Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1917 — Page 3

AVALENTINE

A valentine toKen I send you, LV |\ ](/ A demure little half-blown rose * c^A l ,|V And Under the seal of its JJ) A secret I have to J&O 1 (~ Long years by d Wftere a dreaming\ litUe on| The ahd /brought hirii v. should be blSth©^^ But the HerVwand hfe/n^acLS. com/ta^ the unheeding baby and awoKe and cried. , jjEfeyfairies silently vanished /'/'• V' from the cradle’s side* (Jr i} ) feutthe fairy gifts they left him Abode and will ever abide. fj Sv \- . &2& They with the little one’s growing, Cs, Jj And the child was good and gay And gallant and blithe ahd bonny* But the last was the be^f^ay. For never one Knew him but loved /y. And loves him still to this day. J©y£sj2at you were that fortunate babyJtkS? the secret I had to discloset 1)1) harK you, I pray you, and £M/Jj = J)J , Tis told to you under the roser

DAY LONG OBSERVED

For Centuries the Nations Have Been One in Paying Honor to St. Valentine. IT WAS a custom among the Romans to celebrated the month we call February the Lupercalia, or feasts in honor of Pan and Juno— Pan, the god of hunters, shepherds, and country folk; Juno, “the “Great queen of nuptial rites.” During these feasts, as a preventive of sterility, it was usual to strike people with thongs, called februa. The feast itself was called Februalis, and the day Dies Februatus —thus our word and month February. An Important ceremonial at this festival consisted, in the drawing by lot of young girls by young men. As the number of each sex participating in this lottery was equal, each youth secured a mate *Tn course of time, the-pastors of the Christian church, to abolish paganism, substituted at these drawings the names of saints. As to this, Butler in his “Lives of Saints” writes: “To abolish the heathens’ lewd, superstitious custom ? of boys drawing the names of giijls in honor of their goddess Februato Juno, on the 15th day of February, several zealous pastors substituted the names of saints In.billets on that day.” But the people soon returned to the heathen practice, and it was still observed iii Rome in 496. Its; true origin could not have been solely in commemoration of the loving and charitable St. Valebtine, for siini.lar custom existed among the northern pagans of ancient Europe. Thrfestival was, in its beginnings, a kind of marriage fair-day, held annualiy, always In the spring when youthful fancy “llghtly turns to thoughts of . love,” a time of year when youth, like a giant refreshed with sleep, wakes to the thrill of budding manhood and womanhood, a period when the lovq or mating Instinct is almost overpowering. Sir Henry Wotton thus expresses the idea of St. Valentine’s day: This day dame Nature seemed in love; The lusty sap began to move; Fresh juice did stir th’ embracing vines. And birds had drawn their valentines. It was a day of lovers’ meetings, tor choosing mates, and the male on the occasion was known as the “valentine.”

Valentina In Literature.

In literature Valentine day has been touched upon for several hundred years. As far back as February 14, 1667, the famous Pepys made entry in his more -famous diary that he had been able to escape, buying his wife a valentine by buying her a ring she had long wanted, dnd he would have ha<J to get anyway. Charles Lamb wrote a sort of Invocation "to “Bishop Valentine,”'and Sammy Weller .of the Dickens family of characters forges Mr. ipickwlek’s name to a lovelorn house* maid, hoping for a valentine “in the ' 'flesh.” St. Valentine died in 270 A. D.. and his tomb Is in St Praxed’e church . in Borne, more famous, perhaps, as the tomb of Browning’s ''Paracelsus.”

ELIZABETH WALLING.

GIFTS IN PROFUSION

One Should Have Little Difficulty in Making Choice of Pleasing Valentine. WHEN. Valentine day comes along new* variations of the old theme are shown In the - florist's art. This year, for example, a solid heart of small pink rosebuds, through which a miniature gilt arrow is thrust, is a, new kind of flower valentine. Floral envelopes made of* violets, showing a tiny flap, in which the message is to be concealed, are sure to be popular. There are also gorgeous boxes of satin, moire and even filet lace and gold braid, tied with the richest of ribbons and the filmiest of tulle, to contain the bunches of violets, orchids, lilies-of-the : valley with violets, or corsage bouquets of Killarney roses and mignonette. A white satin box with gilt monogram is uJdvely conlaiuer Jer quils, maiden-hair ferns and lllies-of-the-valley. " The quaint little old-time bouquet of roses, pink or red, finished with a frill of paper lace or of the plaited silk lace, is always acceptable. More durable valentines are plants and ferns arranged in odd tin-lined baskets. These also, filled with damp moss, will continue to give pleasure weeks after February 14. Long brown baskets with assorted ferns and primroses, azaleas! hre charming, as are the low, square, enameled wicker baskets in various colors, holding several shades of hyacinths, potted together. There are also lovely - round, white porcelain bowls with raised flower decorations in Dresden colorings whieh are to be filled with rare forget-me-nots and the tiniest of pink rosebuds for valentines.

