Life, 1922-07-06 · page 14 of 36
Life — July 6, 1922 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American husbands' anxieties about wives' spending habits. The illustration shows a cherub whispering to a woman at a writing desk—visualizing the "imagination" husbands fear will tempt their wives to spend money. The main article argues husbands exaggerate wives' extravagance. It defends women's right to occasional spending ("free-spender") while mocking men's paranoia about losing household finances. The piece sardonically catalogs husbands' feared scenarios: wives attending golf outings, taking shopping trips, or making "fashionable" purchases. The sidebar "Current Misconceptions" ridicules stereotypical French tropes (chorus girls, corduroy bloomers, perfume use), suggesting American attitudes toward French culture were themselves absurd misconceptions—a meta-satirical commentary.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SSS SSS Whispers to Wives in Regard to Free-Spenders T has been claimed for husbands, among men in general, that they have more imagination than wives; whether among women in general or not is left to conjecture. Man, as the more fanciful and free spender; man, as the nature-loving, fervent soul, is to be extolled. Woman, an eternal Martha, does, and makes her helpmate do, dull things. O fe- males of the species! O Penelopes! O Mary-Jane-Elizabeths of to-day! Is this the case? Is a good wife of necessity a dispenser of dullness? It may be true. But if so, it is because she has more foresight, if less imag- ination, than her spouse, and fore- sight tells her what will happen, while imagination is luring him on with what may! Woman’s instinct is as old as the eternal hills, and man’s mind comes up green as the grass every, spring. Does he project that organ far enough into the future to inform him that the one hundred and twelfth time he does the same injudicious thing it will still be injudicious? No! If strawberries have always disagreed with him before, this time is going to be the time they do not! Does he ever bethink him, on the first of the month, that the afternoon game in the club-car invariably draws all the wages of all the ser- vants out of his pockets as he travels countryward to his loving house- hold, and does he therefore refrain from playing? No! Fortune is certainly going to smile upon so good a fellow as he feels on this occasion ! And if his particular Martha pulls a long face over it, a day on the golf- links with other nature-lovers will put him in better spirits and so ef- face the whole affair from her memory forever. Well, there is nothing to say against this line of conduct; simple, bland, breezy. But our Martha, to vindicate herself, must emulate,— must transcend it! Shutting her eyes to the consequences she should rise to heights of spending compared to which her husband’s are mere avarice. She should pitch foresight to the winds, instinct to the dogs, and forming her outward behavior upon that of the prodigal son, with a touch of Jezebel, return truculent- ly to her home only when all other places have ceased to amuse. Cc. D. The Veil HE does not wear a veil— The tears that she has shed Since love lies dead, Have woven lines of lace That drape a soul-felt shadow On her face. Current Misconceptions A Few American Superstitions Regarding the French HAT every French musical comedy contains at least one scene in which the chorus appears in the altogether. That all French laborers wear corduroy bloomers and Windsor ties. That the favorite French feminine expletive is “Ooo-la-la!” That at least a hundred and fifty wronged working-girls jump into the Seine nightly. That all Frenchmen of the beon monde wear corsets and_ straight slanting silk hats with flat brims. That any French girl will permit a gentleman to kiss her after five minutes’ acquaintance. That no French family, however well off, possesses a bath-tub. That a French workingman is im- mediately overcome with sheer esthetic ecstasy in the presence of the Venus de Milo, That all Frenchmen eat with their hats on, and tie their napkins around their necks. That there is at least one racy peep-show on every Paris street cor- ner. That all old Frenchmen are roués. That the main character in all popular French fiction is a profes- sional Don Juan. That all French women wear knee-length skirts, and flirt with every man that passes. That all) Frenchmen are expert swordsmen and use perfumery. That any French working-girl can take an old lace curtain, a yard of ribbon, and a discarded doily, ani make herself a fashionable gown. That the only style of shoes worn by Frenchmen have high heels, but- toned cloth tops, and are pointed like stilettos. That the average French meal consists of twelve courses and re quires two hours and a half for its consumption. That the windows of all French stationery stores are filled with col- ored picture-post-cards of actresses scantily attired in diaphanous veils. That the entire French nation is headed precipitously to the dogs as a result of drinking absinthe. That all French maids wear sheer silk stockings, high-heeled satin pumps, and lace caps, and look like Ziegfeld Follies Girls. Droit. comicbooks.com