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En Garde, whole no. 8, December 1943

Page 3

most important is ample opportunity for gainful employment. If possible, this should be comparitively great even in possible future depression times. While it would be desirable for a group such as this to tend toward independence of outside employers, such independence likely will never be complete. This suggests a location reasonably near a sizeable city.
Probably next in importance would be climate. This should be equitable as much of the year as possible, not only for the happiness of the fans, but from the standpoint of cost of living. (This, frankly, is one place where Battle Creek falls down.)
Thirdly, it would be better if the location was near a fairly dense fan-population area. To take part in this project, many fans must be prepared to betake themselves a considerable distance from their familiar home grounds, and such a break is not always easy. A location near a large group of fans would promise greater immediate success for the project due to the minimum of dislocation required of a larger potential group of initial members.
Cultural facilities, property values, etc., must all be considered. In other words, here's the chance for every interested would-be member to talk up whatever location he considers ideal, enumerating its points of superiority.
3. There seems to have been considerable confusion of Slan Shack and Slan Center. Slan Shack is only our own little project of buying a good-sized house and renting rooms to fans. But it does provide a chance to observe the reactions of a group of fans living in rather close relationship, thereby gaining some inkling of the problems to be met in the Center project, as well as its probability of success. So far the Shack has given every indication of complete success, everybody concerned getting along with a minimum of friction and a maximum of enjoyment.
Slan Center was proposed as a collection of adjacent individual dwellings sprinkled with a few apartment structures, and with a large communal building. What form the Center eventually takes is naturally a matter for further discussion and majority  decision. We proposed the "city block" as an easy method of grouping the structures, yet so arranging them that later sale to outsiders would be easy if it so happened that the project wasn't a success. And that is an important point. There is no reason why we should have to stand any great loss if it doesn't go over. The "city block" we envisioned was to be located nearly at the "end of the bus line" (as Widner puts it). However, we are not averse to going further out if that seems practicable and desirable. Laney's super-apartment building has its points, but we, personally, would prefer more room than such a structure would likely afford. No doubt many others feel the same. There is also the question of the degree of privacy desired. Apparently further discussion, and expression of personal ideas and preferences is indicated.
4. We fail to be impressed ith Trudy's fears regarding the social workability of the project. Among the many fans we've met there have been extremely few social "impossibles". The fan in person, and the fan in print, are two different individuals. The fan, being given to thinking about a great variety of things, creates the illusion of extreme, and somewhat cocksure, individualism. But

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most important is ample opportunity for gainful employment. If possible, this should be comparitively great even in possible future depression times. While it would be desirable for a group such as this to tend toward independence of outside employers, such independence likely will never be complete. This suggests a location reasonably near a sizeable city. Probably next in importance would be climate. This should be equitable as much of the year as possible, not only for the happiness of the fans, but from the standpoint of cost of living. (This, frankly, is one place where Battle Creek falls down.) Thirdly, it would be better if the location was near a fairly dense fan-population area. To take part in this project, many fans must be prepared to betake themselves a considerable distance from their familiar home grounds, and such a break is not always easy. A location near a large group of fans would promise greater immediate success for the project due to the minimum of dislocation required of a larger potential group of initial members. Cultural facilities, property values, etc., must all be considered. In other words, here's the chance for every interested would-be member to talk up whatever location he considers ideal, enumerating its points of superiority. 3. There seems to have been considerable confusion of Slan Shack and Slan Center. Slan Shack is only our own little project of buying a good-sized house and renting rooms to fans. But it does provide a chance to observe the reactions of a group of fans living in rather close relationship, thereby gaining some inkling of the problems to be met in the Center project, as well as its probability of success. So far the Shack has given every indication of complete success, everybody concerned getting along with a minimum of friction and a maximum of enjoyment. Slan Center was proposed as a collection of adjacent individual dwellings sprinkled with a few apartment structures, and with a large communal building. What form the Center eventually takes is naturally a matter for further discussion and majority decision. We proposed the "city block" as an easy method of grouping the structures, yet so arranging them that later sale to outsiders would be easy if it so happened that the project wasn't a success. And that is an important point. There is no reason why we should have to stand any great loss if it doesn't go over. The "city block" we envisioned was to be located nearly at the "end of the bus line" (as Widner puts it). However, we are not averse to going further out if that seems practicable and desirable. Laney's super-apartment building has its points, but we, personally, would prefer more room than such a structure would likely afford. No doubt many others feel the same. There is also the question of the degree of privacy desired. Apparently further discussion, and expression of personal ideas and preferences is indicated. 4. We fail to be impressed ith Trudy's fears regarding the social workability of the project. Among the many fans we've met there have been extremely few social "impossibles". The fan in person, and the fan in print, are two different individuals. The fan, being given to thinking about a great variety of things, creates the illusion of extreme, and somewhat cocksure, individualism. But