Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1910 — St. Valentine's Day. [ARTICLE]

St. Valentine's Day.

The god of love has a day in this month. Cupid celebrates St. Valentine’s day, when hearts are trumps and arrows are flying promiscuously about. St- Valentine was a Roman priest who suffered martyrdom at Rome about 270. He is a saint of most unsaintly ’day, whose sport it is to mate the birds as well as the lads and lassies. He is a grave wag in rq.be of priestly flow. Chaucer notices this saint in “The Assembly of the Foules,” when they meet together to choose their mates. We hall thy returning day, good St. Valenof the saints; not greater indeed is any other father in the calendar; not Jerome, not Ambrose, not Cyril, not Austin, whom all mothers hate; not Origen, who bated all mothers. Thou comeet, gay St. Valentine, attended with thousands of little loves, and the air Is ’Brushed with the hiss of rus-

tling wings.’ Singing Cupids are thy choristers and thy precentors, and instead of the crosier, the mystical arrow is borne before thee. Mysterious personage art thou, oh, thou immortal GoBetween! ”