1938-02-14 — Page 10

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MONDAY,

FEBRUARY 14,

1938.

VALENTINE

The needle was thought

to be true to the pole, Yet it varica, they tell us.

where Arelle scam roll; But constancy lives in

the true honest heart,] And unlike the needle

It clings to its part.

-HERE is a tradition that the little god of Love was once stung by a bee arid, In startled consternation at the unusual pain, dropped his bow and arrow and ran to his mother full of protests and tenrs.

Aphrodite, however, merely told him with one of her com- plicated smiles, that he, who was responsible for hurting so many people every day of the year, should have small reason to complain at a single wound from so inconsequent a scimi- tar.

Shakespeare wrote: "Men have died and been enten by maggots, but not for love." How far experience confirms the poet's opinion it is dieult to ascertain,

There are those who believe that men and women often

PRESIDENT LINER

from Llewelyn POWYS

Here is set forth the lusty lore of every February the Fourteenth. And it is of note that Victorian Valentines were not always kind! The verses repro- duced from the one on the left are gentle enough: But therude legend on the right must have levied many a tear! layer upon layer, in the limp, lovelorn, lace-like paper such as laapt to surround wedding cakes, with "the heart of the matter" carefully hidden at the

come" to wear a green coat," as we say in the country, because of this herole passion..

In any case, it has been proved, for times out of mind, that the hazards we dally run from the sling stones of Eros begin to multiply after Saint Valentine's Day.

It is of as little use trying to explain why this should be so as it is to discover why the perilous day should ever have been as- soclated with the unfortunate Bishop who, in the second cen- tury, was first chastised and then beheaded.

Custom prompts us to cele- brate our awareness of the "open secret" by pretty repre- sentations of hearts and arrows; for and fo though. alack! shame," our modern sophisti- ented cards are not always as perfect as they should be.

A strictly orthodox perfect Valentine should be enfolded

BR sailing's

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Via Kobe and Yokohama

S.S. PRESIDENT GRANT Sails Friday, Feb. 25, 4 p.m.

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Enjoy Your Leave in Australia and New Zealand. Hong Kong to Sydney-19 Days,

FIRST CLASS FARE TO SYDNEY, 226 RETURN

-LONDON: (via Australia) from 2127.10. (Australian Newspapers on file).

Due H'Kong Leaves 11'Konr Leaves Manila Due Sydney

·18 Feb. 21 Fob.

STEAMER

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8 Mar. 15 Mar. 12 Apr. 10 May

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on

shy heads of provocative, half- awakened girls. Poetical boys also find themselves drawn irresistibly to the bowera where their sweet friends sleep.

An Elizabethan poet writes:

"My ps I'll softly lay

Upon her heavenly check,

Dyed like the datening day,

As polish'd tvory sleek;

I

And in her ear I'll say,

:

The tradition that the birds choose their mates on Febru- ary 14 comes pat to the truth. All winter long my garden on the downs la populated by little round, jolly, plump, coconut, bacon fat-eating blue tits, and

two successive years noticed that it is on February 14 that they disappear, preferring, so it seems, a lowly, less exposed country to the downs, for their spring-time play, as, with bill. and cinw and yellow-green breast, they delicately weave and pad a marriage-bed saga- clously concealed in cranny of wood or crevice of stone.

of

The. wayward manners house-top sparrows and Congo cuckoos are shared but by few English birds, From the swan to the swallow there are many pairs of these feathered crea-

who tures,

cling together through the years, for better, for worse.

It is truly touching to con- template such faithful love matches expressed so prettily by chattering song, by brief alry flights, and by shining berry- bright eyes, during those swift fresh days when the gardens are smelling of wallflowers and

snow on the mountain and cach wayside ditch is golden with celandines.

The poet Donne has cele- brated February 14 with the fol- lowing practised and character- istic verses: ---

"Hati, Bishop Valentine! those

day this is!

All the air is thy diocese

And all the chirping choristers And other birds are thy parish-

loners;

Thou mak'st the blackbird speed

as soon

As doth the goldfinch or the

halcyon,"

It is part of the ancient ritual of this "queynte day that the first boy that a girl sees on leaving her chamber must be her Valentine for the year, and will have a right throughout the ensuing twelve months to demand

a'charm- many Ing privilege.

