent may get an oyster and so on until all twelve have been hit in a lokling goo r ria lured way it there is sufficient energy left after this luncheon a same of hearts or a heart hunt may carry on the fun for the heart hunt tap twp sets of cardboard hearts are hidden in out of the way places in the drawing room on cacci card of one set are written the jiame of the guest and a number and on the other set the the men ot their set with other numerals num eraAs afie object of the hunt Is for each searcher after finding her own card to look for the heart corresponding In number with her own st valentine Is supposed io see that during the ensuing year these two hearts will bare but single thought and finally beat as A st valentines garden party a sort of love among the roses affair many attractive features tor an evening function the ballroom should be transformed into a bower of roses helped out with festoons fes of ribbon tied in true lovers knots with a liberal supply of potted palms as a background the guests are requested to come to the party attired as spring flowers the quaint and dainty costume possibilities anre delightful of course an exact reproduction of with all its shadings will not be attempted but rather suggested by an artistic combination the cotillon favors are gilded bows and arrows decorated with ribbon silver bracelets formed of hearts linked together and any inexpensive trifle one can think up A special feature might be a costume minuet danced by six girls and as many men the men should have mandolins strung over their shoulders by gay ribbons and are supposed while treading the stately measure to sing a love song to their valentines who ara their dainty partners A spider web party Is lots or fun tangled strings are interlaced spider web fashion in the corners of room and mch guest picks out 9 certain string to unwind tor a valentine the result of athla contest determines onea fate for the next twelve months after the web trial everybody la asked to make a sketch of his or her future sweetheart and aa most of us are not artists these dream portraits are apt to be as unsatisfactory as the majority of photographs A prize la given for the moat beautiful work the next development of the game Is something in the nature of consequences A heartrending love story Is begun and everybody in turn becomes a short story writer this collaboration brings about a roost thrilling and amusing collection of incidents ALICE DR A |