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Shangri-la, issue 7, July-August 1948

Page 12

[underlined] May 6th; 439th Consecutive Meeting:

Gus Willmorth led off this meeting with a short resume of a speech given by Howard Browne, one of Ziff-Davis's editors, before a college literary society. Said Browne, via Gus Willmorth, "There is not much of a future in detective stories...One does not pour out one's heart in them...Any intelligent man can write a mystery..."
This brought up a great deal of discussion concerning mysteries and their writers. L. Ron Hubbard stoutly insisted that Poe was not a drunkard and a dope fiend despite popular opinion and called up an admirable number of facts and references to support this belief. Said Hubbard: "Poe had a powerful enemy, the editor of a large newspaper. This editor determined to wreck Poe. Apparently, he has succeeded for, today, when anyone wants to look up anything on Poe they go to the backfiles of that newspaper." (Editor's note: The best biography of Poe, in my opinion, is Hervey Allan's [title underlined] "Israfel: The Life and Times of E.A.P."
Ron also told us an amazing story about Sax Rohmer, creator of the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. "The Manchu stories first appeared in Collier's and they appeared often. There were one or two of the stories each year for several years. But during one period they received no story from Rohmer. They were very distressed about this for the yarns were a great circulation booster. They asked Rohmer's agent about it, but he told them there was nothing in production. So, after waiting six months, they wired Rohmer: "WILL GIVE YOU $75,000 FOR NE FU MANCHU STORY SIGHT UNSEEN." Sax wired back: "DEAR COLLIERS TOO BUSY".
Before closing this meeting of the Los Angeles Mystery Society, it was asked that someone contribute some news from one of the lesser fields such as western or fantasy. Ron went 'way off trail and came up with a piece that might interest the science-fiction nuts. It seems that the LOS ANGELES TIMES recently printed a column headed "SPACE FLIGHT SEEN AS PRETTY SERIOUS BUSINESS" with right next to it a picture of one of Robert A. Heinlein the person doing the seeing. But the next day, there was another column entitled "SPACE TRAVEL CENTURIES OFF", which told how Charles A. Federer, editor of SKY AND TELESCOPE, had made a speech before the Pensaeler Polytechnic Institute had ridiculed the idea as an obvious absurdity. Although, he did go as far as to say that someday, centuries off, "It might be possible...There is no air on the moon," he explained," and, furthermore, it is very cold..." The LAMS agreed with Dr. Federer one hundred percent.
Forrest J conducted a quiz contest. There was money involved, of course, but he stoutly insisted again and again that he was not making a single cent off of the deal. He didn't. The money went for a LASFS advertisement in the TORQUE.

[underlined] May 11th; 440th Consecutive Meeting:

Nothing happened at this meeting; at least nothing I'm allowed

[page number centered] (12)

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[underlined] May 6th; 439th Consecutive Meeting: Gus Willmorth led off this meeting with a short resume of a speech given by Howard Browne, one of Ziff-Davis's editors, before a college literary society. Said Browne, via Gus Willmorth, "There is not much of a future in detective stories...One does not pour out one's heart in them...Any intelligent man can write a mystery..." This brought up a great deal of discussion concerning mysteries and their writers. L. Ron Hubbard stoutly insisted that Poe was not a drunkard and a dope fiend despite popular opinion and called up an admirable number of facts and references to support this belief. Said Hubbard: "Poe had a powerful enemy, the editor of a large newspaper. This editor determined to wreck Poe. Apparently, he has succeeded for, today, when anyone wants to look up anything on Poe they go to the backfiles of that newspaper." (Editor's note: The best biography of Poe, in my opinion, is Hervey Allan's [title underlined] "Israfel: The Life and Times of E.A.P." Ron also told us an amazing story about Sax Rohmer, creator of the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. "The Manchu stories first appeared in Collier's and they appeared often. There were one or two of the stories each year for several years. But during one period they received no story from Rohmer. They were very distressed about this for the yarns were a great circulation booster. They asked Rohmer's agent about it, but he told them there was nothing in production. So, after waiting six months, they wired Rohmer: "WILL GIVE YOU $75,000 FOR NE FU MANCHU STORY SIGHT UNSEEN." Sax wired back: "DEAR COLLIERS TOO BUSY". Before closing this meeting of the Los Angeles Mystery Society, it was asked that someone contribute some news from one of the lesser fields such as western or fantasy. Ron went 'way off trail and came up with a piece that might interest the science-fiction nuts. It seems that the LOS ANGELES TIMES recently printed a column headed "SPACE FLIGHT SEEN AS PRETTY SERIOUS BUSINESS" with right next to it a picture of one of Robert A. Heinlein the person doing the seeing. But the next day, there was another column entitled "SPACE TRAVEL CENTURIES OFF", which told how Charles A. Federer, editor of SKY AND TELESCOPE, had made a speech before the Pensaeler Polytechnic Institute had ridiculed the idea as an obvious absurdity. Although, he did go as far as to say that someday, centuries off, "It might be possible...There is no air on the moon," he explained," and, furthermore, it is very cold..." The LAMS agreed with Dr. Federer one hundred percent. Forrest J conducted a quiz contest. There was money involved, of course, but he stoutly insisted again and again that he was not making a single cent off of the deal. He didn't. The money went for a LASFS advertisement in the TORQUE. [underlined] May 11th; 440th Consecutive Meeting: Nothing happened at this meeting; at least nothing I'm allowed [page number centered] (12)