Just about any profession can benefit from adopting the latest in technology, as illustrated by this self-explanatory picture in the December 1923 issue of Popular Mechanics.

According to the magazine, this gentleman’s profession, somewhere in Europe, was a mendicant.  That’s a word you don’t hear very often today, but it sounds a lot better than “beggar.”  He had previously operated as an organ grinder (the article didn’t say whether or not he had a monkey), but constantly having to turn the crank proved too hard.  Also, the hand organ was very heavy.  Therefore, he invested in the phonograph shown here, which required cranking only occasionally after a few songs.  Armed with a satchel full of records, he could share his entertainment and eek out a living much more easily.