Life, 1917-03-15 · page 29 of 42
Life — March 15, 1917 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It appears in *Life* magazine (page 449) promoting Franklin automobiles. The "satire" is subtle and self-promotional: the ad mocks competitors by claiming they talk about "light weight" without "quoting figures," while Franklin alone has achieved "Scientific Light Weight" through genuine engineering—using air-cooling and flexible construction rather than heavy water-cooling systems. The ad positions the Franklin owner as a rational, enlightened motorist who values **comfort, safety, and economy** over fashionable trends. It contrasts Franklin's consistent engineering philosophy against other manufacturers who merely chase marketing buzzwords. The humorous implication: American consumers eventually recognize truth, but are easily distracted by advertising. The ad essentially claims Franklin had the answer all along—a dig at competitors now copying their approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SOME RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC LIGHT WEIGHT HE American public seldom fails in the long run to accord recognition where it is due. Tt may take its own time about ac- cepting a sound principle in motor-car construc- tion. But the public mind, once awake, is not easily diverted from the issue and does not readily forget who started it. The common-sense American public was bound to turn against the heavy, rigid, compli- cated car, and demand lightness, strength, flexi- bility—for these things mean comfort, safety and economy. They mean interpreting car value in __ terms of service and of use. They mean the car as a man’s servant: not the man the servant of the car. ew The heavy car is going out of fashion. Nearly all makers are talking light weight and implying tire and gas economy—but they are not quoting figures. Light weight as a popular talking point is quite another thing from Scientific Light Weight attained by long experience in perfecting fine materials, gaining lightness, strength, flexibility, consistently throughout the car. Franklin Direct. aiid did away with 177 water-cooling pa Franklin flexible ‘construction did away with torque rods and reach rods and gave the Franklin the lightest unsprung weight ever attained. The latest reports from Franklin owners give the tire mileage of 215 Franklin Cars well over ten thousand miles to the set of tires. And not five per cent. difference between the Open Cars end the Enclosed Models! 2280 Ibs. $1950.00 Cabriolet Touring Car 160 Ibs. 1900.00 Sedan Runabout Four-passenger Roadster 2280 Ibs. 1950.00 Brougham 2575 lbs. 2800.00 You know some Franklin owner, probably several. Many of them, as you know, have owned and driven other makes of fine cars. Short of driving a Franklin yourself, there is no surer way to get the motorist’s side of Franklin Scientific Light Weight'than riding with a Fi ranklin owner, You will see him handle his car with ease and safety. You will find him taking the roads as they come—not humoring his car over the rough spots. You will note the comfort, the freedom from hammer and bump—result of light unsprung weight and driving through full-elliptic springs. Hold a watch on him—he -is making better time from place to place, a steady, easy gait, miles on end, and no slowing up for hills or stretches of choppy road. You will see him step out of the car fresh and untired at the end of the day’s run. Franklin Scientific Light Weight gives a road ability the motorist can use without working Check up his gasoline and tires. You will get some new ideas of motor-car efficiency: a ed Now, as an enlightened motorist, you are looking for scientific light weight—its safety, its comfort, its economy. Where are you going to get it? Ina car that has had some of its weight taken off to meet the public demand? Or in the Franklin: the one motor car that is today, es it always has been—a consistently Scientific-Light-Weight Car! Town Car 2610 Ibs. $3100.00 Limousine 2620 Ibs. 3100.00 All Prices F.O. B. Syracuse 2485 Ibs. $2750.00 2610 Ibs, 2850.00 FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY SYRACUSE, N. Vi VA VAVGVER Y.,, UWS. A. AYOVOVAVONEON AVAYAVAYONS LVi “ comicbooks.com