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Renascence, v. 1, issue 1, August 1950

Page 12

FAN! - CONTINUED FROM PRECEDING PAGE

Lawson accepted his minor role, content that the Damo clean threat was removed from him personally.
The first action was to release a pamphlet dealing with Underhill's integration of the common opinion of the council. He managed to have most of his own plan passed by the others of the Four, and so it was Underhill who made policy, under the collective name of the Four, and who determined action.
Besides announcing that the general public was activated by demonstrations against their desires , and cautioning fans to be circumspect in their outer world activities, he opened up the ranch in the southwestern hills to all who sought haven. He called it "Sanctuary", and placed an immediate date for those who would make the trip.
Quickly, those who had not already deserted the fan scene to avoid trouble, congregated in a steady stream to Sanctuary. It caused no comment, since the common place event of the day was mass migration to safer areas. They made sure that they travelled unmolested, carrying what records they could salvage from their collections.
---------
The next few weeks saw an evacuation along all routes to the southwest. The most active fans, and the old-timers, reported in -- those that were to show up at all. Next came the moderates, and the deserters who had found that outside life was still uncongenial in spite of a third minor wave, until Underhill decided to call a conference of those present.
He was 52 years old now, still as active and able as he wished, in spite of the fact that his activity had embraced two of Fandom's most arduous periods, and that he had personally brought it back from the brink of doom by his own bootstraps. Features grave: those of an old man. Survivor of C Day, the principal guardist of pre-Renascence Fandom, the unquestioned leader of the Four, Underhill again stood as the central figure at V-Day.
Quietly stepping to the foot of the stage, he made mention of the fact that the general exodus was completed. Those that were absent, he concluded, were missing, had left the fan scene, or were dead. Perhaps irregular stragglers from far off points or now in hiding would com in, but Renascent Fandom was now gathered in its total strength in this hall.  Then, returning to the background, he called for a blackboard and proceeded to outline the course of Renascent Fandom since the collapse of C-Day.
"C-Day (he said) was fandom's greatest disaster. From that point on, the old fandoms, complete with their achievements, their personalities (with scant exception) and their records have been replaced by the activities of post-C-Day fandom -- our fandom. A chronograph is the most illustrative method of describing those years:
1960: This is the time of "Craters on the Moon"; the date of the first successful Lunar Rocket; termed C-Day (Crater Day).
Interim: 1960-1965, gradual desertion of the remnants; the forming of the Fans by Underhill, Morisson, Marchand and Connall as the Four or Quadrumvirate.
1965-1969: Recruiting of fans; gradual development of groups around each of the Four; decision to amalgamate.
1970: The Four call the midwest conference of the Reuniting; fandom federated; Renascent Fandom first activated. (Later in year) -- final succeeding flights to Luna ends in garrisonning by Western Forces; peace descends on Earth.
Interim: 1970-1977, Resurgence of fandom under the Renascence and the Four; the Invasion; Lawson enters scene, gathers opposition to Quadrumvirate; smashes Marchand; the Four retire to limited activity; leaving Lawson as leader in East, Rajah, and national conventions. MacDonald replaces Marchand on the council of Four.
1977: Venus landing; colony established.
1978: Mars Rocket scheduled.
1979: Venus Disaster. Reaction sweeps country, mobs prevail, conditions for pr-space groups very imperiled. Connally dies at hands of rioters; fandom becomes focus of reaction. Underhill and Lawson merge factions, Lawson replacing Connally on the Four council. Sanctuary opened as haven for the all fans."
Underhill stopped writing, and waiting for the fans to digest the chart, and fix in their minds that they faced a decision today as important  as that of the Last Fans of the twilight of the Old Fandoms.
The conference was very short, and very definite. All those who knew of other safe refuges departed there with those fans who desired to go. The others planned ahead to the day when they too would leave Sanctuary in small groups and find the sites which scouts from the first expeditions would record and send back.
Underhill turned over the majority of this work of reorganization to MacDonald and Lawson, while he and Morrison acted as co-ordinators. The two leaders quickly found common ground for cooperation, and Underhill soon found that once more he was placed into his retirement, except as moderator. This caused Morrison to embark upon some lengthy electioneering which Underhill suppressed. He was satisfied that the fandom leaders could control the situation without having a dictator by popular vote preside too openly over proceedings.
The first groups out of Sanguary reported in via courier that they were established at their destinations, and that they had despatched scouts out to intercept the second wave and lead them to various locations. Underhill called a meeting, the purpose of which was to send off the new emigrés, but the real result of the meeting was the acceptance of MacDonald and Lawson of Underhill's resignation and their sharing of the co-ordinator's role.
Underhill sat down at the council table, but not in his accustomed place at the centre; instead, he and Morrison faced each other along its length, while MacDonald and Lawson shared its broad front. They called the role of the leaving fans, spoke briefly on future plans, and broke up the conference.
MacDonald's last words voiced most accurately the opinion that Underhill had held:
"We can't fight them. But we can remove ourselves from sight, spread out thinly in concentrated, isolated settlements. From this first transplantings, we can send out more feelers.
It will be possible to outlast this interegnum of anarchy . . . . . and when the rockets blast once more, we'll be around to see them: Luna first, Venus and Mars next and perhaps even the stars!"
None of the Four were to see that blast off, for though Morrison was at the founding of Fan Centre, Underhill passed to his rest a short time after the migrations from Sanctuary. The outer groups sent their delegates to his resting place, and with a solemn benedition they dictated a monument over his grave bearing the inscription: IT IS A PROUD AND LONELY THING TO BE A FAN

Saving...

