AustLit

Advertising material and fairy story. As Australian and New Zealand soldiers sleep nearby, a sentry at the great Pyramid in Egypt is approached by a fairy. She knows that the sentry has been wondering how the Pyramid was constructed. The fairy tells him that fairies were involved with the construction. The next night, the sentry goes to meet the Queen of the Fairies to hear the rest of the story. She explains that the building process was hampered by friction. The fairies, knowing that oil was the enemy of friction, collected oil in seashells and brought it to the workers, thus eliminating the friction and enabling the Pyramid to be built more quickly.

The fairy tells the sentry, 'To your Country we give the secret of power. All machinery — particularly motor car engines—has need of it. Take it! It will destroy the enemy of progress — Friction—and all who use it wisely will, in return, have speed with freedom from trouble'. Readers are encouraged to ask their daddies to buy Shell lubricating oil for their cars to ensure that they run smoothly.