Custom Had Good Results.

England, Scotland, France and some parts of the Continent saw the start of the custom where parties of young folks assembled and inscribed on little billets the names of all the bachelors and maidens of their acquaintance, threw the whole into a receptacle, and drew them out lottery-wise, care being taken, of course, that each person drew the name of a member of the other sex. ' The person thus drawn became one’s valentine, and the allotment decreed by fate was supposed to Impose on the Couple a sort of loyalty for the coming year. The result can readily be imagined. The loyalty brought about by the valentine led to a close association, and more often than not resulted in marriage. Hence it was considered a -matter of prime Importance. to get the name of man or woman toward whom natural inclinations tended! - ..

Simple Valentines.

" The letter carrier did not always have the task of delivering the love greetings. The first valentines were simple Indeed. They contained nothing more, in fact, than the name of the object of affection. ;. *

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, tNI>.

TRAINING TODAY'S BOYS AND GIRLS

The Dabbling Adolescent and Value of Her Fads. : ————— ADVENT OF NEW POWERS Period When Ass the POMrßUlties of the Child Come to the Front and He Feel* He Can Do -•—• •• —— -- Anything. „ , By SIDONIE M. GRUENBERQ. AFTER dinner the grown-ups sat about on rockers down qn the lawn while the younger people danced on the wide veranda to the music of a phonograph. A father was saying that so far as he could observe the chief reason for the high cost of living was to be found In the fact that the young people are, so fickle in their tastes. He did not remember just how many dollars —but they were many—his son Percy had Invested *irr cameras and ruby lights and dishes and chemicals less than a year ago, and now he did not care a bit for photography—was going in for geology, and had decided to go to college just to have a chance to study that.

Father thought that he might have stuck to photography and finally worked into the business —it is a pretty good business —or he might ' have made up his mind about geology last year and have saved all that money. - - - Mrs. Darling felt the same sort of grievance, for her Genevieve had made such a muss about the house with her photographs and things, and now she hardly ever takes her camera -outr Indeed, Genevieve bashad four hobbles since she took up with the camera—there was raising pansies, and hand-painted china, and the foreign missions, and now it’s dancing. The Darlings never mention the cost of anything; but such shifting and restlessness fs very distracting. Another mother observed that after all we have to expect to do a great deal for our children, but fear that her son was frittering away altogether too much time in ways that would prove to be unprofitable. He gave up collecting stamps when his album was far from full, and there It was, after all that work, doipg nobody any good. And it was the same way with his wireless telegraph. They had had so much trouble getting a permit for the masts, and he-had worked so hard studying the codes until l\ e was ahlejte. pick up all sorts of curious aqd interesting messages (the mother could not conceal her pride behind her complaints), and now all was abandoned since he met that North boy, who interested him In ants! What all this would lepd to goodness only knew, and she was patient enough, goodness also knew. And Mr. Burrowes, who dreaded the water, felt the same 'way afbout It; for had not his son dabbled about in a dozen —yes, a score—of useless hobbies, only to turn around suddenly with his mind made up to enter the Naval academy next year, when - he would be old enough? As if there were not a hundred excellent things tA do nn the solid... earth lAudhe-pm-ceeded to enumerate some of them, though he stopped long before he reached ten. * But the fathers and mothers in the party worried together more than they had a right to. Or at least, if

And Now It's Dancing.

they were entitled to all that worry they worried in the wrong direction The young people, if they are fairly healthy, and if they are fairly free to find out about what’s going on in the world, and if they are fairly free to go in for things that do not bring in money—or especially If they have a chance to go in for things that cost money—are quite sure to take up one absorbing hobby after another. It Is just because there are so many excellent things to do on the solid earth —and in the air, and in the water, top —that they need se eral years to find out which they would rather do. And apparently the only way to find out is by trying rtie feel of them all. Of couy*e. this is rather expensive, because ihe things with which they el utter dp the house aro never usetfr up entirely, and they form a worthless collection of junk to mark the meandering! of the adolescent mind. But the most serious concern is not the cost in mo .toy, for where the money

