Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1894 ST. VALENTINE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4647, 14 February 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1894 ST. VALENTINE.

second edition

PoouSt. Valentine! like many another saint of olden days, he is considered of small account now, and lias fallen imo disrepute. Yet, if we were wise, he would be restored to hi? former high estate, since he carries us back to the very childhood of our race, Various explanations are given of the origin of the curious ceremony associated with St; Valentine's Day, but the most probabln seems that it is a relic of that nature—worship, which was undoubtedly the primitive form of religion in North-Western Europe, The very days of the week aie named after those old gods of our ancestors: Wednesday being Woden's day, Thursday Thor's day, the most revered and! popular deity of the Anglo Saxon j mythology, It ia likely that Valentine sprang from the recognition of the peculiarity of the season, Hence the old explanation: " About this time of the year (for we must remember that February is the earliest spring month in tho Old World), the birds ohoose their mates, and probably thus came the custom of the young men and maidens choosing valentines or special loving friends on that day." And so our late laureate sang :

In the spring a lovelier iris comos upon tho burnished dovo," In the spring a young man's fano lightly turns to thoughts of lovc."y It has also been suggested that the custom may have descended to us from the ancient Romans who daring tjje Lupercalia.celebrated in tho month pfPehruaiy, were wont among other things to put the names of young wgraen into a bpx, frornjfhiph they were drawn by the mennp ohenco| directed, and il)4 the Christian clergy I finding it difficult to extirpate this j pagan practico gave it a religious: aspect by substituting the names of particular saints for those of tho women,' ff this is so, it furnishes another example of the Bound worldly comrcon sonne of the founders of the Christian church, adapting and sanctifying all things and bringing tbe very customs of the heathen into harmony with tho new religion. Thus Christmas is but the Saturnalia of the old Romans, and Easter the transformed name of Eostre, a pagan deity. Our modern missionaries might well leain a lesson from the earjy fathers, St, Valentine's Day was formerly celebrated in England, Scotland and in different parts of the continent by a very peculiar and amusing onstora. On the eve of St, Valentine a number of young folk—maids 4nd bachelors—would assemble together and insoribe upon little biljets tho names of an equal number of maids and baphelora of their acquaintance and throw the whple lot into a receptacle of sop sort—care being taken that each should 'draw one of the opposite SB*, The person thus drawn beoame one'a Valentine, These imaginary engagements, as can be well understood, often lead to real ones, because one neoespary consequent of this was that for ut whofe year, a. bachelor remained bound to tho service of his Valentine, somewhat after the fashion of a medieval knight of romance ..tp his lady-love, Many New Zealand maidens may well think that such a pretty custom would bear revival,

h has been suggested that there should be a Hospital Sunday in Mnsterlon, a Sunday in which all offertories should be devoted to the funds of the local hospital. We do not see the senso of this 1 Our Hospital is in easy circumstances, whereas the churches are in uueasy circumstances. Why should the poorer institutions make a sacrifice for the richer institution? A. Hospital Sunday means tailing 11 small slice from the Ministerial iii Comes, which are already' sufficiently slender. Last year more money than was needed was forced on the Hospital authorities by enthusiastic ladies forsurgical'instrunients, We are a consistent supporter of the Hospital, but do notbelieve in wasting monny on it. '