Transcribe
Translate
Cosmic Tales, v. 2, issue 1, Summer 1939
Page 37
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
COSMIC TALES 37 of the convention.... The Futurians had better beware of sweeping statements about suppression of all sociological matter; the LA Technocratic pub "We Have a Rendezvous" (somehow I missed getting a copy) was put on sale by the Convention with the other pubs.....At first "The Warning" was passed about under cover, with the words, "Have you seen this against the will of the Committee?" but apparently the Triumvirs soon found out all there was to know; Der Fuehrer of the Newark Swamps told me Kyle was the author, as did others, but in my opinion it smells to High Chez-Foo of Michael-Wolheim. It was signed, as you know, by an "Association". Fortunately, in addition to the general tone, the cheap Wigginsish capitalizing of whole sentences and the yellow paper proclaimed the booklet for what it was. It is filled to the ears with half-truths, one-sided statements, and bald inaccuracies. If the dessenters had ammunition like that ready, what might they have had planned to do if they were admitted to the hall?... Concerning Dale Hart, who almost walked out when the motion to admit the Wolheimists wasn't recognized, it was said, "It's his own fault, coming a week early and letting the Futurians stuff him full of propaganda".... More and more it came to me, as matters progressed, that this, counting out the under-cover dissension, was in general the way a convention should be run. Such an event shouldn't be, isn't, in the case of other organizations, a deliberate assembly; there are many present not interested, or ill-informed, and people can usually think better from behind typewriters, anyhow. If, as the IPO indicated, the average fan of 1938 was 18 years old, then he's 19 now. ghu, men, in no time at all we'll be growed up -- and we'll be wanting--I already want--a fandom we won't have to apologize for to adult friends.The field should be broad enuf to include controversial discussions, but they should for the most part, be kept pretty much in separate compartments, so you can take them or leave them. A long step in the direction of a more adult fandom was the Convention, important enuf to be reported in Time (even if the report was in the characteristic Time manner). More along this line later. Frantically did I labor up till the 2:00 deadline to get my histories of fandom bradded together, but had finished only about 30 copies when the time came. Not quite all of them sold. Reactions were indeed mixed; Moskowitz said he'd already found two hundred mistakes; Sykora took occasion at the Monday banquet to publicly chide me re it; Ackerman went into detail on a couple of mistakes; Schwartz, I understand, hit the ceiling when he read the first part that had already gone out thru the FAPA. On t'other hand, Lowndes had dropped me a nice card on the same first part; FCPainton asked to meet me, to say that he didn't know anything about the subject and didn't want to, but he enjoyed reading the work; FJA said he was surprised at the number of things I knew; and the Kuslan has exclaimed "superb". So my iron ego isn't crushed yet....Many scheduled Conv pubs hadn't arrived--Stf & Nonsense, Who's Who (with me and Bristol both in it!), Wiggins' Conventioneer, et autres. Unlike the case at the Newark affair, there were sandwiches aplenty at the last, and they even gave away the very last of the pop --just when I was wanting to stoutly demand a double portion for being two people (at least two New Fandom members)... Fanny reports the Queens Ladies' Auxiliary kept the register of attendees, but Hyman Tiger (who more resembles a buffalo) was always standing behind that table when we were wanting to sneak up and change our "Jack Speer" signiture to our full name, "John Bristol Speer".... They kept insisting that I couldn't take pictures in that light. But I could have, if the manufacturers hadn't
Saving...
prev
next
COSMIC TALES 37 of the convention.... The Futurians had better beware of sweeping statements about suppression of all sociological matter; the LA Technocratic pub "We Have a Rendezvous" (somehow I missed getting a copy) was put on sale by the Convention with the other pubs.....At first "The Warning" was passed about under cover, with the words, "Have you seen this against the will of the Committee?" but apparently the Triumvirs soon found out all there was to know; Der Fuehrer of the Newark Swamps told me Kyle was the author, as did others, but in my opinion it smells to High Chez-Foo of Michael-Wolheim. It was signed, as you know, by an "Association". Fortunately, in addition to the general tone, the cheap Wigginsish capitalizing of whole sentences and the yellow paper proclaimed the booklet for what it was. It is filled to the ears with half-truths, one-sided statements, and bald inaccuracies. If the dessenters had ammunition like that ready, what might they have had planned to do if they were admitted to the hall?... Concerning Dale Hart, who almost walked out when the motion to admit the Wolheimists wasn't recognized, it was said, "It's his own fault, coming a week early and letting the Futurians stuff him full of propaganda".... More and more it came to me, as matters progressed, that this, counting out the under-cover dissension, was in general the way a convention should be run. Such an event shouldn't be, isn't, in the case of other organizations, a deliberate assembly; there are many present not interested, or ill-informed, and people can usually think better from behind typewriters, anyhow. If, as the IPO indicated, the average fan of 1938 was 18 years old, then he's 19 now. ghu, men, in no time at all we'll be growed up -- and we'll be wanting--I already want--a fandom we won't have to apologize for to adult friends.The field should be broad enuf to include controversial discussions, but they should for the most part, be kept pretty much in separate compartments, so you can take them or leave them. A long step in the direction of a more adult fandom was the Convention, important enuf to be reported in Time (even if the report was in the characteristic Time manner). More along this line later. Frantically did I labor up till the 2:00 deadline to get my histories of fandom bradded together, but had finished only about 30 copies when the time came. Not quite all of them sold. Reactions were indeed mixed; Moskowitz said he'd already found two hundred mistakes; Sykora took occasion at the Monday banquet to publicly chide me re it; Ackerman went into detail on a couple of mistakes; Schwartz, I understand, hit the ceiling when he read the first part that had already gone out thru the FAPA. On t'other hand, Lowndes had dropped me a nice card on the same first part; FCPainton asked to meet me, to say that he didn't know anything about the subject and didn't want to, but he enjoyed reading the work; FJA said he was surprised at the number of things I knew; and the Kuslan has exclaimed "superb". So my iron ego isn't crushed yet....Many scheduled Conv pubs hadn't arrived--Stf & Nonsense, Who's Who (with me and Bristol both in it!), Wiggins' Conventioneer, et autres. Unlike the case at the Newark affair, there were sandwiches aplenty at the last, and they even gave away the very last of the pop --just when I was wanting to stoutly demand a double portion for being two people (at least two New Fandom members)... Fanny reports the Queens Ladies' Auxiliary kept the register of attendees, but Hyman Tiger (who more resembles a buffalo) was always standing behind that table when we were wanting to sneak up and change our "Jack Speer" signiture to our full name, "John Bristol Speer".... They kept insisting that I couldn't take pictures in that light. But I could have, if the manufacturers hadn't
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
