DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Southern Star, v. 1, issue 4, December 1941

Transcribe
Translate

Southern Star, v. 1, issue 4, December 1941

Page 29

The Munsey Panorama     SOUTHERN STAR     Page 29

formed beautifully. He knew then that the flight could have been made as advertised, and that his next attempt need not be a frameup.
[[underline]]THE WISTARIA SCARF[[end underline]], by J. U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith. Serial, 3 parts, June 1, 1912.
The Occult Detector probes a Parisian kidnapping, follows the trail of Persia, and takes time out to visit the ancestral home where, hundreds of years before, he was born.
[[underline]]THE VEIL[[end underline]], by Fred Jackson. Novelette, 18pp, June 8, 1912
A study in amnesia.
[[underline]]THE MOON ON THE PILLOW[[end underline]], by George M. A. Cain. 6pp, June 15, 1912.
"I mean to say that the very word for temporary mania in almost every civilized tongue testifies to the belief that the moon has an effect on the human mind. You know as well as I the derivation of our own words, lunacy and lunatic; you know the tales of seamen and soldiers -- those who have had the most opportunity to feel the influence of the moon."
THE GOLDEN BLIGHT, by George Allan England. Serial, 6 parts, June 22, 1912.
A Munsey milestone, I'd say -- a real classic. If not the grandest writing possible on the subject selected, at least a fully adequate treatment.
Far be it from me to suggest that gold is a dull topic for conversation; but I have not as a general rule cared at all for stories that are largely money-stories. Thinking that I'd have to do some wading to get through this one, I changed my mind with the first installment. This England certainly knew how to put one little word after another.
He makes a great adventure of this. One man stands absolutely alone against the capitalism of the wide world, and whips it. It's a big canvas, a colorful painting, calling for and revealing a scope of imagination that I can only term magnificent. Actually, you have to have an unusually strong imagination yourself in order to appreciate what England did. And he was painstaking. Beyond the fact that the hero too often says "Gad!", there is hardly a flaw in the structure.
Incidentally, there is incorporated a crushing indictment of war and the men who cause it, with long quotations from famous authors who have described horrible battle scenes.
For that is what John Storm wanted with power; he intended to end all warfare. He believed that the destruction of capitalism would accomplish his end; that if the financiers of the world wished peace, there would be peace.
Storm had a machine whose radiations could disintegrate every ounce of gold in the world, leaving only gray ashes. He could exert his power wherever and whenever he pleased.
He went to the financiers and delivered his ultimatum: they would bring about lasting, worldwide peace at once, or he would set his machine in motion. He gave demonstrations of what he could do. 
They banded together against him, and he set to work in earnest.
The action speeds up, the interest quickens as this gifted author contrives to show you the whole United States in the throes of a tremendous crisis. Developments revolve around three salients: the campaign of the Richest man to buy up all the gold-ash, paying for it in silver; the [[underline]]return[[end underline]] of the gold; and the final catastrophe that gives the victory to John Storm.
A truly remarkable description of economic upheaval and the mass hysteria that goes with it. A fine building-up of dramatic pitch that continues a smashing conclusion. 
You'll like it!

Saving...

The Munsey Panorama SOUTHERN STAR Page 29 formed beautifully. He knew then that the flight could have been made as advertised, and that his next attempt need not be a frameup. [[underline]]THE WISTARIA SCARF[[end underline]], by J. U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith. Serial, 3 parts, June 1, 1912. The Occult Detector probes a Parisian kidnapping, follows the trail of Persia, and takes time out to visit the ancestral home where, hundreds of years before, he was born. [[underline]]THE VEIL[[end underline]], by Fred Jackson. Novelette, 18pp, June 8, 1912 A study in amnesia. [[underline]]THE MOON ON THE PILLOW[[end underline]], by George M. A. Cain. 6pp, June 15, 1912. "I mean to say that the very word for temporary mania in almost every civilized tongue testifies to the belief that the moon has an effect on the human mind. You know as well as I the derivation of our own words, lunacy and lunatic; you know the tales of seamen and soldiers -- those who have had the most opportunity to feel the influence of the moon." THE GOLDEN BLIGHT, by George Allan England. Serial, 6 parts, June 22, 1912. A Munsey milestone, I'd say -- a real classic. If not the grandest writing possible on the subject selected, at least a fully adequate treatment. Far be it from me to suggest that gold is a dull topic for conversation; but I have not as a general rule cared at all for stories that are largely money-stories. Thinking that I'd have to do some wading to get through this one, I changed my mind with the first installment. This England certainly knew how to put one little word after another. He makes a great adventure of this. One man stands absolutely alone against the capitalism of the wide world, and whips it. It's a big canvas, a colorful painting, calling for and revealing a scope of imagination that I can only term magnificent. Actually, you have to have an unusually strong imagination yourself in order to appreciate what England did. And he was painstaking. Beyond the fact that the hero too often says "Gad!", there is hardly a flaw in the structure. Incidentally, there is incorporated a crushing indictment of war and the men who cause it, with long quotations from famous authors who have described horrible battle scenes. For that is what John Storm wanted with power; he intended to end all warfare. He believed that the destruction of capitalism would accomplish his end; that if the financiers of the world wished peace, there would be peace. Storm had a machine whose radiations could disintegrate every ounce of gold in the world, leaving only gray ashes. He could exert his power wherever and whenever he pleased. He went to the financiers and delivered his ultimatum: they would bring about lasting, worldwide peace at once, or he would set his machine in motion. He gave demonstrations of what he could do. They banded together against him, and he set to work in earnest. The action speeds up, the interest quickens as this gifted author contrives to show you the whole United States in the throes of a tremendous crisis. Developments revolve around three salients: the campaign of the Richest man to buy up all the gold-ash, paying for it in silver; the [[underline]]return[[end underline]] of the gold; and the final catastrophe that gives the victory to John Storm. A truly remarkable description of economic upheaval and the mass hysteria that goes with it. A fine building-up of dramatic pitch that continues a smashing conclusion. You'll like it!