The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 10, 1907, Page 12

By Sarah Williamson 2l eciative ha Candy stores weave pids s hearts Intp ghe designs of wares, for candy pnanufecturers never forget holidays, mpd it is supposable that they sell pnough of the fancy affairs to cover the cost of their designing But the people of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries did not treat the 24th of Febr with this. woeful Indifference. Get one of the old Qap-books snd youw'll see. The chap-books were designed to fill the same want for which “Ready Letter Writers” and “Advice on Btiquette” were framed—to help those unable to do things without It was e & pecuniary aid to the poor poet & coac! when ap-book came Into yogue, for maex & shilling could he place writhin empty purse by turning a rhyme s chap-book These little ets sold for sixpence and in them verses to fill the needs of butcher, candlestick maker, trades- degrees, and mechanics in these booklets he average verse « t merked by eny refinement. To si= of the present used to broad burlesque, French morslity, Shaw and Pir rleys, bable the verses srould not ¥ shocking, nev- ertheless thelr wit was rather raw. One of the least coarse that runs: I have seen “A butcher am I. be thou my lamb, And soon you my rib I will make; But If you deny, a lost mutton am I. And my life will be surely at stake.” Drew Lots for Sweethearts Dear old Samuel inimitable Diary, Peps , he of recor his satisfac- tion at having drawn his own wife as his valentine and being therefore able to éscape the purchase of a gift. If it had been anybody else he would have had to expend a considerable sum., This s apropos of the custom of having a gort of valentine lottery when names of women were placed-in bowls or hats and drawn by the men, who had to give them presents and call them their queens for the day. This custom dated back to the feast of the Lupercalia in Christian Rome, A. D. 496, of Juno and Pan, on February 15. priests and bishops were think of heathen deities being thus honored and changed the name of the day to that of a saint, moving the date the the feast The horrified to back one day to the anniversary of Bishop Valentine's martyrdom. So really the day should not be one of silly gayety—it commemorates the death of a good man ner of drawing for sweethearts later shocked St. Francis de Sales, and he made the change of gi names to those of saints, to be imitated during the year. But lovers would not have it #0. The day falls in the springtime, when hearts of youth turn to love, and to love those maidens and lads of the olden time insisted on turning in spite The pagan man- lots N the light of the present controv » interesting to remember that e over half a century ago ned her first treaty with Thet power was On & sandy beach at stands & monument commemorative of that dey—a slab of foreign power. he United States Kwishems, Japan siate, twelve feet high and five or six feet wide, supported by & base of solid and bearing the inseription: “This was ereoted to the memory Commodore Matthew Calbraith Per- ambessador from-the United States f America. who first arrived in Japan July 14, 1853 This is 2 memorable date, for with it ries-old of Japan &nd she was assigned a place on ster of the world 1854 Japan's exclusion had almost ss complete as that of There was, however, one thing had caused the United Scates to take notice of the embryo power, and t was the cruel treatment to which #hipwrecked mariners were subjected when unfortunate enough to be cast away upon that cosst. In 1862 In his the o isolation ended Before beer ann message to Congress President F sore called attention to this in- manity and announced that a naval had been ordered to proceed to for the purpose of “protesting 8gainst the inhuman treatment to -r our shipwrecked mariners have Been subjected,” and to give to that IAPAN government the “amplest assurances that the objects of the United States are friendly apd peaceful.” This expedition was to be In charge of “a discreet and intelligent officer of the highest rank known to our service,” 2nd the man chosen for this diplomatie mission was Commodere Matthew Cal- braith Perry, brother of the hero of the battle of Lake Erie, who delivered this letter of Fillmore's to the Japan- ese gowernment on July 14, 1353, and then sailed away. Three-quarters of & vear later, however, he returned, and & treaty was signed—that of March 31, 1854, which was the first com| ever made by Japan with a foreign power. Following the first treaty came the first embassy—that of Japan to the United States in 1860. The embassy met with a cordial welcome, was pre- sented to President Buchanan at the ‘White House, was feted, dined, wined and given such brilliant and notable receptions that they remain marked events in the annals of the social af- fairs of the country to this day. Everything possible was done for the members of the embassy that they might understand the esteem in which they were held by the government of the United States, and the new treaty S of saints’ and bishops’' plans for their souls’ good That charming gentleman and lover, Charles, Duke of Orleans, the battle of Agincourt was confined in prison, amused by writing valentines, and he is generally believed to be the originator of this form of iove-verse. One of his effusions goes: Wwho after himself “Wilt thou be mine? Dear love, reply— Sweetly consent,’ or elsé deny. Whisper softly. none shall know — Wilt thou be mine, love? Aye or no? “Spite of fortune, we may be Happy by one word from thee: Life flies swiftly—ere it go. Wilt thou be mine, love? Aye or no?”’ If Charles lived nowadays he would probably not ask questions like these. He would know that, though his verse might not win her, 2 bi apphire with a diamond frame would have a pretty good chance. He wouldn't waste his time writing pearls like these that would have to-be cast before—well, worldly woman. In an old" “Lagies’ Polite Valentine Writer” occurred this sentiment: “O sa¥, dear yout Will you render joy complete? Will you make m urs for Ii e me, what I wish, yvour wife? ed lot, O it be mine— And bless me with my Valentine.” this when next we meet 1t she copied out and sent it COMHMANDER OF THE AMERIC AN FLEET WHICH OPENED cJAPAN - ATOTHE WowLT ‘was promptly ratified by the Senate. Beginning with this embassy of 1860, which was to Japan one of the most vital importance, Japanese statesmen have not failed to recognife the trend sh was evidently not ‘at all bashful. In the same booklet appears an answer to the maiden's prayer couched in very unpleasant terms: “Make you my wife? not I, indeed, Such folly is not mine; How could you ever-have a thought "I 1 should thus incline? I things quite reverse, uld make niine; meant me such a curse Vanentine.” Heaven ne’ As you my It is to be hoped mo man w ruel enough to stifle budding love by co! ing this sentiment. Love Ever New In an article by Richard Le Gallienne on the subject of valentinez, he write: “Yet, after all. this degradation of St. Valentine is but another instance of the fact that our age becomes less and less one of ritual, becomingly ever. At wears less and less observance whatso- same time ‘we may, I any the et S S I EU R EU T R S R S T S T THE I‘I{}qfl WERE WERIT trust, console ourselves that if St. Val- entine is now twice dead, true love is as young as ever. May, whitened the hedges and“lovers mated before Bishop Valentine; they may be trusted to con- tinue doing so long after he is quite forgotten. “In Bngland, when the last century was new, there were many pretty cus- toms in vdgue for St. Valentine's day. The maiden looked for the frst who crossed her vision on the fateful 14th—for this man was the lover fate had desighed for her. Children sere- naded lovers and were rewarded with xifts and goodies. Fancy paper valen- tines are supposed to have come into fashion some time during the latter end man o, | & '@ FOR TRIVING n{g‘% X SarTae ALARITY “ and magnitude of the services rendered to their country by the United States. From that time Japan began rapidly to advance. In 1889 she abandoned abso- “lutism and adopted a constitution mod- eled largely on that of the "United States. 3 ' The monument erected to Commodore Perry was built by a society called the Tapaness-American-Friendly Soclety. ' % . Designing the Dollar Made Fun and Trouble OCUMENTS in- the Congressional’ * Library at Washington show _that when the establishment of 2 mint was under discussion in ‘Washington's time' there were some amusing debatesz in Congress concern-. ing the devices the coins should bear. of the 18th century. They were at first homemade affairs, cut from thin paper in the form of hearts with doves and cupids. I have seen some of these crude designs, which were accompanied by verses, usually original. The first manufactured valentines were not elab- orate, usually being of embossed pa- per with the sentiments written by hand. Lithegraphed quarto sheets in black and white followed these and then came the colored ‘valentines, ex- tremely ugly from the modern view- point, but jnteresting as illustrations of the beginnings of this form of art. Thirty yvears ago lace paper was used entirely in the manufacture of valen- tines, and lace paper staved in style There is one account of a squabble over the design for the silver dollar. It appears that a member of the House from a Southern State bitterly opposed the choice of the eagle on account of its being the “kIng of birds,” and hence neither suitable nor proper to represent a nation whose institu- tions and interests were whol infm- ical to monarchical forms of govern- ment. 3 Judge Thacher, in reply. had piay- fully suggested that perhaps a goose might suit the gentleman, as it was rather a humble and rep: bird Al ALCOMIc.= 1100 TEARS AGO @2 up to about ten years ago, when ths more artistic cards, with floral designs or plotures especially made for the day- of-lovers took their place. I remember some of the lace# valentines, some of them huge things in boxes, very ex- pensive but anything. but beautiful. Some of them had pictures set»down deep and gradually reached by a suc- cesgion ofyflaps much in the manner of a theatricaMtransformation scene. “Forget-me-not” is a favorite senti- ment in these old valentines, and “I love but thee” has ornamented many a love missive. Children of our day send chocolate rolls and other candy fads instead of valentines. But the child of the present day sends her valentine with the hope of a return. There is no mystery about the sender She writes her name on the back of The pleasure of the day formerly ¢ sisted in the mystification of the re- cipient, but like everything else ideas and manners change. Comfc valentines are far less of- fensive than they used to be. At one time they were absolutely unfit to be displayed in the shop windows, but of late years they are of better material artistically and poetically. . and would also be serviceabls in other respects, as the goslings would answer to place upon the dimes. This reply created considerable mer- riment, and the irate Southerner, com- sidering the humorous rejoinder an in- sult, sent a challenge to Judge Thacher, who promptly declined it. The bearer, rather astonished, asked, “Will you be branded as a coward?” “Certainly, if he ' pleases,” replied Thacher. “I always was one, and he knew it, or he would never have risked a challenge.” ‘The affair caused much mirth, bat was finally adjusted. cordial relations being restored, the irritable Southerner concluding that there was nething to be gained In ‘fighting one who fired nothing” but jokes.