Ring placement and engagement customs explained
The engagement ring goes on the fourth finger of the left hand next to the little finger. The ring ceremony is common and the clergyman guides its procedure. A bride-to-be need not visit a courthouse for a license but should check local rules at the license window since laws vary. The first finger is next to the thumb, though the thumb is often called the first finger in common use.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. A
Universal Press
Syp
Suggestions for a January wedding and ushers
A reader asks if ushers are necessary and about veils. The reply recommends four to six ushers based on church size and guest list to guide seating and notes the bride should wear a veil near the ceremony, as it may be the last time she wears this traditional bridal item.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rena
Entertaining the Boys Without a Dinner Party
A twelve member girls club in a small town seeks the best idea to entertain their college student dates without hosting a formal dinner party. The 1930s style request asks for a lively, creative plan that keeps things casual and engaging for both sides.
Leap Year Party Invite Prompts Final Evening
Call each special boy to invite them for a last leap year gathering with dancing cards and refreshments. The note urges immediate action and social plans for the occasion.
Wedding Attire Inquires Noon Ceremony Dress
Betty asks about proper wedding costumes for a bride and groom at a noon ceremony. She inquires whether a veil may be worn at that hour and seeks guidance on appropriate attire for the event.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Betty
Bride Fashion and Proper Attire Hint at Wedding Customs
The writer discusses bridal dress etiquette and veil propriety with a white gown, advocating veil use as a lifetime privilege. For the groom, options include a frock coat or long-tailed cutaway, with light trousers, a four-in-hand tie, and a choice of waistcoat colors. Haberdashers offer tips on any new wrinkles in attire.
Sleeping Car Etiquette Question on Night Attire
A reader asks whether to remove all clothing in a Sleeping Car and suggests practical wardrobe changes. The advice says to discard corsets and shoes and unmentionables, then wear a dark silk kimono with a matching silk cap, soft kid slippers, or silk slippers in a case for comfort and presentability in illness or accident.
Toast to My Father Respectfully Shared
A correspondent sends a nostalgic toast praising a father with affectionate lines about comforting, guiding, and supporting him. The piece salutes a lifelong bond, recalling childhood mischief, parental patience, and enduring love.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Deites
Mother Nature and the beauty of mental poise
A 1912 column urges gratitude for natural beauty and a calm mind to improve appearance. It warns that fretful attitudes age the face, promotes daily mental hardening, and offers simple beauty tips such as cleansing creams, rosewater, eye tonic, and gentle hand care.
Mystery Wheel That Turns Without Power
A simple home experiment from Popular Mechanics shows a cork and bottle wheel that spins without direct contact. A magnet and flame heating a rim cause the wheel to rotate as the metal ring changes temperature and attraction, illustrating an apparent self moving effect.
Toy Derrick Operated by Motor A Pfeiffer Invention
Scientific American describes A Pfeiffer of New York City with a motor driven toy derrick. The device lets a child raise or lower loads and swing the derrick using a reversing lever and two handles. A side view shows the mechanism.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scientific American
A. Pfeiffer
New York City
Little Girl Sees Aunt Give A Dollar At Church
Alice whispers about church offerings as her aunt drops a silver dollar into the collection plate. The child reacts with delight, misreading the gesture and exclaiming that the aunt’s display is not proper or modest for the occasion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alice
Guntie
Skates for Mina Rhyme Sparks Fun Wordplay
A playful verse declares love for skating over cars and airplanes. The speaker emphasizes choosing skates as a carefree, kinetic option and centers a playful, personal refrain.
Unique toy recalls Banbury Cross figure with looping motion
A Missouri inventor creates a playful old man toy. The grandfather figure sits on a chair with one leg swinging on a pivot aided by weights. A child stands on the grandfather's foot as another weight inside the body counterbalances the motion, while a neck weight makes the head nod as the grandson rides.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Banbury Cross
Missouri
Old 2Nan
Clever sayings and homely jokes from a puzzle column
A collection of quips comparing education to a tailor and other humorous riddles. The piece links puns about habits, pawnbrokers, photographers, gloves, sheep, and a locomotive tender, using light satire and wordplay with familiar professions and objects.
