THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRA8KA.
1 ives Da
THOMAS W. LAWSON
How the youth of other times
celebrated the festival of love
which antedates Chris
tian era, Romans ob
served event first y
seeking sweet
hearts
THE ROSE IS RED, THE VIOLET BLUE,
8UGAR 18 SWEET, AND 80 ARE YOU.
The oldest valentine verse in the world. It has
traveled to all quarters of the globe and been
translated Into every tongue. It Is believed to
have originated In the Greek In some much more
lovely form.
OME nnd St. Valentine's dny so
far buck In the Christian cen
turion Unit the festival of love
hud not yet unncxed to Itself
the uitino of it Christina saint I
So snys n welter In the Now
York nernkl. v
On this great dny the Sacred
urn, prominently placed so thnt
none might Ignore It, wns do
ing a rushing business, bub
bling forth Its fateful messages
for tho coming year. For the
first valentines wero not sweet
or saucy documents, of lighter Import, like tho
migary rhymes of our grandmothers time nor tho
ilowcrs and gloves of today. Instead, they wero
real human beings whom destiny paired for the
wpneo of a twelvemonth.
It wns tho duty of tho Roman youth on the day
of tho feast of Lupcrcalln, which, according to
nnclcnt chroniclers, coincides with our St. Vulcn
tine's dny, to repair to tho Sacred urn In search
of n swecthenrt. In tho urn wero tho nnmes of
the maidens of tho neighborhood, written on slips
of parchment. Tho Itomnn youth novcr thought
of shrinking from tho ordcnl. Any attempt on
Ills part to go around by tho back streets on his way
to business or to spend tho day on golf links
Instead of doing his duty as n man and a citizen
would have marked him out as n man with no
sporting blood in his veins. So, assuming an nlr
of gny Indlfforcnco, ho took his place In tho line,
called upon tho gqds for succor and boldly
plunged his hand Into tho Sacred urn.
Then, llko tho historic Horner, ho pulled out, let
us hope, not ft plum, but, In tho modern Innguago
of admlrntlon, u peach. If so, his. fnco lighted de
lightfully nnd ho hurried out to buy an unusunlly
rich nnd varied assortment of sacrifices for tho
altar of Venus, Cupid nnd tho rest of tho really
Important divinities. If, however, fnto had gono
against him nnd ho had drawn an undcslrnblo
maiden from tho bowl, striking his clenched fist
fiercely upon his brow, ho Htrodo In sllcnco from
tho plnco of doom.
But ho novcr thought of demanding n second
helping. No, tho gods had willed It, nnd so It
was to be. Ho had acquired n sweetheart for n
year, und ho stuck by her until next St. Valen
tino's dny gnvo hltn tho opportunity to break tho
engagement.
It was In tho yenr -100 that I'opn Gclaslus,
noting with pnln tho ancient method of observing
tho feast of Lupcrcnlin, which took plnco on
Februnry IB, decided that something would have
to bo dono ribout It. As tho youths of tho time
tfeomod to bo strangely addicted to tho practice
of pulling tho nnmes of young women out of tho
Sacred urn, It was decided thnt It would not do
to deprive them altogether of this plnyf-l diver
sion. Instend, they could bo led by easy stages
away from tho hcnthcnlsh portent of the gnmo.
So tho lenders of tho reform movement hit upon
tho scheme of permitting tho Sacred urn to per
form on Its usual dny, but tho nnmes of snlnts nnd
martyrs wero substituted upon tho pnpors which
tho youths picked out of this roceptncld for those
of mnldens In tho community. Then, rensonod tho
Voform leaders, tho youths could consider that tho
Amliits whoso nnmes they drow out were tholr
matron snlnts nnd could pnttcm their lives by
ihoza of theso worthy persons. This would bo
quite us exciting ns picking out tho nnmo of one's
next season's girl.
And to mako tho transformation of this day of
flmgan rites luto n Christian festival complete It
twjw decided by tho reform element, that the dny
SiTouUl henceforth be known as St. Vnlentlno's
dny nnd that It should bo set on February 14 In
honor of tho fnct thnt In 270 A. D. the good bishop,
oftorwnrd St. Valentino, wns bchended by tho
persecutors of tho enrly Christians becnuso he
had performed tho remarkable intmclo of making
his Jailer's blind daughter sec.
Tho Day of Lovers.
SL Valentino's dny Februnry 14 Indeed becntno,
but, nlas for human frailty, although Uo name was
changed, tho spirit of tho day remained ns before.
Down to our own tlmo It is still tho dny of lovers
tho world over. The nnmes of the snlnts which
enmo out of the Sncred urn instead of thoso of tho
pretty girls of old Homo wero powerless to turn
tho thoughts of young men nwny from lovo nnd
happiness townrd self-sacrifice and piety. Tho
undent usages persisted, nnd thus originated tho
Incongruous sttuntton whereby nn ecclesiastic of
ascetic llfo nnd pious history has given his nnmo
for nil time to n festlvnl dovoted to tho ImpiiB
eloncd sentiment of lovers.
In inter dnys, when valentines nnd como to bo
ilollcnto missives In which lovors expressed their
ardor In their own verses, tho duko of Orlenns
was ono of the ninny Krcnt personnges who thought
ho Inditing of vnlentlno verses not too smnll n
oal for his poetical ambitions. It wns lifter
Charles was taken prisoner nt tho battle of Agin
court, in 1415, that ho did -tho greatest amount of
his vnlentlno poetizing. Ho composed tho first
ivrtttcn vnlentlno which npw exists. As ho wbh u
prlsonor of England for 25 years, ho hnd plenty of
(liee to polish up theso dainty epistles, nnd ho left
Thomns W. Lnwson of Boston
who Jumped Into the limelight again
by his charges of "leaks" from Wash
ington to Wall street, Is not un.s
grotesque figure In tho eyes of the
flnnnclnl community, which has' been
familiar with his methods ever since
hp first beenme prominent, more than
n quarter of a century ngo as a Joint
promoter with "Gasmnn" Addlcks of
the grent speculative bubble, the Bay
Stnto Gns compnny of Delnwuro, but
Is n very painful one to thousands of
Investors, great nnd Bmall, whoso
losses In tho last scoro of years hnvo
run Into tho millions.
Lawson began his speculative ca
reor over 40 years ago ns n clerk In n
Providence bucket shop. It wus said
at the time that he wns a nntural-borri
speculator, and his shrewdness of per
ception, his ability to grasp specula
tive opportunities nnd his agility nnd
daring as a market operator soon be
gan to nttrnct.attentlon In Stnto street, Boston, which afterward became tho
scene of his activities. While a very young mnn, Lnwson hnd accumulated
a fortune and hnd achieved some locnl repututlon ns n financier.
As far ns Wnll street's recollections go, he first attracted attention on
the New York stock exchange as one of the most active promoters of Bay
State Ons of Delaware. This stock once reached a quotation of $28 a shnro
on the New York stock exchange. At high prices n largo amount of the
stock was unloaded by Lawson nnd his friends on tho public, among which
he had by thut tlmqj built up a substantial following, largely through his
spectacular methods.
r
NEW RUSSIAN PREMIER
The appointment of Prince D. B.
Golltztno as Russian premier mnrks a
definite victory for the reactlonnrles In
the councils of the czar. While the
prince comes of a family with a his
torical reputation for liberal leanings,
he himself belongs to a group of ex
treme conservatives. Ho Is a firm be
liever In tho responsibility of ministers
to the czar alone, und his nttltudo to
ward parliamentary government Is
summarized in a saying of his known
all over Russia : "The duma will keep
quiet as soon as It gets a beating."
Golltzlne Is tho first prince to be
come premier of Russia, though In
100-1 Prince Mlrskl wus minister of the
interior, a post which before the proc
lamation of the constitution In 1005
corresponded .largely to the premier
ship. Golltzlne Is head of ono of the
four noblest families of Russia, n fam
ily which once refused the crown and
which hns been as distinguished In
arts nnd letters as In wnr and diplomacy. Tho new premier embodies tho
military, diplomatic and literary traditions of -the family; he Is a general of
cavalry, has been n member of the imperial council and enjoys a high reputa
tion ns a writer of poetry and fiction. As grand huntsmun of tho czar he was
before tho war a conspicuous figuro in the society of the Russian capital. Ho
was born in 1SG0.
about 60 of them, a strangely bright nnd lovely
memento of thnt drenry sojourn In tho Tower of
London. The following Is typical of his vnlentlno
verses :
Wilt thou bo initio? Denr love, reply
Sweetly consent, or clso deny;
Whisper softly, nono shnll know
Wilt thou bo mine, lovo; nyo or no?
