Life, 1909-10-07 · page 3 of 44
Life — October 7, 1909 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire page**—it's a straightforward automobile advertisement for the Stearns car, published in *Life* magazine (which ran both satirical and commercial content). The page promotes the Stearns as "The Safest Car That's Made" through several persuasive arguments: durable construction, imported steel parts, powerful engines, and long-term reliability. The company emphasizes that Stearns owners rarely change vehicles and that the cars improve with age. Two vehicle illustrations showcase different models: a limousine and a toy tonneau body variant, both featuring the "White Line Radiator" trademark. The coupon at bottom invited readers to request a catalog from the F.B. Stearns Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. This is simply period automotive marketing, not editorial commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE: The Stearns—The Safest Car That’s Made Some people say we spend too much on the tearns. They say and believe that a lower 1 buys as good 2 car as they w But they outgrow those opinions. The even- tual car is always a Stearns for the man who wants the best Some buy it for safety, for its power, some for its beautiful And they invariably find that lower-priced cars cost more than the Stearns in the end. Our Extravagant Costs Our costs, it is true, are extravagant. Our steel is made from imported ores. Our annular ball bearings cost three times the ordinary. Some of our parts are twice as strong as is necessary—the parts on which safety depends. We spend $40,000 per year on our experiment department—seeking to get our parts stronger lines. and betver Every important part is made in our factory jc without regard to cost. On many a part we spend ten times what we reed to—just to get the limit of strength But Note the Result The Stearns is the sturdiest car on the market It grows better with use. A Stearns is usually at its zenith after 15,000 miles. A Stearns owner doesn’t change cars cach season. We get out no annual models. You see no second-hand Stearns. And no owner has yet worn out a Stearns car unless he has misused and abused it Every owner of a motor car enyies the Stearns. Yet the Stearns will cost less, in the run, than most of the cheaper cars. The Ultimate Car There was a time—during the days of ex- periment—when it was well to buy cheaper cars Every year brought many Styles and mechanisms were constantly chang- ing. A high-grade car, as well as a low-grade, might be ont of date in a y improvements. But those days are ove ngineers scarcely dream of anything bett r than the Stearns as made to-day. Now the wisest way is to buy a car to keep till you wear it out. The man who does that wants the He wants the power—the wonderful reserve power—that more than meets every requirement. Stearns, and he wants durability. He ar, not He wants y wants the car that costs least by the the car that costs least at the start. The man who seeks such things, if he inves- igates, will invariably choose the Sted A Popular Model 30-60 M. P. Chassis with Limousine Body Our Beautiful Style Pride of ownership, more than anything ¢ has led people to buy the Stearns. It looks the aristocrat. And the name has long stood for the best that exists in motordom. But there is no fame without reason, We want you to know how, in thirtcen years, the ‘arns has become what it is The facts are all told in our catalog. you send us this coupon for it? Will Soteresededesosesesooooosoooes A Reminder The F. B. Stearns Co., (Member AL. AM) Cleveland, Obio PeSOHOHOHOHOHOHO Town o e ° ° e ° e ° Please mail me the Catalog No. 41. 3 e ° e ° e ° ° ° ° POCHOSOHOHOSOHEHEHEHOSEHEOOSS 30-60 H. P. Chassis with Toy Tonneau Body, either shaft or side chain drive “The White Line Riudiator Belongs to the Stearns” comicbooks.com