Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE GIVE-AWAY WORLDS “Later, not now. Money’s _ short and I can’t afford to get a glow on twice in one night.” He glowered at his glass. ‘““Money,” he said distinctly, “is always short. Damnmoney, anyway, it’s the invisible chains of the working man.” *““Nice to be loaded,” said Frank practically. “I could do with some more chains.”’ “What. for? So you can worry about losing them?’ Miles leaned forward. ‘‘Money doesn’t make a man happy, Frank. And don’t tell me that it lets you be miserable in comfort. I’ve heard that one. Money is only worth what you can buy with it. Can you buy freedom? Happiness? Can you buy the right to spit in your boss’s eye?” *“Sure.”” Frank wasn’t in- terested. ““Give a man enough money and he’ll let you walk over him in hobnail boots.” “False Gods,” said Miles. He burped a little. “I’m writing a book about it, Frank. ’'m going to prove that civilization is rotten. In fact, I’m going to prove that civilization is doomed.” He seemed to like the sound 27 of the word. “Doomed,” he repeated. ““‘Doomed.”’ “So it’s doomed. I heard you the first time.’ Frank twisted his head and stared around the saloon. No uni- forms. He tried to relax. ‘““How 77? *“How what?” “How is civilization doomed ?”’ ‘“Simple.”” Miles suddenly became the lecturer he was. “Civilizations follow certain trends. They grow, expand, and then die. History is full of examples. Crete, Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Hittite Empire, China, the Aztecs, take your pick. They all follow the same pattern.”’ *“Savages,”’ said Frank. He had seen tapes dealing with the old civilizations. “‘Horse and sword barbarians.” “Not on your life. They had horses and swords and a slave economy, but what they did with those things you wouldn’t believe. Plumbing equal to our own. Good roads. The Pyramids. Social struc- tures and organisation as good as any known. But they all went the same way. They all died.” comiclooks.corn