Splto of fortuno wo mny bo j t
Happy by ono word from theo; i
Llfo llces swiftly, Ero It go "
Wilt thou bo mine, lovo; nyo or no?
It was an nnclcnt Idea cherished through mnny
generations thnt St. Valentino's day wns tho day of
mating for birds ns well as for men nnd women.
Horrlck rofers to this chnrmlng fnncy In this
lovely vnlentlno verso:
Oft have 1 heard both youths nnd virgins sny
Birds choso their mates and couples, too, this day,
But by their flight I never can divine
When I shall couple with my valentine.
Lovers less talented who found rhyming on
their own nccount exceedingly difficult wero obliged
to resort to books which wero rcgulnrly published
with n view to supplying vnlentlno verses nnd
replies npproprlnto to nil stntlons In life nnd nil
trades. These verses, published In small volumes,
with highly colored frontispieces, wero not usually
of tho loftiest order.
Reply valentines wero very much tho fashion for
a time, ns were thoso In which there wns n play of
words upon some particular calling, A Valentino
for n butcher and his sweetheart, tncluded among
thoso supplied In n llttlo book published In Lon
don, was as follows :
Valentine From a Butcher.
Strong as nn ox my lovo for thee.
Thou tender bit of venl;
'Though small thine eyes ns pigs' they see
I Too well my lovo to Btenl.
This hnst thou dono, and something more
Deprived mo of my sleep;
Oh, then, ho kind, nor shut tho door
Against tho hapless sheep 1
To this tho bcautcouB maid of tho butcher's
fancy roplled:
Good Mr. Butcher, I must own, although I, am no
glutton,
I'm rather partial to tho tasto of beef, pork, veal
and mutton; '
I've half a mind totgrant your suit, hut ono thing
makes mo falter;
I fear, when tied, you'd tako mo straight to Smith
field In u butter.
In some Instances lovers Tilso choso St. Vnlen
tlno's day ns nn occasion on which to reprovo their
sweotltearta nnd cut them off from further com
munlcntlon. ns shown In tho following verso:
To a Lady, Fond of Public Places.
I hnvo kept company, It's true,
At least for three long months with you.
But this Inst week I'vo found you out;
You're given for n gndnbout ;
And I'vo been told your protty fnco
Is well known In each public place.
And If we wed you'll soon adorn
My brow with antlers from Capo Horn.
Thus prudence mnkes me to decline
Your company, my Valentine.
To this tho reply was tart, not to say shrewlsu
Indeed, our own more polite ago would scarcelj
care to hear so crude a letter from a feminine
versifier. These valentine books, from' which mosi
of tho lovelorn swnlns of tho curly eightcentli
century culled tho lines that they wrote to theli
loves, wero published In collections benrlng such
titles ns "Cupid's Directory," "Cnrvalho's PollU
Valentino Writer" nnd "The Frolicsome Valentine
Writer," tho last a collection containing mans
examples of enrly eighteenth-century humor of a
sort which nlmost reconciles ono to tho merry
profosslonnl Jests of one's own era.
The Manufactured Valentine.
It was a girl who started tho business of ruanu
fncturlng vnlentlnes for snle In tho United Stntci
n most enterprising girl nnmed Esther Howland,
who had Just been graduated from Mount Holyoue
semlnnry and resided with her father In worccs
tor, Mass. In 1840 sho received from England b
manufactured valentine, tho first she hnd ever
seen. It Interested her so much that she decided
to see whether she could mnlto somo of these vnl
entlnes nnd find n sale for them. With laco paper,
cut-out pictures nnd printed verses sho manu
fnetured several samples nnd gavo them to hei
hrother to tako out on tho road to show custom
ers when ho wont on his trip for their father's
stntlonery business. To her nmnzement, her broth
or returned with orders for $5,000 worth of vnl
entlnes. Miss ITowland, of course, wns qulto un
nblo to carry out tho orders herself, but sho called
her young woman friends to her assistance, anil
they Immediately started what later developed lute
n very largo and prosperous vnlentlno mnnufnetur-
ing plnnt. In a fow years they were sending out
$100,000 worth of valentines ench season.
