Judge, 1921-01-08 · page 2 of 32
Judge — January 8, 1921 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page is **not a satirical cartoon but a straightforward advertisement** for the Stanley Motor Carriage Company of Newton, Massachusetts. It promotes their "Twenty-Fifth Year" steam-powered automobile. The ad emphasizes the Stanley car's advantages over gasoline vehicles: stored steam power provides flexibility for winter operation, ability to use low-grade fuels, and smooth throttle control without gear shifting—practical benefits for early 1900s urban traffic congestion. The pitch addresses contemporary concerns: difficulty operating gasoline cars in cold weather, unreliable fuel quality, and the challenge of manual gear shifting in congested city driving. The Stanley's steam engine promised simpler, more responsive operation. This represents legitimate competition in the pre-dominance of internal combustion engines—steam cars were viable alternatives until circa 1910-1920.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
In Today's Traffic the advantage is with the stored power of the Stanley car. The need for greater flexibility is imperative and is well rec- ognized — flexibility for winter going, and even more for winter standing, — flexibility for using low grade fuels — as well as flexibility in operation; but the earnest endeavor to provide it by multiplying cylinders and increasing flywheel speeds does not keep abreast of the rapidly increasing congestion and the less responsive fuels. Your traffic difficulties can be met by Stanley stored power, and the control and application of that power by one throttle without gear shifting or clutching; and your fuel difficulties can be met by burning fuel instead of exploding it. These characteristics of the new Stanley give a relief from ap- prehension over shifting gears, especially at inopportune times, in traffic when the necessity for doing so cannot be foreseen. They give a sense of mastery and security, and, above all, comfort in transportation. STANLEY CAR Stanley Motor Carriage Co., Newton, Mass. comicbooks.com