We had so much fun time traveling to 1959 that we thought we’d do it again.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and for the most up-to-date etiquette advice on the holiday, we decided to turn to…1961.
The Feb. 14, 1961 edition of the Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald has two articles well worth a look.
The first article—headlined “Will you be my Valentine? Yes, but don’t soil the wallpaper”—notes that at the time, a whopping 255 million Valentine cards would be mailed that year. That apparently begs the question, “Will she truly be your Valentine? Will he love you ever?”
Good news—the answer, writer Ward Cannel said, is yes, as long as you follow a few rules, including the following: “A gentleman does not lean his head against the wall as it might soil the paper;” “A lady does not strike a gentleman with her fan or handkerchief;” “Do not pick the teeth, scratch the head, blow the nose or clean the nails in public.” (Read the article for the full list of advice!)
Just below that article is a true gem from AP wrtier Hal Boyle: “Man’s plea: Let’s reverse Valentine’s Day racket,” reads the headline.
“Ladies, for years you have sandbagged your boyfriends on St. Valentine’s day,” he writes, then offers some tongue-in-cheek (we hope) tips on how to please your fella.
“He’ll think you’re real dreamy if you gift him with a pair of diamond-studded gold cufflinks,” he writes. “Later if necessary, you can get him to hock them to take you on your honeymoon.”
And if a down payment on a sports car, a shopping spree at a sporting goods tore or a steak dinner doesn’t work out, “you can always hand him a new billfold full of folding money,” writes Boyle. “Money is always appropriate. Men never have too much of it.”
Here’s to a slightly more romantic Valentine’s this year!
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