Automatic Age

October, 1939
AUTOMATIC AGE
E x te n s io n o f P e r s o n a l L ib e r t y W ill
S o lv e I n d u s t r y a n d W o r ld P r o b le m s
NE of the industry’s best-
known coin machine
men, a veteran of twen­
ty-five years experience in the
manufacture, sale and operation
of coin machines, recently made
the following statement to me
during an interview in his office:
“I believe that the number of
slot machines in operation will
continue to dwindle, and that
large-scale operation will never
be revived. My honest opinion is
that the slot machine is through.”
For obvious reasons the name
of this man will not be revealed,
and it may not be altogether
fair to quote his anonymous
statement of opinion as a pat
conclusion on his part. What he
undoubtedly meant is that the
end is inevitable if conditions
continue their present trends.
He referred, of course, to the
type of machine which has been
popular for the past forty years.
Events of the past make pat
conclusions dangerous.
Who believed that it would be
possible to prohibit the use of
wine and beer?
Who believed that it would be
possible to defeat the 18th
amendment after it became a
reality?
Who believed that class mag­
azines would accept cigarette
advertising showing refined so­
ciety ladies smoking cigarettes,
and with their statements en­
dorsing such and such brand?
O
Who believed that states would
legalize and endorse outright
gambling by licensing horse
racing?
Who believed that daily news­
papers would devote full pages
to the cause of gambling by
carrying racing info rm atio n ,
even hiring experts to pick the
winners for you?
Who believed that newspapers
and magazines would carry the
advertising of contraceptives
when a considerable portion of
the public believes the use of
contraceptives is a sin of deepest
vein?
Who believed that picture
magazines, boldly violating the
old unwritten law that the in­
side of a feminine thigh must
not be shown, would become our
most popular publications?
Who believed that principles
of representative government
would ever be so brazenly vio­
lated as we have witnessed in re­
cent years ?
Who believed that the great
nations of the world would ever
again resort to war in settling
their disputes?
These and other events of re­
cent times have completely up­
set earlier precedent and ideals
—have completely shattered for­
mer conceptions of right and
wrong — have completely re­
versed logical predictions based
on existing facts and conditions.
© In te rn a tio n a l A rc a d e M u se u m
13
These things happened in spite
of all the factors arrayed against
them. Yet, if you examine each
of the above illogical events,
they will be traced either to the
wishes of the majority or to the
fact that the majority had no op­
portunity to express its wishes.
Most every major change that is
made is either the result of ma­
jority preference or to majority
indifference. It is reasonable to
believe that everything that hap­
pens in the future will result be­
cause the majority of people
want it, or because they are not
sufficiently interested or aroused
to prevent it. Ideals, precedent,
tradition and logic will have
even less influence and effect as
our world becomes more stream­
lined, better informed and more
subject to the dictates of per­
sonal liberties.
At this darkest hour, in a
world of current bloodshed and
of impending disasters on a
larger scale, it is the firm con­
viction of this writer that the
war will be short-lived; that
civilization and world progress
are not seriously threatened, and
that present emergencies will
serve to strengthen, throughout
the world, the determination of
all people to enjoy not less, but
greater personal liberty than
ever before. This is a world of
individuals today, not of obse­
quious slaves who will meekly
sacrifice their lives and person­
al liberties in order to satisfy
some one man’s ambitions and
hatreds. People of the world
have had a sufficient taste of
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