American soldier and writer (1887-1951) best known for The Bounty Trilogy, three historical novels he wrote with Charles Nordhoff: Mutiny on the Bounty (1932), Men Against the Sea (1934) and Pitcairn's Island (1934). TLS signed “James Norman Ben Young Hall,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 11, June 26, 1951. Addressed from Tahiti, a lengthy letter to Priscilla Allen, in full: “I hope this is 1951. My calendar says so. In that case, it means that only little more than a year has passed since I received your letter dated May 17th, 1950. That was a delightful letter and I greatly enjoyed it, the more so because you said such nice things about my verses, ‘A Word for his Sponsor,’ even though you did not agree with some of the opinions expressed there, particularly, with reference to the 'giant minds’. I wish that I had your faith that all they are doing will work to the ultimate benefit of mankind, but I can't see how atom bombs and hydrogen bombs will work to the advantage of anyone or anything except those mythical twins, Chaos and Old Night, always waiting for a chance to return to the Earth. I had hoped there would be no more revolutionary inventions in our time, but I have just been reading of a new one that looks anything but good to me. In a recent number of TIME Magazine there is a review of a book called Cybernetics by a Mr. Norbert Wiener, Professor of Mathematics at M.I.T. It concerns these new calculating machines so vastly more intelligent and more efficient than human beings. Of course, I can see their value for the huge business establishments of these days. There is one called UNIVAC, manufactured by the Remington Rand Company which, it is said, ‘can do most of the numerical tasks now performed by flesh and blood clerks. In computing payroll checks, for instance, it 'reads' (at 10,000 characters per second) two magnetic tapes with numbers coded on them. One tape carries all the data about each employee: his wage rate, tax status, pension deductions, etc.x The other carries the hours worked by each during the pay period. By comparing the tapes at lightning speed, UNIVAC can compute a complicated payroll for 10,000 employees in only 40 minutes.’
Of course I realize the advantages of having machines perform these boring, humdrum tasks which human brains cannot do one-tenth as well or as quickly. But I am rather alarmed at what the result of their widespread use may be. It says, in this review: ‘These accomplishments of the new machines, said Gulick’ (Mr. Luther Gulic, president of the Institute of Public Administration), will allow them to replace 78.4% of the men in factories employing more than 100, and 16.5% of the white-collar workers. In ten years, he estimated, some 7,500,000 workers will be replaced by intelligence machines.’ What about all of these displaced persons? How are they to make a living?
But it is silly for me to worry about the future. In ten years I will be 74 years old, if I live that long, which is doubtful. A man who writes books, even though they are only third or fourth-raters, has an advantage over other white-collar workers: machines can't do him out of his job.
Speaking of books, did I send you a copy of my last one, THE FAR LANDS? I certainly intended to, but my poor old brain unlike those of machines is becoming atrophied, and I may have neglected to do this. If I did not, and you want a copy, you have only to let me know and I will send you one, autographed, by 'Ben' himself. It is a story about the ancient voyages of the Polynesians, and, as there is no source material concerned with those pre-historic days, the whole of it was drawn out of thin air. I am now writing some reminiscences of boyhood, youth and adulthood, and, if they are ever published, the sub-title of the book should be: ‘The Memoirs of a Vital Statistic,’ although I am far from sure that 'Vital' is the word.
Au revoir, Priscilla. In your last letter you spoke of your flowers and said that you have ‘a green thumb.’ So has Sarah, my wife. She is a wonder. We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary last year. I wish that I could hope to see our golden one.” In fine condition, with light toning along the folds. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope.
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