Valentines Lean Toward Gags as Lacer Love Dies

"I love You, I like You, I'm crazy for you. . . . But I'm Napoleon Bonaparte." That's the tone of this year's Valentines as lacey pictures of love struck hearts and blushing young maidens vanish before the incoming rush of humorous gag cards.

The crowds which have been thronging the Coop and other stores around the Square have found that the war has even had its effect on this ancient custom. Types, approaches, and tones have changed as people have come to realize that conditions have changed.

Men Want Choice

One disgruntled student summed up the situation this way: "I don't mind being drafted or rationed, but when I can't buy the kind of Valentine I want, the situation is really getting serious." The informant then went on to explain how he had spent hours looking for just the right card and could find nothing. Finally, in desperation he had been forced to cross out "To My Soldier Boy" on a card and put in his true one's name. "Goe," he concluded, "There's not a single good one on the Square that isn't to some soldier or other. . . ."

The war has deepened our appreciation of things close to home, and this theme, too, has undergone a great rise in popularity as more and more valentines are being bought for the family.

The Navy men are doing their share of the purchasing, but their fair sisters from Radcliffe, the WAVES, have been falling down on the job or are otherwise buying them on the sly.

Sentiment is Out

The disappearance of old-time sentiment and laciness is very much in evidence. Seasoned veterans of former years have searched in vain for the one card that would just capture their real feelings. Instead, he has had his choice of Valentines featuring such endearing gifts as a rope, with the suggestion that it be worn around the neck.

For those who have true patriotic feelings, the Coop has been offering cards, designed with war stamps. This is a perfect symbol of the inroads that the war has made into our perrenial February custom.