On this account some fearful Indies

ties can scarce bo persuaded to icave their beds on this treacher- ous morning until they have found out for certain that there is no chance of an unwanted encounter. As far back as 1764 we read of

this maidenly anxiety-

"We niso wrote our lovers' names upon bits of paper, and rolled them up in clay, and put them into water; and the arst that rose up Would was to be our Valentine. you think it?-Mr. Blossom was my man. I lay a-bed and shut my eyes all the morning, till he came to our house; for I would not have seen another man before him for all the world."

The Eve of St. Valentine's is favourable for love dreams! If a girl pins a bay leaf to the four corners of her fragrant pillow and one leaf in its centre, she will most certainly and herself walking with hor aweetheart in that fair-land

bluebell," where all the lanos aro janes, and all the meadows lie in the sun thick grown with tail sorrel and other hayfield flowers.

Nor Bro theso dreamland assignations continea only to the -To-day's Thought EVERY man feels instinctively that all the beautiful senti- "mente in the 'world weigh less

than a single lovely action.

tr

J. R. LOWELL.-'

'Oh.. thou' bright, morning-

stari

'Tis that còma so far

My Valentine to seck.'"

In Caroline times it was the cus- tom to give costly jewels as Valen- tine gifta,

Miss Stuart received from the Duke of York a jewel valued at eight hundred pounds, and the same desirable girl, who afterwards became the Duchess of Richmond, received from Lord Mandeville a ring worth thrce hundred pounds.

the February of Popys to

entry 1068 has the following fr his diary: "This evening my wife did with great pleasure

"

OUR BRITISH

29

2

ACROSS

12:0

Sit and stitch, stitch

from morn full night,

For it's all you are fit for,

you ugly right; You need never think to marry,

for no man would incline To have a needle driver

for a Valenting.

show me her stock of jewels, en- creased by the ring the hath made Intely, as my Valentine's gift this year, a Turkey-stone set with dis- monds

it is at the wretch should have. something to content herself with.".

It is in the middle of February that there comes to us at the flower-selling corner-kerbs of our city streets, on broad sun-splashed country roads, and in windy colts- foot felds, the frat tremulous in- timation that the spring is really and truly approaching. Again the voices of children are heard play- ing out of doors after tea.

From root to top-most twlg the sap is stirring in the hedgerows, and already on the branch of the elder bush that shelters the garden bank, whore there comes each evening at the twilight hour a speckled thrush to sing her heart- breaking song of love, Httin purple brds are showing, and each day appear larger and ärmer.

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LIVERPOOL SERVICE

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PACIFIC SERVICE (via Dairen, Kobe, Nagoya

- IXION ·

11

12 (14

14

1 To talk of volunteering under this would bo contradictory (10).

9 One may hear this rot on It in

summer (4).

10 Pigs met and contused (10), 11 Book of O.T. (8).

12 He indulged in poetic flights

(5),

15 Half of a good tug-of-war (6). 10 The result of his work crops

up sooner or later (5).

10 Fundamental (7).

20 Abode with no fortunate In-

terior (5),

21 Town of the USA. (5).- 22 Where one may study the ups

and downs of flying (7).

23 The fellow on the other sida

(5).

her

124 Orion high features of woman's.

lowest cares (5). 28 A Find woman not in

most correct form (5).. 20 Garment that could be worn

by the first half (5),

31 "Bign or codo". (anng.) (10). 33. More, and less, than one (4), 33 If without the fifth letter: this musing might. settle differences

(10).

DOWN

2. Not a good word, but usual at

court (4).

3 Water can be got from part of

this stone (0),

4. A sticker, (5);

5 Not the first thing one learns

in a langungo (5).

COUNT THE 07A great Fivee (6)

TELEGRAPHS" "s through this that many

EVERYWHERE

י

people show interest in their neighbours doings (10).

[23

125

8 Where motorists should be slow to show consideration to others

(10).

13 Not necessarily a neat soldier

(7).

14 Surround (7),

15 It is seklom the party forming this that takes exception to the rule (10).

10 A spur can be this, as horse

men know (10).

17 A home by the 8 down, per-

haps (6),

18 Some call it laziness, and

there's a lot in it (5).

20 Can be made.sllent (0).

20 A medical preparation (8). 27 Contested with one spot in the

middle (5),

20 Most of this time is near (5). 30 Bon (4).

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