Is not to be badi we find the spine tendency to jump- from one Interest to , another. The fear of adults ip always that the growing girl or boy will become a dabbler, a “rolling stone,” an unsettled wanderer without definite purpose or goal. And it must be admitted that once in so often a person reaches years pf maturity without having found a guiding aim In life. For the adolescents In general, however, this rapid shifting of interest seems to be the normal manifestation of the rapid development going on within the organism. The changes IP the nervous system bring forth a multitude of new interests and new Impulses, which simply cannot all find expression at the same time and which crowd upon each other In such fashion that now one and now another breaks to the surface in quick succession. To people of comparatively fixed habits and conventionalized standards these fickle ways are not only annoying but often even alarming. Those of us who cannot remember the golden days when we wavered between the operatic stage and a lonely Island In the South sea, or between saving the world from selfishness and sin and becoming* the chief of a band of brigands Simply cannot understand th'« fickle-

Became Interested in Ants.

ness. It does seem so inconsistent, so unreasonable; and what will it all leaclto? r—The adolescent years are those In which the child feels that he can do anything that older human beings can do; and, in truth, no one has yet found the limits of what he can do. The “rapid growth in physical and mental strength gives rise to the feeling of unlimited growth; and past performances quickly lose their Interest with the advent of new powers. All the possibilities of the child come to the front, ahd it is only as these are tried out that the most profitable lines of development can be discovered. The danger for most children durthis period of growth and impression is not in the dissipation through contact wtth too many lines of interest, but In the lack of opportunity to try out enough to give a broad sympathy in sentiment, outlook in intellect and a wise choice of permanent Interest. Let the children dabble while the dabbling is good; soon It will be too late.

HONOR ACCORDED TO GREEKS

Believed to Have Been the First People to Introduce Written Almanacs Jto the World The first written almanacs probably were complied., by the Greeks of Alexandria between 100 and 150 A. D. Calendars are much older, the ancient Romans having proclaimed the first of the month and posted a notice of its occurrence in a public place. The first of the month thus came to be called The Kalends, from “I call” or “I proclaim,” and thus the world “calendar” was derived. Probably the oldest calendar In existence was - found in the ruins of-Pom-peii. It was cut upon a square block of marble, upon each side of which three months, are registered, each headed by the'proper sign of the zodiac. The first almanac printed in Europe covered the years 1475, 1494 and 1513 and was published at Buda, Hungary. The first printed almanac in England was the “Sheapheards Kaiender,” printed in .1497. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries almanacs became comparatively common In Europe. The early almanacs contained many prognostications regarding “the Dispocission of the People and also of the Wether”—to quotfe ohe of them, as also instruction in “Phislke and Surgerye" and Information about “infortunate Times to Bie and Sell, take Medicine, Sowe, Plant and Journey, etc.”

A Pair of Tricksters.

They were on leave from the front, and they had dined well and wined well, and finished at a theater. Outside they separated, and the leader of the party was* lucky enough to secure a taxi. Half way home, however, he discovered, on putting his hand in hhrpraket, that he-wasf pehnllesß. What was to be done! ~ . The British army is never at a loss, and In a few moments he -saw a way out. ~ He caught up the speaking tube and shouted “Stop!" Then, Jumping out, he told the driver to wait. “I just want to pop into this tobacconist’s to get a box of matches. I’ve dropped a sovereign on the floor of the cab and I can’t find it in the dark/* He entered the tobacconist’s and the moment he was through, the door the driver and the cab softly and suddenly vanished into the night, as he 1 had anticipated.—Exchange..

Love's Stratagem.

Betty Bright—l think, dear, you had better speak to papa tonight. Jack Timid—Why tonight, particularly?,,, Is he in a good humor this evening? Betty—Well, he’s in a humor to give me to yon, I arranged with my milliner, dressmaker and dentist to send their hills in to him this momlngr* Bostou Transcript.

New Color Touch

The Paisley note is in evidence In many of the new smart street frocks of woof fabric, and, indeed, this-odd, brignc color touch really distinguishes a frock of somber hue. It is a decided relief from the colored wool and bead embroideries, which have been so fashionable throughout the past few

Paisley Trims This One-Piece Frock of Navy Serge.

months, and which continue to be regarded probably as the most popular types of trimming in general use. The frock shown in the sketch employs navy serge, with an oddly shaped yoke extending also around the back of "the bodice, (tiffs and narrow, set-in side panels of Paisley—real or imitation, according to the ability of the gown’s owner jffijrqvlda.— As will be noted, this skirt breaks Well away from the straight-line es-

