Life, 1916-12-28 · page 6 of 41
Life — December 28, 1916 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **safety advertisement** for Weed tire chains, disguised as social commentary. The illustrated figure labeled "The Gambler" is a well-dressed man in a cap and bow tie—representing a typical motorist of the era. The ad uses gambling metaphors to criticize drivers who skip installing tire chains on wet roads. The comparison suggests such drivers are recklessly gambling with their own and others' lives for minor time savings, similar to how gamblers risk fortunes for trivial stakes. The dice and playing cards shown emphasize the "gamble" metaphor. The satire's point: installing chains is the only reliable safeguard against skidding. This reflects early automotive safety concerns from an era when tire chains were essential winter equipment, before modern tire technology existed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ne not stop to put on Weed Tire Chains before driving over wet-slippery-skiddy streets gambles with his life and the lives of others Some men would gamble with anything, from a counterfeit coin to life and property and all that they or others hold dear. But at least they gamble for some stake which to them— if to no one else—seems worth the gamble. They do not risk their whole fortunes with only a‘few dollars to gain. Why then, if time be precious, would they risk all the time allotted them here on earth, for the sake of a few moments of it now? Yet, strange to say, this is just what some motorists do when they fail to stop to put on Tire Chains before driving over wet- slippery-skiddy streets. They gamble their automobiles, their limbs, their very lives, and the lives of others on the road—for no more than a little of their time to put on Weed Chains, the only dependable safeguard against skidding. Weed Chains for all Styles and Sizes of Tires are Sold by Dealers Everywhere AMERICAN CHAIN COMPANY, Inc. SOLE MANUFACTURERS OF WEED CHAINS Bridgeport NQF connecticn In Canada— Dominion Chain Co. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario