''4
By PAUL W. BLACKFORD
I suppose everybody in Brown County knows
Uncle Hezekiah Walters. Born and raised in those
parts. In his spare time-although it's pretty hard
for him to tell his spare time from any other time-
Uncle Hez does a little preaching, but he has al-
ways been careful to maintain his amateur standing.
where an emergency arises it is a chosen few who
step forward to handle the defense while : countless
hundreds of others fly to cover, close up like a clam,
and offer no aid nor assistance whatever. But let
the war clouds clear and they're much in evidence
once more.
An earnest, simple-hearted, kindly old chap,
Uncle Hez. But he has two rather human failings.
He will look upon the wine when it is red-and the
moonshine when it is white. And under the influence
of strong liquor, he is inclined to indulge in strong
language. Yes, sir, Hezekiah is a champion catch-
as-catch-can cusser.
Nevertheless our labors towards establishing
faith in our business have not been in vain. Asso-
ciation after association the country over has taken
up the torch, devoted meetings to discussions on this
"self-selling" principle and the work goes on and on.
One time in particular, he received a call to a
little church over on Gnaw-Bone Crick. So he
hitched up the old mare to the buggy, and he and
Aunt Sarah set out for the meeting house. It was a
bitter cold Sunday morning, and Hez, who was a
great hand for preparedness, took several sizeable
swigs from the jug as they drove along. By and by
he sort of dozed off. When they got within sight of
the church Aunt Sarah nudged him, "Hez, Hezekiah!
Look at all them teams a-hitched over yander in the
clearin'l Why the hull countryside has come to hear
you preach!"
Uncle Hezekiah roused himself and blinked in
dazed wonderment. "Well blest if they hain'tl And,
Sary-Sary-I'm a-gain' to preach them folks the
god-damdest sermon that ·ever they heered!"
Like Hezekiah, I've preached mighty few sermons
during the past year but conditions within the in-
dustry make me feel like preaching a "Hezekiah
topnotcher."
For months and months the REVIEW has been
preaching the same old sermon: "Have confidence
and faith in your business ... make up your mind
that you are in the best business in the world ... be
proud of your activities ... keep out in the open . . .
explain your business and how it operates to any-
one interested . . . make people understand that
your business is legitimate and wortny of th~ same
recognition as any other business.
It is impossible for me to understand how opera-
tors can make such heavy investments, many times
running into thousands and thousands of dollars,
and then stand by and let the ignorant, uninformed,
unmercifully attack our business. In every case
Once we clean up and set our minds right con-
cerning our own business our next big task is to
learn right thinking concerning the state of the
nation and the world in general. No one is more
detested and disliked than the individual who goes
around continually blaming everything and any-
thing on the government, foreign affairs, and what
have you.
L?-
7·
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
The world is not going to the dogs. Things are
not getting worse and worse every day.
I'm reminded of the fellow who commissioned his
Hebrew tailor to make him a pair of trousers. The
customer called several times only to be informed
that the tailor had not yet had an "inspiration" for
the pants, but would get at the assignment pres-
ently.
Finally the creation was completed and the cus-
tomer was satisfied. "Yes, it's a good job, Goldblatt,"
he agreed grudgingly, "but it took you too infernally
long. Why the Lord made the world in six days-
and it took you a month to turn out a pair of pants]"
Goldblatt continued to eye his handiwork with un-
disguised admiration. "Vell, that is maybe so," he
responded, "but I'm tellin' you, Abe, take a look at
the world-and then take another look at those
pants!"
Let's let the "world is awful" talk stay in the joke
category and as we approach the Spring and Sum-
mer operating season it is time for all of us to clean
house, mentally, and revamp our stagnant way of
thinking . . . look to the future with a smile that
won't rub off and with confidence that success will
mark our efforts in the months ahead. If your
thoughts are right, and your goal is set, no one,
nor any one thing, can stop you.
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