Life, 1918-11-21 · page 6 of 34
Life — November 21, 1918 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **safety advertisement for Weed Anti-Skid Tire Chains**, not political satire. The dramatized scenario shows two men on telephones discussing a car accident: one officer informing a negligent car owner that his vehicle skidded on wet pavement, injuring his wife, because he failed to equip it with tire chains. The advertisement's rhetorical strategy uses **fear and guilt**—emphasizing that the owner's negligence nearly caused his wife's death. The message is straightforward: installing tire chains before winter accidents happen prevents injury, death, vehicle damage, and legal liability. This reflects early 20th-century winter driving hazards, when tire chains were essential safety equipment. The ad targets middle-class car owners who might rationalize skipping this precaution.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“What! My Car?” “Yes! skidded—and it’s up to you. You failed to provide the chauffeur with Tire Chains. Only good luck saved your wife from paying the supreme penalty for your negligence. She’s on the way to the hospital painfully injured, but the doctor thinks she'll pull through. You'd better hurry to the hospital and then report to Headquarters.” How strange it is that disaster must come to some men before they realize that all makes and types of tires will skid on wet pavements and muddy roads when not equipped with Chains, These men do not appreciate until too late, that by failing to pro- vide Weed Anti-Skid Chains they \ expose their families to injury and death. The time to provide against accidents is before they happen. Don’t wait until after the first skid. Pat Weed Chains on all four tires at the first indication of slippery going and you will have quadruple pro- tection against injury, death, ‘car damage and law suits. Weed Chains are Sold for All Tires by Dealers Everywhere Neaiimerican(chainompanvalnconporcted i’ BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT IN CANADA ; DOMINION CHAIN COMPANY, LIMITED, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO. comicbooks.com