Life, 1903-01-08 · page 3 of 20
Life — January 8, 1903 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about post-holiday financial strain among urban middle-class men. **"After the Holidays"** (poem by Jennie Betts Hardwick) depicts a man's regret over Christmas spending—broken toys, depleted funds, and complaints from his wife about bills. The satire targets the tension between holiday indulgence and financial reality. **"Extravagance"** (brief story) shows an angry husband confronting his wife about overspending, having paid a ten-thousand-dollar automobile bill the previous day. She defends herself by noting everyone else overspends too, concluding "We are as happy as we think we are." The illustration above (captioned about "country boys" visiting the city) appears to show a scene of temptation or vice, reinforcing themes of spending and moral compromise. The satire critiques both consumer excess and marital conflict it generates.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mark, inue hall dard oun- will eS. ice. St. “TARSE COUNTRY BOYS WH COME TO THE CITY PON PANE OPTEN LEAVE SOMETHING BETTER BENIND. After the Holidays ROKE, broke, broke No joy in life I see, And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me. O well for my innocent child That he shouts with his sister at pla While smashing the last of the toys that lived Through strenuous yester O well for the bachelor man, And the maid that is fancy free. Ah, little reck they of the care to-day ‘That is sorely vexing me! For the Christmas bills flow in To their he on the crowded file ; In dumb despair I place them there On the top of last year's pile. Broke, broke, brok: No pleasure in life I see, For the unpaid bills of a day that is dead Will ever come back to me. Jennie Betts Hartswick, Extravagance. THE man was very avgry, and now that his tongue was loosed, he upbraided his wife bitterly. “You aro extravagant !"" he cried. “Only yesterday I paida bill of ten thousand dollars for the persons you killed with your automobile last month!” “And everybody is sneering at me because I run over such cheap people !"? wailed the woman, rocking to and fro miserably. This touched Ponsonby’s pride. He bit his lip. Should he confess that he was wrong and ask to be forgiven After ail, it was only what he had always done before. W Eareas happy as we think we are, comicbooks.com