Why Daddy Won’t Play Baseball in Winter
The family gathers at a seashore cottage lunch table. Father recounts a morning game and catching two flies. Little Lottle muses and declares she knows why dad doesn’t play in winter, noting there aren’t any flies.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Father
Lottle
Daddy
Lippincott’s
Ethel Reports Misdeed After Breaking Fireplace Brick
A young girl named Ethel confesses to her mother that she broke a brick in the fireplace after being taught to report misdeeds promptly. The mother questions the extent of the damage and seeks to understand how it happened.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ethel
Harper's Besar
Disgraced dining comment stirs family dinner tale
A humorous fragment describes a family dinner where a father’s behavior is mocked as “disgraced.” The anecdote notes an awkward moment finishing the meal with utensils unused, captured in casual banter.
Geography of Liquor in Mayor Gaynor’s New York Remarks
Mayor Gaynor argues against unequal reform laws and claims vice crosses social lines. He states gambling and intoxication are not limited to any class or street and critiques reformers who separate high and low behavior by location.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gaynor
New York
Fifth Avenue
Third Avenue
Toledo Mayor Brand Whitlock Praises Discontent
Mayor Brand Whitlock of Toledo spoke on discontent as a driving force for national growth. He echoed a farmer’s quip about contentment, noting belief in dissatisfaction and its potential to shape society.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brand Whitlock
Toledo
Night Editor Tones Down Lake Storm Feature
The editor proposes shortening a lengthy lake storm story by removing descriptive passages to yield a concise report. The brief focuses on trimming excess prose while preserving the core event and tone.
Four man performs his work as if doing the boss a favor
A short observation notes a worker, one of four, who treats tasks as if pleasing the boss. The remark implies lack of urgency and possible complacency in duties. The tone resembles a newsroom commentary on workplace attitude.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Many 4 Man
Women Who Marry For A Home Pay Big Rent
A brief note examines the economic burden in marriages tied to housing costs. It highlights how women facing high rents may rely on marriage for shelter and stability, reflecting social pressures and financial tradeoffs.
Alfalfa Seed Sale and Odd Notices in Sioux City
Ady. Appropriate. J. Mulhall of Sioux City Iowa advertises alfalfa seed 8 percent with Timothy and Clover mix 4.50 and crops for sale and rent on crop payments. Also a quirky line about letters and a man of dark deeds ends with a coal remark.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
C.o.d
J. Mulhall
Sioux City
Iowa
Ady
Judge Miller Reports Kidney Pill Cure for Heart Trouble
Gray County Probate Judge Philip Miller of Cimarron Kansas chronicles 56 years of heart trouble with dizziness back pain and short breath. After about a year on Dodds Kidney Pills he reports no palpitations and renewed vigor weighing 200 pounds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dodds Kidney
Gray Co
Philip Miller
Cimarron
Kan
Judge Miller
Dodds
Dodds Medicine Co
Buffalo
N. Y
Distinction and A Claim to Original Deeds
The speaker questions what defines distinction then recalls taking part in the transfer of several shares of stock on the New York stock exchange. The remark frames achievement as an actual contribution in a financial transaction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Exchange
Mrs Winslow Teething Syrup Ad Promises Soothing Relief
An 19th century advertisement touts Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup for children teething. It claims the product softens gums reduces inflammation allays pain and colic and sells for 25 cents a bottle.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Wwe
Madame“ Merri
Mina
Bill Brown
Small Boy
Virginia
North Carolina
Liggett & Myers Duke
Duke
Hors Shoe
J.T. Tinsley
CLIX
Kegeley
St. Louis, Mo
TF Tham, W
Arahat
Bert
Draggieti
N.U
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