Life, 1919-01-23 · page 6 of 42
Life — January 23, 1919 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Weed Tire Chains advertisement**, not political satire. The narrative depicts a motorist tormented by guilt over a near-fatal accident he caused, presumably from driving without tire chains in poor conditions. The dramatic silhouette shows him alone with his conscience—a visual metaphor for his psychological burden. The advertisement's argument is straightforward: installing Weed tire chains prevents accidents, thus sparing drivers from moral anguish. The quotes present his internal monologue rationalizing the accident as "unavoidable," which the ad contradicts—it *was* avoidable with proper equipment. This reflects early automotive safety messaging, when personal responsibility for accident prevention was emphasized to consumers. The emotional manipulation (guilt, endangered children) was typical of 1920s-era advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Will I never be able to rid myself of the awful responsibility for that almost fatal accident? The memory is constantly W d before me. Even now the very flames leaping up the chim- ee ney seem to portray the nerve-racking scene and bring it all vividly before me again. . Tire “‘Had I only put on my tire chains that eventful morning, as I well knew I should, I could easily have controlled my Chains car and thus have saved all this remorse. Prevent Accidents “Just suppose it was one of my little girls that had been hurt by another motorist as careless and thoughtless as myself? “I wonder if 1 could complacently have accepted the flimsy excuse—that he “couldn’t help it”—that “it was unavoidable” —when I knew that it was nothing but downright careless- ness—an utter disregard of that first principle of careful driv- ing—’Put on your Weed Chains at the first drop of rain.’’ AMERICAN CHAIN COMPANY, INC. BRIDGEPORT WW CONNECTICUT In Canada: Dominion Chain Company, Limited, Niagara Falls, Ontario Largest Chain Manufacturers in the World ‘The Complete Chain Line—All Types, All Sizes, All Finishes—From Plumbers’ Safety Chain to Ships’ Anchor Chain