Life — October 26, 1916 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Rubberless World" - United States Rubber Company Advertisement This is a **corporate advertisement**, not political satire. The page presents a speculative thought experiment: imagining civilization without rubber. The left column catalogs catastrophic consequences—fires would rage unchecked without rubber hoses, industrial machinery would fail without rubber belts and packing, surgical instruments couldn't function, railroad air brakes would disappear. The text emphasizes rubber's invisible but essential role in modern infrastructure. The right column pivots to promoting the **United States Rubber Company** as the solution, highlighting their 47 factories and comprehensive product range: belts, hoses, footwear, tires, wire insulation, and heels. The advertisement uses fear of societal collapse to justify the company's importance and presumably encourage consumer loyalty or investment. It's early-20th-century corporate boosterism disguised as practical reasoning.