Life, 1916-04-27 · page 37 of 44
Life — April 27, 1916 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces and period advertisements. **"Superfluous"** mocks Dr. Wilse Robinson's advocacy for "attentive control" in education. The satire argues such mental discipline is unnecessary because modern life—mechanized appliances, mass-produced opinions ("buy any political opinion...for two cents"), movies, syndicated religion—does all our thinking for us. This is 1920s social commentary critiquing both mass culture and passive consumerism. **"Complex"** is a brief joke about a woman's Easter hat whose ownership history involves circular borrowing and gambling among family members, satirizing the tangled financial dependencies and social complications of domestic life. The bulk of the page is a **Gargoyle Mobiloils advertisement** explaining motor oil viscosity through an extended metaphor: the crucial oil film protecting engine friction is only .003 inches thick—thinner than the page itself. This demonstrates why quality oil matters under heat stress. The ad includes a technical lubrication chart for different car models, representing early automotive marketing that combined education with sales pitch.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Superfluous ND now comes Dr. Wilse Robin- son of Kansas City, who declares that the trouble with most of us is the lack of “ attentive control.” The one aim of all true education, says Dr. Robinson, is to fix the attention on one thing and then do it, and he says we are losing this rapidly. But why, doctor, should anybody need the power of attentive control when, owing to a beneficent govern- ment, everything is being done for us? We no longer have to think, because through a vast number of mechanical appliances everything is thought out for us. We can buy any political opin- ion we want any morning at any ncws- stand for two cents. Our motor cars run by touching a button. Our children are brought up before our eyes by the movies and the drama and the dance halls. Our literature is rewritten by skilled hands. Our religion is manu- factured by a syndicate. We are inde- pendent of that old fetish, “attentive control.” Complex RS. WAYUPP: Where did Mrs, De Style get her new Easter hat? Mrs. Biase: That's a problem. She hought it with the money which her husband borrowed from her uncle, who had won it in a poker game from her brother, to whom she had loaned it shortly after her mother had taken it from her father’s pockets and given it to her for a birthday present. The maximum of worth is found in the “Boston” Silk 50c Lisle 25¢ GEORGE FROST CO. BOSTON O03 INCH 3 2 oe .003 of an inch All that stands between you and a noisy, laboring motor The oil film which protects the friction surfaces in your motor is hardly thicker than the page you are now reading. It makes no difference how much oil you pour into your crank-case. The only oil that protects your motor is this thin film between the moving metal parts. And this thin film is not the cool oil you pour into your crank-case. In use the oil heats quickly. Then the test comes. Only oil of the highest quality will retain full lubri- cating efficiency under the heat of service. Many oils break down under this heat. Part of the oil goes off in vapor, just as hot water gives off steam, With an oil film only .003 of an inch thick this vaporization must be reckoned with. To get full protection, you must have a constant, full, even oil film, You must have an oil which will stand the heat of service. It is far from a simple matter to manufacture oils which retain real lubricating efficiency under service temperatures. Further—It is important that the body of the oil be correct for the motor. Gargoyle Mobiloils have been manufactured to with- stand the heat of automobile operation when used in accordance with the Chart on the right. In that Chart you will find specified the grade of Gar- goyle Mobiloils you should use in your motor. If your car is not listed, a copy of our complete Lubricating Chart will be sent you on request. An Economical Demonstration Tt will probably cost you less than $1.00 to fill your crank-case with the correct grade of Gargoyle Mobiloils. You can then watch the results for yourself. ARCOM ih A grade for each type of motor In buying Gargoyle Mobilols from your dealer, jt is safest to purchase in original package: for the red Gargoyle on the container. For Raforeations kindly address any inquiry to our nearest office. VACUUM OIL COMPANY Rochester, N. Y., U. S. A. Speglaliots in the he the aseat actin of Mel-ored: lubricants for fer every. machinery, Obtainable everywhere in the world. Domestic Branches: Detroit New York Philadelphia Minneapolis Boston Chicago Kansas City, Kan. Indianapolis Pittsburgh Gare Gargoyle Mebilolt i trae a Gareorls Mobiloll “Arctic | Detar Ra Ret 5. Simic ‘babi res PSF ioeoF F pion pe be Tokko F SESS: aot kl ook > Fo mot F ¥ biine>>iii> >y baeinm er>rh. o> ie) WK boi abinee>s > >>> >>. Foaeeeii > it 3 Yoo foie ft > po geee t iestteeed BF TERR eS3ii & HT: it si Sitsitimetttins ae au Rie Fethioste >Eni nen inio> eeF oF if FY FOS RSEY OTe Se eee EE Foiferet eflmmr>: f>FF FF PIE PESiTTES Ti besaeesi Tig tot ott if comicbooks.com