Transcribe
Translate
Mutant, v. 2, issue 2, May 1948
Page 3
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
((THIS STORY appeared first in The Cadillacan, a high-school paper and then in The National Echo, a magazine whichareprints the best feature stories from school papers all over the U.S. And not, at last, by permission of its author, it comes before fandom in The Mutant. From the fantastic depths of Cadillac, Michigan, we proud- M JUDGMENT by Radell Nelson The panel slid noiselessly to one side to admit the strange insect-like creature. "Welcome, Deooeg," said the lean, balding man behind the desk. "You have come many light-years in answer to my call. I have a job for you; a very important job." Deooeg spread his wing rudiments and sat down. His voice cut the silence of the soundproof room with a high squealing note. "Comrade Richard Stern, I have read your thought books on human progress and found them very profound. My compliments." "Thank you, sir," said Richard Stern modestly, "but let us not beat about the bush. I brought you here to serve as a judge. Yours will be the power of life and death over many prominent people." "Life and death?" Deooeg came from a peace-loving race. He twitched uneasily. "What for?" "You will try men for crimes they have not yet committed." Stern leaned forward, watching Deooeg carefully. "We will kill men, not for deeds, but for ideas dangerous to the human race. In my studies of history, I have found that wars are not caused by nations, but by single individuals with dangerous ideas. If these individuals could be destroyed before they came into power, the world might at least have peace." "I see," chirped Deooeg, "and I agree with you wholeheartedly. But how can you tell who is dangerous and who is not?" "I could not tell," answered Richard Stern, "nor could any other human. Our fate is too closely bound up in such a decision. One human might call another human dangerous, and that same human return the accusation. No one would know who was right. To take a classic illustration, remember Adolph Hitler and Franklin Roosevelt? The followers of Hitler would call the famous president dangerous while the men of F.D.R. would call Hitler dangerous. No one on earth could settle such an argument fairly. We need an absolutely unbiased judge: One with no axes to grind; one, in fact, who is not even human -- you, Deeoeg." - - Page 3
Saving...
prev
next
((THIS STORY appeared first in The Cadillacan, a high-school paper and then in The National Echo, a magazine whichareprints the best feature stories from school papers all over the U.S. And not, at last, by permission of its author, it comes before fandom in The Mutant. From the fantastic depths of Cadillac, Michigan, we proud- M JUDGMENT by Radell Nelson The panel slid noiselessly to one side to admit the strange insect-like creature. "Welcome, Deooeg," said the lean, balding man behind the desk. "You have come many light-years in answer to my call. I have a job for you; a very important job." Deooeg spread his wing rudiments and sat down. His voice cut the silence of the soundproof room with a high squealing note. "Comrade Richard Stern, I have read your thought books on human progress and found them very profound. My compliments." "Thank you, sir," said Richard Stern modestly, "but let us not beat about the bush. I brought you here to serve as a judge. Yours will be the power of life and death over many prominent people." "Life and death?" Deooeg came from a peace-loving race. He twitched uneasily. "What for?" "You will try men for crimes they have not yet committed." Stern leaned forward, watching Deooeg carefully. "We will kill men, not for deeds, but for ideas dangerous to the human race. In my studies of history, I have found that wars are not caused by nations, but by single individuals with dangerous ideas. If these individuals could be destroyed before they came into power, the world might at least have peace." "I see," chirped Deooeg, "and I agree with you wholeheartedly. But how can you tell who is dangerous and who is not?" "I could not tell," answered Richard Stern, "nor could any other human. Our fate is too closely bound up in such a decision. One human might call another human dangerous, and that same human return the accusation. No one would know who was right. To take a classic illustration, remember Adolph Hitler and Franklin Roosevelt? The followers of Hitler would call the famous president dangerous while the men of F.D.R. would call Hitler dangerous. No one on earth could settle such an argument fairly. We need an absolutely unbiased judge: One with no axes to grind; one, in fact, who is not even human -- you, Deeoeg." - - Page 3
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
