Life, 1911-02-23 · page 31 of 44
Life — February 23, 1911 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertising page** for the Reo automobile (circa 1911), with supporting advertisements. The main Reo ad emphasizes the car's reliability and performance, highlighting a successful New York-to-San Francisco endurance run that proved the vehicle's capabilities in power, speed, smoothness, and comfort. This was a common marketing tactic of the era—using long-distance driving records to demonstrate automobile reliability when cars were still novel and their dependability questioned. The secondary content includes a satirical piece titled "The Coinage of Compliments" (continued from an earlier page), which jokingly proposes making compliments legal tender as currency reform. The satire suggests this would solve social problems—eliminating rejection of poetry submissions, reducing tipping disputes, and eliminating need for lawyers and burglars. The page also advertises Old Overholt Rye whiskey and Houbigant-Paris perfumes, typical luxury goods of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Reo The car you are sure of Buy the car that you vow will do what 3 you ask of it. Demand proof. a You want reliability—the kind of relia- what the Reo Record bility that belongs to the car of 1911. Proves. Reliability. No car could make You want power, speed, smoothness, and fat ttp from Neg York to s % 13, minutes (beating a $4a00 particularly comfort. See eer aera) =a 7, : absolutely reliable. The Reo 10% day-and-night record from slstey rate the trip without a single adjust- New York to San Francisco proves conclu- Bes any ease ok cane beyond replacing one spark plug. sively that the Reo has all these qualities im Ws shows that the engine and all working parts operated with : aa smooth . high degree. Pawar: The aocets sed soe tains were full of rough and steep TECLA . 10 RUE OE LA Pax Nice 10 AVENUE MASSENA Reo Touring Car or Roadster, $1250 Top and Mezger Automatic Windshield extra Reo Two- passenger .Roadster, $1050 Top and Mezger Automatic Windshield extra Reo Fore Door Touring Car, $1350 Merger Automatic Windshield included climbs. Speed. The Reo averaged nearly oo miles a day. Comfort. Human beings could not have stood the strain of that long and trying trip if the Reo had not been superlatively comfortable. High- grade -constructio: ‘The Reo was in perfect condit at the finish and the same car has. been winning other endurance contests right along. Everything, Qn that trip, the 5, ; ich Ceneral Sates Car Co Reo encountered every kind of R M Owen & Co Lansing Mich “gimii* Reo Motor Car Co Fico pnesnys pcb pp gp Obra tied you will ever meet so long as you own a car, Reo Limousine. . . . « « $2000 Send for catalogue and “Coast to Coast in Ten Days”. The Coinage of Compliments Licensed under Selden Patent Epitor oF Li ful success of your men- n plan is conclusive evi- dence that you are eminently fitted to solve the financial problems of the Hoping that you will recog- ne the responsibility im- possession of such un- usual talents I venture to suggest that sally. Then everybody would be you could accomplish great good for rich, happy and generous; people humanity by advocating legislation, would work for the fun of it; pub- Ol d Overholt Rye Whiskey that’s never ques- making compliments legal tender. a to its richness, age The signified eae retire Pers. we OVERROLE 3 CO CO.” Pittsburgh, Pa, Some kind of currency reform seems advisable, why not this? To the aver- age mortal a personal compliment is more rare and precious than a dollar. This sort of coinage is already current in a limited way, e.g., in the exchange of theatre and circus tickets for press notices; but it should be adopted uni- lishers would be spared the agony of having to reject poems; tipping and alimony would be simplified, and there would be no more burglars or lawyers. (Continued on page 408) Perfumes a nd Houbigant-Paris =i. In Every Store Quality Only. comicbooks.com