White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1927-10-21
STILL GET THRILL
AT PENNY ARCADES
New York Sticks to Ancient
Amusement.


New York.-Eight o'clock in the
morning is the zero hour for enter
tainment in New York. Nothing re-
mains, apparently, but to crawl into
a taxi and give the driver your home
address.
That is, of course, If you do net
belong to that class of New Workers
who know all the little intimate
things about their home town. For
instance, that when it's eight o'clock in
the morning, when you've dissipated
the best part of your bank roll, when
YOU still prefer any place to home,
you can turn toward Sixth avenue
and find the bacchanal spirit running
riot to the strains of mechanical pi-
ano in a penny arcade.
The early morning recreation prob
lem has been solved by this thought
full amusement resort that filings wide
its doors at 1880 and within half an
hour has collected swarming throng
Of customers.
The silken and the seamy citizenry
of New York Is there. Don't be sur
prised to see the former in tuxedos
and spangles debark noisily from an
open victoria at the curb.
Gold Mine to Arcade.
These rich once-in-a-whilers are a
gold mine, for they edo" the works
at an outlay of $1.50 each-the tariff
on the entire $50 machines designed
for the public's enjoyment. They may
even give another dollar to be photo
graphed before the canvas scenery of
bar painted with such sentiments as
s'Drink Here and Die at Home"
The average customer, however, is
good for only about three cents, the
change from breakfast of cold slaw,
an ice cream sandwich and orangeade
at a cheap restaurant next door.
Tim, the florid faced manager, is
probably the worst cynic on Sixth
avenue. 1t beats his Irish understand
ing how crooked guy can be in the
matter of cent.
"You'd never believe it, but there
are people that will swear falsely
they put in the money and the ma
chinery wouldn't go.' he depores
Tim asserts that his employers get
gypped out of plenty of money year
this way. He's been changing nickels
for pennies during two decades of
service for the single corporation
which monopolizes ownership of the
few remaining peep palaces in New
York.
Tim says that about LOO people
come in every day. And at least 1.O97
are out on the pretext of visiting the
Sixth avenue employment agencies
that cluster around the district ut the
rate of ten to block. Although the
arcade keeps open till midnight, husi
ness falls off perceptibly as soon as
the job exchanges close.
The arcade offers diversity of
amusements. The athletic, the super
stitious, the unsteady bent. the prac-
teal and, of. course the seeker for
thrills, have all been remembered.
Fortunes Told.
Visitors come first to fifteen or six
teen fortune telling devices. The Lit
tile Gypsy, for the small consideration
of a copper, will answer briefly. "Can
trust my lover" "Am liar?" as
there any hope for me?" or "Is my
salary going to be raised?" She won't
give you any particulars, except reg
istering eyes" mo or "Maybe" But
who would say that it isn't worth the
price7
The mystic wheel also assures you
that you can have preview of your
bridegroom. While the wheel actually
comes across with his photograph,
there's futility in 1t at that. The
man looks ready to leap on bicycle
built for two If he is still alive
somewhere he probably wants a wife
who can run wheel chair.
The surprising artistic alurement
Is the crank driven mutoscope or peep
show that gives you two eyefuls for
the same reasonable price asked In
1897. The shapeIy ladies have stood
the strain remarkably well.
"The Death Chair at Sing Sing"
has exhausted its melodramatfc hor
rors and works no longer. The at
traction called "What Girls do When
They Are Alone" gives the education
al information that they skip rope
clad in flannel night dresses. Another
we'll worn one is the caption. "For
Men Only" Here YOU have whim-
steal little piece about an artist who
falls asleep while drawing skeleton
In his dreams his model assumes the
we'll rounded lines Of a 1000 chorus
girl, whom his modest snhconscious
mind discreetly covers with tights of
heavy wooden texture.
On your way out treat yourself tn
penny squirt of perfume and stop
to listen to Edisons first conception
of gramophone. II you've never
heard "valencia'' or "The Prisoners
Song" stick rubber tubes in your ears
and turn on the current.