Dear Dolly IV

Dear Dolly, I have been very much in love with a 19-year-old girl for four years. We have a child. I want to marry her but have discovered she is carrying on an affair with another man. Should I commit suicide or should I take my child away from her?

"Dolly" replies: In the first place you should have married the girl before you had a baby with her. But since you had the baby before marriage it was your duty to get married to her and not have wasted her time until she grew tired of waiting for you. Committing suicide will not solve your problem. It would be better to face the situation. You cannot take the child away from the girl as you are not legally married to her and she is, therefore, the legal guardian.

Dear Dolly, I am 22 and in love with a boy of 25. I have four children with him: he won't marry me and won't even support me and the children. Should I leave him?

"Dolly" replies: My dear, you have only yourself to blame for having allowed this man to have so many children with you outside marriage and without maintenance [child support]. Leaving him is not the answer to your problem. Let your parents or guardians take action against him for maintenance. Once that is done he will know where his responsibility lies.

...

It's Friday, so that must have been Dear Dolly, the advice columnist from South Africa's Drum magazine. Both of those were from the February 1956 issue. Is it wrong to laugh at these unfortunate, clueless people?