Judge, 1921-05-14 · page 32 of 32
Judge — May 14, 1921 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an **advertisement, not satire or political cartoon**. It's a full-page promotional piece for the Stanley Motor Carriage Company of Newton, Massachusetts, celebrating their twenty-fifth year in business. The page features an illustration of an early steam-powered automobile and argues for steam technology's superiority over the "internal explosive cars" (gasoline engines) becoming popular. Stanley claims their steam car offers advantages: low-speed power, quick acceleration, smooth quiet operation, no gear-shifting, winter reliability, and single-throttle control. **Historical context for modern readers**: This represents a genuine technological competition in early automotive history. Steam and gasoline engines competed vigorously through the 1910s-1920s. Stanley ultimately lost this "battle"—gasoline engines became dominant due to better fuel availability, simpler mechanics, and refueling speed. This ad's defensive tone ("present-day vogue") suggests Stanley was already fighting a losing market position when published.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
, | ee WE, dee Cc ie a. What the Public Wants zs supplied most fully in the new Stanley Car HIS statement is made advisedly in full recognition of the present-day vogue of internal explosive cars. The reason why the Stanley has the qualities most wanted in a motor car— why it has power at low speeds— why it has the fastest pickup — why it runs smoothly and quietly at all speeds — why there is no clutching nor gear-shifting — why there is no chilling nor balking in winter—why one throttle controls the car—why kerosene fuel is used — is because the fuel is burned, not exploded, and is converted into steam which is stored in advance and may be instantly applied in the required volume to the driving wheels. We believe that this is power correctly generated, correctly controlled, and correctly applied to the rear axle. Twenty-Fifth Year Stanley Motor Carriage Company Newton, Massachusetts comicbooks.com