Transcribe
Translate
En Garde, whole no. 17, April 1946
Page 17
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
page 17. HEMMEL'S SCIENTIFIC SORTIES #9 Rocky Road To Erudition By Oxnard Hemmel F.K., H.D. Though all sources of wisdom or knowledge should be open and easy of access to the seeker after same, this is often not the case. When one is research-bent he knows, perhaps, where the lore may be found and who holds it, but it is here that complications can set in, for some are jealous of their wisdom and do not wish to part with it, especially if they came by it at some cost or with some difficulty. A man out of pocket is likely to be also out of sorts, I suppose. A case in point was my recent excursion to a now well-known spot (before it was internationally known for what it was) to obtain the latest information on what was being done with atomic power. I had detected the activity there by means of one or two of my own inventions. It was my desire to learn the latest in research along that line, in order that my own experiments might not duplicate theirs or cover the same ground needlessly. It was also my intention to set them right if I found they were going off on a tangent. Did I meet a friendly welcome, a pat on the shoulder and, "Why certainly, colleague and compatriot, here is what we have done," with a wave of the hand indicating a depreciation they did not feel? No. Nothing of the sort! I got cold, hostile glances from the very guards. I attempted to bribe them in song and story but failed. My smooth flow of speech brought others of greater authority but comparable stupidity who also met with lifted brows, hostile stares, and a sort of meaningless well-bred murmur of banalities. I could not even get into place. Skilful questioning on my part proved that these fellows did not even know the first thing about the experiments going on but were serving only as buffers between me and those who did. Considerably annoyed and irritated at this reluctance to share the knowledge I went away and they lost incalculable time and money because of it. I confess that in spite of my rigorous self-control I sulked for a time so that my usually vigilant eyes did not at first discern that two gentlemen of nondescript appearance were following me. I parked my car near my home and walked a bit through town to regain my poise. The men still followed. I supposed they wished to apologize to me (having thought better of their selfish acts) but when I stopped to permit them to catch up, they stopped
Saving...
prev
next
page 17. HEMMEL'S SCIENTIFIC SORTIES #9 Rocky Road To Erudition By Oxnard Hemmel F.K., H.D. Though all sources of wisdom or knowledge should be open and easy of access to the seeker after same, this is often not the case. When one is research-bent he knows, perhaps, where the lore may be found and who holds it, but it is here that complications can set in, for some are jealous of their wisdom and do not wish to part with it, especially if they came by it at some cost or with some difficulty. A man out of pocket is likely to be also out of sorts, I suppose. A case in point was my recent excursion to a now well-known spot (before it was internationally known for what it was) to obtain the latest information on what was being done with atomic power. I had detected the activity there by means of one or two of my own inventions. It was my desire to learn the latest in research along that line, in order that my own experiments might not duplicate theirs or cover the same ground needlessly. It was also my intention to set them right if I found they were going off on a tangent. Did I meet a friendly welcome, a pat on the shoulder and, "Why certainly, colleague and compatriot, here is what we have done," with a wave of the hand indicating a depreciation they did not feel? No. Nothing of the sort! I got cold, hostile glances from the very guards. I attempted to bribe them in song and story but failed. My smooth flow of speech brought others of greater authority but comparable stupidity who also met with lifted brows, hostile stares, and a sort of meaningless well-bred murmur of banalities. I could not even get into place. Skilful questioning on my part proved that these fellows did not even know the first thing about the experiments going on but were serving only as buffers between me and those who did. Considerably annoyed and irritated at this reluctance to share the knowledge I went away and they lost incalculable time and money because of it. I confess that in spite of my rigorous self-control I sulked for a time so that my usually vigilant eyes did not at first discern that two gentlemen of nondescript appearance were following me. I parked my car near my home and walked a bit through town to regain my poise. The men still followed. I supposed they wished to apologize to me (having thought better of their selfish acts) but when I stopped to permit them to catch up, they stopped
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
