University of Virginia Library

THE ENGAGEMENT LUNCHEON

THE engagement is generally announced at a luncheon given by the parents of the prospective bride. This is usually a small affair, only fifteen or twenty of the most intimate friends of the engaged "couple" being invited. It is one of the customs of engagement luncheons that all the guests shall be tremendously surprised at the news, and great care should be taken to aid them in carrying out this tradition. On the invitations, for example, should be written some misleading

Nothing so completely betrays the "Cockney" as a faulty knowledge of sporting terms. The young lady at the left has just returned from the hunting field hand-in-hand with the dashing "lead," who happens to be an eligible billionaire. Her hostess, the mother of the sub-deb at the right, has greeted her by hissing, "S—o—o! I see you've had a good day's hunting!" The use of this unsportsmanlike expression—in stead of the correct "Hope you had a good run," or "Where did you find?"—at once discloses the hostess's mean origin and the young lady will almost certainly never accept another invitation to her house.

[Description: Drawing of a man and a woman in hunting gear standing next to an older woman and a younger girl wearing dresses. The older woman looks at the man and woman in hunting gear with a cross expression on her face. ]

In this work-a-day world, one is likely to forget that there is an etiquette of pleasure, just as there is an etiquette of dancing or the opera. One often hears a charming hostess refuse to invite this or that person to her home for a game of billiards on the ground that he or she is a "bum sport" or a "rotten loser." The above scene illustrates one of the little, but conspicuous, blunders that people make. The gentleman, having missed his fifth consecutive shot, has broken his cue over his knee and is ripping the baize off the table with the sharp end. This display is not in the best taste.

[Description: Drawing of a man ripping up the cloth of a billiard table with his cue. ]

Good form at the beach is still a question of debate. Some authorities on the subject insist that the Rubenesque type is preferable, while others claim that the Byzantine is more fashionable. One thing is certain—it is absolutely incorrect for ladies who weigh less than 75 or more than 275 pounds (avoir-dupois) to appear in costumes that would offend against modesty. It is also considered rude to hold one's swimming partner under water for more then the formal quarter of an hour.

[Description: Drawing of a figure floating in the ocean. ]

phrase, such as "To meet General Pershing" or "Not to Announce the Engagement of our Daughter."

The announcement itself which should be made soon after the guests are seated, offers a splendid opportunity for the display of originality and should aim to afford the guest a surprise and perhaps a laugh, for laughter of a certain quiet kind is often welcome at social functions. One of the most favored methods of announcing an engagement is by the use of symbolic figures embodying the names of the affianced pair. Thus, for example, in the case of the present engagement of Richard Roe to Dorothy Doe it would be "unique" to have the first course at luncheon consist of a diminutive candy or paper-mâché doe seated amorously upon a heart shaped order of a shad roe. The guests will at first be mystified, but soon cries of "Oh, how sweet!" will arise and congratulations are then in order. Great care should be taken, however, that the symbolic figures are not misunderstood; it would be extremely embarrassing, for example, if in the

above instance, a young man named "Shad" or "Aquarium" were to receive the congratulations instead of the proper person.

Other suggestions for symbolistic announcements of some of the more common names are as follows:

"Cohan-O'Brien"—ice cream cones on a plate of O'Brien potatoes.

"Ames-Green—green ice cream in the shape of a man aiming at something.

"Thorne-Hoyt—figure of a man from Brooklyn pulling a thorn from foot with expression on his face signifying "This hoits."

"Bullitt-Bartlett—bartlett pears full of small 22 or 33 calibre bullets.

"Tweed-Ellis"—frosted cake in the shape of Ellis Island with a solitary figure of a man in a nice fitting tweed suit.

"Gordon-Fuller"—two paper-mâché figures—one representing a young man full of Gordon gin, the other representing a young man fuller.

"Hatch-Gillette"—figure of a chicken surprised at having hatched a safety razor.

"Graves-Colgate"—figure of a man brushing his teeth in a cemetery.

"Heinz-Fish"—57 assorted small fish tastily arranged on one plate.