Life, 1925-07-02 · page 18 of 47
Life — July 2, 1925 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This marital comedy depicts post-WWI financial anxiety. Benedict wants his wife Leila to economize during "bad times," but she counters that his own expenses—clubs, entertaining business associates at theaters—exceed her clothing spending. The satire targets husbands' hypocrisy: they demand wives cut luxuries while protecting their own "necessary" expenditures as business essentials. Leila's threat to spend money on herself anyway represents growing female independence and consumer power. The dialogue captures 1920s domestic tension over budgeting and gender roles, with wives increasingly resistant to blanket belt-tightening while husbands maintained discretionary spending. The brief "Evolution" poem below is unrelated wordplay about monkeys evolving into Yale professors—lighthearted filler.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The President Fae em Twin Bed-Time Stories Benedict Urges Economy Scen The bedroom of the Bene- dict Newleighs, shortly after both have retired. EILA: Benedict—you aren't asleep yet, are you? (A pause.) BENE: DICT! Bexenicr (sleepily): Well? Lema: I never saw any one so per- verse. Why couldn't you answer me in the first place, instead of pretending to be asleep? I wanted to ask you what you thought of my buying one of those new iceless refrigerators. Benevict: I'd rather have you stop buying ice for the one we've got. Times are bad, Leila, and we've got to economize. Letra (triumphantly): That's just the point, Ben. This is guaranteed to save its cost in less than two years. Benepict: That's what the ad. said about the vacuum cleaner you got, too, and you've been having it repaired ever since. If you had bought all the things that would save their weight in gold inside of a year, I would have been in the poorhouse long ago. Really, Leila, we've got to cut down on ex- penses. Good night, honey. (Turns over.) Leita (emphatically): Now don't think you're going to drop off to sleep that way right after insulting me. ENEDICT (surprised): — Insulting Are you crazy—or am I dream- ing? Lema: Yes, insulting me! Here I've been saving and saving—never getting new clothes like Mrs. Rogers has— scarcely spending a cent on myself, and then I'm told in almost so many words that.I'm throwing money away. If we've got to economize, why don’t YOU try it, too? Benevict: Why—er—I am, dear. Leita: YES, you are! I'll bet you spend more on clubs alone than I do all year on clothes, and you're always having to take some old friend to the theatre and— Benepict: For the love of Mike, can't you realize that there are a lot of my expenses that are necessary from a business standpoint? I've got to keep up a certain front—— Leia (sarcastically) : Oh, you DO? Well, what's the matter with my doing the same thing, then? Don't you sup- pose J know any one? You expect me to live on air while you have all the good times. I’m going downtown to- morrow and spend a little money on myself for a change. It’s about ume— Benepicr (eerily): That we both got a little sleep before dawn breaks. (Mumbling to himself.) TM never make the mistake of mentioning economy to you again—it’s too expensive. Leita (sharply): What's that you said? Benepict. Nothing, dear. Just good night—that's all. Curtain, Tracy Hammond Lewis. Evolution AID a monk, as he swung by his tail, To the little monks, female and male: “From your offspring, my dears, In a few million years, May evolve a professor in Yale!” W. A.V. CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY comicbooks.com