FAN! - CONTINUED FROM PRECEDING PAGE Lawson accepted his minor role, content that the Damo clean threat was removed from him personally. The first action was to release a pamphlet dealing with Underhill's integration of the common opinion of the council. He managed to have most of his own plan passed by the others of the Four, and so it was Underhill who made policy, under the collective name of the Four, and who determined action. Besides announcing that the general public was activated by demonstrations against their desires , and cautioning fans to be circumspect in their outer world activities, he opened up the ranch in the southwestern hills to all who sought haven. He called it "Sanctuary", and placed an immediate date for those who would make the trip. Quickly, those who had not already deserted the fan scene to avoid trouble, congregated in a steady stream to Sanctuary. It caused no comment, since the common place event of the day was mass migration to safer areas. They made sure that they travelled unmolested, carrying what records they could salvage from their collections. --------- The next few weeks saw an evacuation along all routes to the southwest. The most active fans, and the old-timers, reported in -- those that were to show up at all. Next came the moderates, and the deserters who had found that outside life was still uncongenial in spite of a third minor wave, until Underhill decided to call a conference of those present. He was 52 years old now, still as active and able as he wished, in spite of the fact that his activity had embraced two of Fandom's most arduous periods, and that he had personally brought it back from the brink of doom by his own bootstraps. Features grave: those of an old man. Survivor of C Day, the principal guardist of pre-Renascence Fandom, the unquestioned leader of the Four, Underhill again stood as the central figure at V-Day. Quietly stepping to the foot of the stage, he made mention of the fact that the general exodus was completed. Those that were absent, he concluded, were missing, had left the fan scene, or were dead. Perhaps irregular stragglers from far off points or now in hiding would com in, but Renascent Fandom was now gathered in its total strength in this hall. Then, returning to the background, he called for a blackboard and proceeded to outline the course of Renascent Fandom since the collapse of C-Day. "C-Day (he said) was fandom's greatest disaster. From that point on, the old fandoms, complete with their achievements, their personalities (with scant exception) and their records have been replaced by the activities of post-C-Day fandom -- our fandom. A chronograph is the most illustrative method of describing those years: 1960: This is the time of "Craters on the Moon"; the date of the first successful Lunar Rocket; termed C-Day (Crater Day). Interim: 1960-1965, gradual desertion of the remnants; the forming of the Fans by Underhill, Morisson, Marchand and Connall as the Four or Quadrumvirate. 1965-1969: Recruiting of fans; gradual development of groups around each of the Four; decision to amalgamate. 1970: The Four call the midwest conference of the Reuniting; fandom federated; Renascent Fandom first activated. (Later in year) -- final succeeding flights to Luna ends in garrisonning by Western Forces; peace descends on Earth. Interim: 1970-1977, Resurgence of fandom under the Renascence and the Four; the Invasion; Lawson enters scene, gathers opposition to Quadrumvirate; smashes Marchand; the Four retire to limited activity; leaving Lawson as leader in East, Rajah, and national conventions. MacDonald replaces Marchand on the council of Four. 1977: Venus landing; colony established. 1978: Mars Rocket scheduled. 1979: Venus Disaster. Reaction sweeps country, mobs prevail, conditions for pr-space groups very imperiled. Connally dies at hands of rioters; fandom becomes focus of reaction. Underhill and Lawson merge factions, Lawson replacing Connally on the Four council. Sanctuary opened as haven for the all fans." Underhill stopped writing, and waiting for the fans to digest the chart, and fix in their minds that they faced a decision today as important as that of the Last Fans of the twilight of the Old Fandoms. The conference was very short, and very definite. All those who knew of other safe refuges departed there with those fans who desired to go. The others planned ahead to the day when they too would leave Sanctuary in small groups and find the sites which scouts from the first expeditions would record and send back. Underhill turned over the majority of this work of reorganization to MacDonald and Lawson, while he and Morrison acted as co-ordinators. The two leaders quickly found common ground for cooperation, and Underhill soon found that once more he was placed into his retirement, except as moderator. This caused Morrison to embark upon some lengthy electioneering which Underhill suppressed. He was satisfied that the fandom leaders could control the situation without having a dictator by popular vote preside too openly over proceedings. The first groups out of Sanguary reported in via courier that they were established at their destinations, and that they had despatched scouts out to intercept the second wave and lead them to various locations. Underhill called a meeting, the purpose of which was to send off the new emigrés, but the real result of the meeting was the acceptance of MacDonald and Lawson of Underhill's resignation and their sharing of the co-ordinator's role. Underhill sat down at the council table, but not in his accustomed place at the centre; instead, he and Morrison faced each other along its length, while MacDonald and Lawson shared its broad front. They called the role of the leaving fans, spoke briefly on future plans, and broke up the conference. MacDonald's last words voiced most accurately the opinion that Underhill had held: "We can't fight them. But we can remove ourselves from sight, spread out thinly in concentrated, isolated settlements. From this first transplantings, we can send out more feelers. It will be possible to outlast this interegnum of anarchy . . . . . and when the rockets blast once more, we'll be around to see them: Luna first, Venus and Mars next and perhaps even the stars!" None of the Four were to see that blast off, for though Morrison was at the founding of Fan Centre, Underhill passed to his rest a short time after the migrations from Sanctuary. The outer groups sent their delegates to his resting place, and with a solemn benedition they dictated a monument over his grave bearing the inscription: IT IS A PROUD AND LONELY THING TO BE A FAN