Life, 1918-12-26 · page 29 of 35
Life — December 26, 1918 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Timken Bearings advertisement** disguised as social commentary. The satirical premise asks readers to imagine all motor cars suddenly disabled, forcing society back to horse-drawn transportation. The advertisement argues that automobiles have become **essential to modern life**—not luxuries—for doctors, lawyers, farmers, and workers. It emphasizes that reliable car components (specifically Timken ball bearings) matter because society now depends on motor vehicles. The visual comparison at top and bottom reinforces this: modern motorized vehicles versus horse-drawn wagons, suggesting regression would be catastrophic. **The satire's point**: By 1920s standards, this was relatively subtle advertising that flatters readers' dependence on automobiles while promoting a specific mechanical component as essential to that modern lifestyle. It transforms a product endorsement into a "what if?" thought experiment about progress and necessity. The ad assumes readers will find the prospect of returning to horses absurd—reflecting genuine automotive cultural dominance by this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
If We Had to Go Back to It Suppose we had to go back to the horse! Suppose at the stroke of midnight every motor car in the United States was put out of commission! Can you picture what would happen next morning? What would the doctor, the lawyer, the office employee, the merchant, the farmer, the skiiled workman do without this time-saving vehicle that was once termed a luxury? The motor-car has become the car of the workers—it conserves time and energy, it ex- tends the owner's sphere of usefulness—it is a more and more essential factor in transpor- tation. For that very reason, sound construction and reasonable cost of maintenance have been of increasing interest to car-owners. Buyers differ in opinion as to body-lines, seating capacity, number of cylinders and so on, but all demand performance. From the beginning of the industry¢éto the present day, the service of Timken Bearings in standing up to their own job and in also safeguarding the important power transmit- ting units from theeffects of unn ar, has been more and more widely recognized. In spite of any limitations of motor-car output there are this year more cars in use with Timken Bearings than ever before. And not only are there more cars—and more makes of cars—so equipped, but the average number of places where each maker uses the bearings has increased also. Write for “The Companies Timken Keeps’? and learn who uses Timkens and why. w THE TIMKEN ROLLER BEARING COMPANY “i” Canton, Ohio ? TIMKEN | BEARINGS FOR MOTOR CAR, TRUCK & TRACTOR ove comicbooks.com