Life, 1914-05-14 · page 29 of 44
Life — May 14, 1914 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Remington's new typewriter model that automatically performs addition and subtraction while typing bills and financial statements. The opening joke ("There is a man wasting time. Whose fault?") targets clerks who manually add up bills—implying their employer is at fault for not purchasing this labor-saving technology. The ad argues the machine saves 20-70% of time spent on billing work. The page shows three typewriter models and emphasizes the machine's dual function: it switches instantly between accounting and regular correspondence. The ad targets business owners in banks, offices, and stores, encouraging them to request a promotional folder titled "The Story of a Day's Work." This reflects early-20th-century business anxiety about *efficiency*—the period's obsession with eliminating "time-waste" through mechanization. The pitch is fundamentally about profit: eliminate inefficient human labor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Every time you see a clerk footing bills you can now say: “There is a man wasting time. “Whose faultP” The Remington Adding and Subtracting Typewriter—a complete correspondence type- writer—automatically totals bills and state- ments while it types them. _ Not a moment is wasted on footing or prov- ing. This machine saves 20% to 70% of the time spent on billing. It is now used by banks, offices and stores, large and small, everywhere. Sooner or later the add- ing and subtracting type- writer will be saving time in every live billing de- Remington Typewriter Company, Incorporated, New York City When the machine is needed for ordinary letter- writing your stenographer merely touches a lever. Instantly—automatically—it is made ready for cor- respondence work. Whether or not you now see the direct applicability of the Remington Adding & Subtracting Typewriter to your particular business, it will pay you to send for our new illustrated folder—“ The Story of a Day’s Work.” A few words to your stenographer now will put you in the way to receive a copy of this really valuable folder by return mail; will enable you to investigate—conveniently and without cost—the saving efficiency of this machine of composite usefulness to every employer of clerical or stenographic help. Delayed investigation simply means prolonged time-waste and error-risk. So while the matter is in your mind send to-day for “The Story of a Day’s Work” and learn how profit-reducing ele- ments may be eliminated from your business, (Branches Everywhere) For clear, clean, typewriter results, use Remtico brand letter paper, carbon paper and ribbons. Write to our nearest office. EX a — Woe PY