Tho comic vnlentlno. which wns pnlnfully ugly
nnd coarse, nnd which nourished very brondly nl
ono tlmo, hns now nlmost entirely passed nway, at
least In Its cruder forms. It used to be tho grent
est hnpplness of tho schoolboy's llfo to purchnse
n very largo assortment of these wretched comic?
nnd leave them on the front doorstep or nts scnooi
tencher, male or female. Then when lo had loft n
fow comics on tho steps of tho village constnblc
nnd pnld his respects in similar fashion to the
Sundny school superintendent ho felt thnt St Vnt
cntlne's evo had been well spent. Tho Joy of St.
Vnlentlno's dny has diminished grently since tho
prnctlco of throwing vnlentlnes on tho doorstep,
ringing tho hell nnd running, gavo place to tho less
exciting method of mall delivery. But In splto of
up-to-date Interference with tho vnlentlno spirit, St.
Vnlentlno's dny nlways will hold Its own. Tho
most famous vnlentlno verse over written Is still
being nttached to homcmado valentines In pnln
fully nent children's hnndwrltlng In vnrlona
hnppy districts whero hoys nnd girls hnvo renl fun
without spending much money for vnlentlnes or
anything clso. Roses aro. as red ns ever nnd vlo
lets nro still truo blue In tho Joyous land of boy
nnd girl lovo nffnlrs whero reigns tho good St. Vnl.
entlne.
mm
j - ' PRESIDENT OF HAVERFORD
The recent selection of Dr. "Wll
llnm Wlstar Comfort, professor of ro
mance languages at Cornell university,
to bo president of Haverford college
Is In line with tho recent policy of sev
eral colleges in bringing young blood
Into their managements, us ho Is only
forty-two years old, having been born
In Germantown on May 27, 1874. His
mother beforo her marriage wus Miss
Susan F. Wistnr. In 1002 ho was mar
ried to Miss Mnry Fales of Lake For
est, 111., and ho Is tho father of four
children, a son nnd three daughters.
Throughout his scholastic career
at Haverford, Doctor Comfort was a
leader In tho activities of his class,
being Its president In Its senior year.
He also was president of the collego
Y. M. 0. A. In his Junior und senior
years ho was n member of tho first
cricket teams nnd ho took an interest
In music as well as athletics, being a
member of the mandolin and bnnjo club.
Doctor Comfort wns graduated from Haverford In tho class of 1894. Ho
took his A. B. degree at Harvard In 1805, his master's degree ono year later
nnd hla degree of Ph. D. In 1002. Ho was Instructor at Haverford collego in
1807-08, studied In Franco and Germnny for several years, and returned to
Haverford In tho fall of 1001 as Instructor. In 1003 he was raado assoclato
professor, holding that position until 1009, when ho resigned to become tho
head of tho romanco languages' department In Cornell university.
PHILLIPS' RAPID RISE
By his nppolntment ns assistant
secretary of state, William Phillips
has gono higher In tho diplomatic serv
ico more rapidly thnn any ofllclal other
tlinn Secretnry Lansing himself and
Ambassador Fletcher. Starting as
prlvato secretary to Ambassador
Choato In London In 1003, ho has
worked his way up through posts In
various parts of tho world to a posi
tion ranked only by tho secretary of
stato and tho counselor of tho stato
department.
nis appointment is known to have
been made in lino with Secretary Lan
sing's policy to keep the stnto depart
ment out of politics.
Secretnry Phillips, throughout tho
war, has been In immediate charge of
European affairs, Including relief work,
questions ns to prisoners, passports,
deportations, consulnr work, diplo
matic changes nnd appointments, and
llplomatlc etiquette. Secretary Phil
lips is n graduato of Harvard university and Harvard law school, has beeu
second secretary of legation nt Peking, chief delegate to several Interna
tional gatherings, nnd was appointed third assistant secretary of stato March
13, 1014. His transfer to tho assistant secretaryship Increases his salary
from $4,B00 to $5,000 a yenr. .