Life, 1919-11-27 · page 25 of 36
Life — November 27, 1919 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not satire. The image shows a superintendent (in bowler hat) speaking with an electrician about Robbins & Myers electric motors. The "joke" or appeal is business-oriented rather than political. The advertisement uses a testimonial format: the superintendent claims he installed R&M Motors eighteen years ago as a shop messenger boy, and they've proven so reliable that the company now uses hundreds of them. The pitch emphasizes **dependability, efficiency, and long-term cost savings**—converting "raw material into Accounts Receivable." For modern readers: this represents early 20th-century industrial advertising that appealed to factory managers and business owners by showcasing testimonials from "working men who've seen results." The modest dress and humble backstory of the superintendent character was meant to convey authenticity and trustworthiness to potential buyers—the motors are endorsed by someone who started at the bottom and knows quality through experience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Executive’s Choice You will find R&M Motors also on the better electrically driven labor-saving devices The superintendent is talking to the elec- trician. And in giving his own experience he is also voicing that of hundreds of other representative concerns that owe no small part of their leadership to efficient operating equipment. He says: “IT was the shop messenger boy when our first Robbins & Myers Motor was installed eighteen years ago. Today it is as good as ever. The first dozen R&M Motors we bought at that time have resulted in the hundreds you see here today.” Wherever the need for dependable motive equipment is imperative, there you will find Robbins & Myers Motors, whether in the small. shop or great factory. They keep machines busy; keep workers on “full time”; speed output; minimize operating costs; con- vert raw material into Accounts Receivable. for the factory, office, home and store. Makers of such quality devices see to it that the operat- ing efficiency of their product is in full con- formity with their own manufacturing ideals. For twenty-two years Robbins & Myers have specialized in the making of motors from 1-40 to 50 horsepower, growing from a small shop to a great manufactory with branch offices throughout the world and in every principal American city. Power users, electrical device manufacturers, and dealers find that Robbins & Myers Motors bring profit and prestige through dependable performance. The Robbins & Myers Company, Springfield, Ohio For Twenty-two Years Makers of Quality Fans and Metors Branches in All Principal Cities obbins Myers comicbooks.com