VALENTINE MANUFACTURE.

Thames Star, Volume III, Issue 1666, 2 May 1874, Page 3

VALENTINE MANUFACTURE.

'Hereis 1 ; a 'large^'robin,>fittecLMip With: long benches, and occupied by some scores ofcgMidf variou* ages. JEacH gjrl has": on one side of her a pile o£.iij;coniplete valentines, and on the other a heap of little objeot's df !¥6ino one kind,'which it w her diity 1 to add—little 5 "bunches of flowers, or glittering mottoes, or aching heartsV or breaking hearts, or trusting hearts, or hearts transfixed by arrows, or,it may be a heap of unfledged kittle Cupids. The audacious,little god is unceremoniously picked; up on the point ot a gum-brush, thrust up into the brightest of blue skies and the sheet is pa^ed, on ready for the next stage, each girl usually adding only one feature to the. general design. The poetry ;of ,yaientihes:jii;a study ;..arid so, perhafe %oulcL-the^ poets be^if they could conveniently be got at.!» They.however,are ]not usually: kept ontlie premises,: irid itis to be feared that they have, not. participated ilk the general progress of the Business; for the 'experience^of shopkeepers is rather against the' effusions of the bard. The longer, the poem, the more time is occupied by readirig it, and consequently'thejionger it takes to serve a customer; What with'the .study and discussion of artistic embellishments and poetical effusions; it is* sometimes found tp take rib small portion of a day serve a sixpenny customer. Condensed feeling, therefore; compact arid concentrated emotipn, combined, of course, with^sparkle and originality, is what of the "Seven Dials poet," and for such of his lucubrations as are accepted, threepence a line is the usual-remuneration. Not such very bad pay eithe*, one^ apt to thiriki until it is considered^what braincudgelling and paroxysms of poetic rapture hav^^obably:>been expended in spinning unavailing yards upon yards for every line that finds acceptance,.to say riothmgof the-time he may have-to spend uVse&king butrthpsVwho are opentojnuv c^se-lines^fifoy; kita^assell a- Magazine. '^"^u^Z mmmmmmm li^—*L*m^.■■*:>,:'■':. •'. '