C.A. Coey's School of Motoring, 1424-26 Michigan Ave. Chicago — Edition Insights

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Coey, Charles Andrew, 1870-1952 Project Gutenberg 2015 Not confirmed
Automobile driver education Readers of public-domain and historical texts
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Edition facts

Words 8,123
Reading time 36 min
Text sections 5

This digital edition of C.A. Coey's School of Motoring, 1424-26 Michigan Ave. Chicago — Edition Insights is described by source-level measurements including 8,123 words, 36 min estimated reading time, and 5 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 19.2 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Automobile driver education,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

An early 20th-century promotional booklet for C.A. Coey's School of Motoring in Chicago, blending sales pitches, testimonials, and practical instruction for aspiring chauffeurs and mechanics.
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Editorial Edition Score 4.6/5

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  • Description quality20 pts
  • Title & short description10 pts
  • Source metadata20 pts
  • Text length15 pts
  • Chapters / structure15 pts
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Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

Read the Text

Our School is said to be the Greatest and Most Complete

in the World and the only one

ACTUALLY BUILDING AUTOMOBILES

C. A. COEY, President

To the Prospective Student

If you are about to make your start in life, or not satisfied with your present line of work, or for the sake of your health are desirous of securing a change of employment which will take you out into the open air, it is worth your while to consider the matter of learning to be an expert automobile operator and to take up that line of work.

The great growth and development of the automobile and its use needs no comment. The compensation of the chauffeur is good and the demand for his services so steady, and the standing of the profession is so high now, that it is more and more attractive to that class of individuals who are able and willing to combine mechanical skill with intellectual effort.

It is for that class of men this course is intended and it is that class of men, who, by supplementing their natural mechanical genius with a little properly directed mental work, can qualify themselves to secure well paid positions, such as, to the proper persons, are certain to prove stepping stones to greater advancement.

The great number of chauffeurs who enjoy the esteem and confidence of their wealthy employers is well known, and we could enumerate hundreds who have started in business for themselves and who are on the road to wealth through the assistance of their employer.

The Object of Our School

The object of our School is to prepare young men throughout the country to become expert chauffeurs, repairmen, demonstrators, salesmen, garage managers, etc.

Our president, Mr. C. A. Coey, has been in the automobile business for twelve years, and he is one of the most prominent automobile men in America today.

During this time he has sold thousands of automobiles, and his customers can be found in every state in the Union. He found that the only way he could supply the demands of the automobile dealers and manufacturers throughout the country, was to open a school of motoring, and it is for this reason that _C. A. COEY'S SCHOOL OF MOTORING_ was started.

Mr. Coey commenced as a small farmer boy himself, and he knows that the country boys are even more ambitious than those in the city, but they do not have the opportunities like the city boys. And because he knew that there were plenty of such young men all over the country, who would be able to fill just such positions, if they could but prepare themselves, and at the same time to supply the demand from his customers throughout the country for good honest young men he founded this School.

A Word About our President

Mr. Coey has been prominently identified with the automobile business in Chicago from its inception, in fact, he is the pioneer automobile man of Chicago.

He constructed the first building ever erected in America for an automobile garage, which is now standing at the corner of Cottage Grove Avenue and 53rd St., Chicago, Illinois.

He placed the first taxicabs on the streets of Chicago and now owns the best in the city.

He is one of the few who made a success of the automobile livery business, beginning with one car and increasing to fifty. Commencing with practically nothing, he built up not only the largest automobile livery business in the country, but also the largest automobile sales business in America. The companies bearing his name now maintain a large garage and salesroom.

Mr. Coey is intimately connected with some of the foremost men of this country and is well known as an automobile manufacturer and dealer throughout the country, and a _DIPLOMA_ with his name signed to it is the best thing you can have when looking for any kind of employment in the automobile industry.

He has secured more good paying positions for his students and friends than all other auto schools in America combined, because he is so well known.

Mr. Coey has won more twenty-four hour races than any other man living and holds the world's record for twenty-four hours for a one-man driver, covering 990 miles without a minute's rest.

Mr. Coey has also been widely known throughout the country in connection with ballooning, and he holds the world's speed record, having covered six hundred and seven miles in ten hours and fifty-five minutes, ascending at Quincy, Illinois, on the 2nd day of June, 1907, in the evening and sailing through the clouds all night, through thunder storms, and making a landing at Clear Lake, South Dakota, at five A. M. the next day.

The booklet opens with a bold claim: the school is "the Greatest and Most Complete AUTO SCHOOL in the World" and uniquely "ACTUALLY BUILDING AUTOMOBILES." This sets a tone of self-promotion that pervades the text, where the school's legitimacy is bolstered by testimonials from racer Barney Oldfield and city officials. The address, 1424-26 Michigan Ave., anchors the operation in Chicago's early automotive hub.

Promises of Prosperity and Open Air

The opening appeal targets young men dissatisfied with their current work or seeking healthful outdoor employment. It promises that chauffeurs enjoy "the esteem and confidence of their wealthy employers" and that many have "started in business for themselves" with employer assistance. The language frames motoring as a stepping stone to wealth, emphasizing "mechanical skill with intellectual effort." Notably, the text addresses "country boys" specifically, suggesting a rural-to-urban migration pattern. The offer of a free automobile after selling ten Coey Flyers reinforces the entrepreneurial angle, blending education with direct sales incentives.

Testimonials as Credentials

The booklet relies heavily on external endorsements. H.L. Hudson, City Mechanician of Chicago, praises Coey's "vast experience with chauffeurs" and his role as an instructor and examiner. A Chicago Examiner article frames the school as a remedy for "the failure of so many automobiles" and accidents due to driver inefficiency. The Chicago Journal notes Coey's racing and ballooning feats, while the Live Stock Magazine highlights his 1901 school and claims "over one thousand" graduates hold jobs paying up to $75 a week. These testimonials serve as evidence of the school's reputation, though they are clearly selected for promotional effect.

A Dual Approach: Correspondence and Practical Training

The text describes a system where students first learn "foundation principles in the quiet of his home" through correspondence, then receive a "practical road course." This hybrid model is presented as innovative, allowing nationwide enrollment. The booklet also mentions that the school builds automobiles—the Coey Flyer—which students can sell as agents. This integration of training, sales, and manufacturing suggests a vertically structured business. The emphasis on "properly directed mental work" indicates that the course values theoretical knowledge alongside hands-on skill, a distinction from purely vocational training.

Rhetoric of Opportunity and Self-Made Success

Coey's personal narrative—"commenced as a small farmer boy himself"—is used to inspire trust and ambition. The text repeatedly links learning to drive with upward mobility, claiming that "the compensation of the chauffeur is good" and demand is steady. The offer of a $200 commission per car sold and a free car after ten sales creates a clear financial incentive. The language is direct and persuasive, targeting readers who see motoring as a path to independence. However, the excerpts do not include any actual driving instructions, focusing instead on recruitment and the school's credentials.

Readers should approach this booklet as a primary source on early automotive education and marketing, not as a neutral instructional manual. The blend of salesmanship, testimonials, and career promises reveals how the industry sought to attract workers. The absence of technical content in the excerpts suggests the practical lessons were reserved for enrolled students, making this text a window into the business of motoring schools rather than a guide to driving itself.

Years ago, cataloging a stack of motoring pamphlets, I noticed how C.A. Coey's School of Motoring taught drivers to see the road ahead—patiently, turn by turn. That slow trust in guided steps reminded me of another old friend, The Child and the Curriculum — Themes and Context. Both books whisper the same quiet truth: learning is a journey, not a jump.

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