SMALL THINGS THAT COUNT

Dress Accessories Just Now Being Cmnloyed by Women Who Are Particular About Costume. A novelty collar of blue and white striped linen in epaulette form and high in back has a plaited edge of the same material, with a tab extending down in front. A bolero cape collar of blue tulle is trimmed with ribbon. • A picot edge organdie collar, high Ilf back and turned back in front to show the throat, has a ribbon cravat forme<j of loops of ribbon. Deep cape collars of fine lace, extending below the waist in a point in back and to the chest in front, with a> high flare at the back of the neck, art# among the newest effects. A detachable ribbon garniture for al simple dress has a ruche neckplecel with long ends arranged in bolero' form, crossing at the waist in back/ and brought forward and knotted loose 4 ly ovei* the left hip with long ends. A ribbon with a gold, silver and) soldier-blue satin stripe is much usedj for trimming sleeves, collars and. bodice openings. J

GLOVES ORNATE IN DESIGN

All Kinds of Fancy Stitches Allowed, Even Demanded, on Those That Are Now Being Worn. If we are not to have many gloves, at least those we do have are to be .very ornate, and the very latest: ones

are stitched in all sorts of fancy designs on the back. Burgundy kid are heavily crocheted on the backs with rose silk. Pearl gray gantlet gloves are turned back to disclose a band of elaborate coin spot perforation, and heavy lembn leather reversed wrist gloves are fur bound and decorated on- the bpcks with hand crocheted embroidery. -' ~

sects that have been In such high favor. The skirt is comfortably wide, laid in flut-plalted panels. These plaits are well pressed, as fullness without flare is a hard and fast ruin of street frocks and all tailleurs of the present season. v To make this frock, six and a half yards of serge 36 inched wide will be required. — - ~~1 ~ ~ The vogue for the One-ptece frock for street wear'is Increasingly strong. During the first cool autumn days nfur scarf was usually donned for comfort, and at the present time the modish over-all coats of soft velours or mixtures, plaids or tweeds are being seen in great numbers. Dresses of the type shown are active rivals of the great army of tailored suits prepared for the tempting 1916-17 woman. The suits shown this season are indisputably very like In last season, while the dresses present innumerable novelty features that please and attract.

FINE WORK IN HEMSTITCHING

Most Attractive Decorations Are Well Within the Province of 1 Home Needlewoman. Hemstitching is one of the most air tractive of decorations within the province of the home needlewoman. It fa comparatively easy to do If one goes about it in the right way. The only difficulty lies In the drawing of the threads. When hemstitching on linen the thread may be easily drawn if a yard stick Is laid along n straight Hue, being careful to Insure the proper margin jon; the outer edge erf the piece. If a piece of hardfwmte soap is nibbed along the line, the threads may be drawn with ease. Hatod hemstitching is, of Course, far more attractive than that done by macliine, and it takes a much longer time to do. The woman to whom time is precious prefers to do machine hemstitching, and this can be done very nicely at home. To do it draw the threads as usual. Instead of basting the threads just where the threads are drawn, baste so that the stitch will come a little above the middle of the open work. The fineness or coarseness of hemstitching la regushorf or long stitch on the machine. '

DEBUTANTE DANCE FROCK

Simple dance frock of brocaded taffeta and tulle over fresh color metal cloth with girdle of silver ribbon. The frock is extreme in its simplicity but nevertheless it maintains that look of “good-dressiness” that Is not usually found in more extravagantly trimmed and expensive gowns. '

Frocks for Wee Parisians.

For the child of ten there Is the most delicious little costume ofperl—winkle blue moussellne embroidered with patches of lacelike gray tracery and bordered with gray rabbit fur. Over this Is the quaintest little cape ever seen; it fastens closely under the chin, and is all of gray velvet lined .with hlne.. : '~e- : — A tinjetrock from Fairyland is made of white tulle over white silk- the tulle is shirred cords of ermine. Three narrow bands of ermine cross the bottom of the little frock, and two bands trim the sleeve. —From Vogue.

Wearing Slip-On Sweaters.

Slip-on sweaters may be had now In all materials. They have the pointed necks with little soft knitted tics under the flat Dutch collars and narrow apron string belts to confine the fulness at the waistline. They are especially pretty. In whit% Shetland, having colored angora collars, cuffs and ties.

White Serge In Combination.

The sports dresses are already dominating the lines for spring.. Especially smart are the, white serge dresses in plaited styles—either in deep machine plaits or knife plaits in threetier form. White serge In combination with sheer cotton fabric is another favorite with tbewiy buyer*. - ’