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K'tagogm-m, v. 1, issue 3, September 1945

Page 9

K'taogm-m     9

NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANS IN LUCIS

Temper is the best magazine in the Third Mailing, mainly due to the absence of other leftish critical journals. Amid the pile of cavorting pseudo-intellectualism from the right, it stands out as an expression of honest opinion from one whose heart is at least to be found beating for the common people, even if her outlook is oft confused. That the theories held by Judy Zissman can dangerously mislead her heart's desire is shown by her review of Dwight MacDonald's pamphlet "The Responsibility of Peoples." We agree that the work is very well thought out and very startling in its impact. But Zissman and other friends of progress should take heed when one with the social views of Jim Blish finds the same pamphlet to his liking. Of course there must be a reason, and though Jim has not said so, we venture timidly the opinion that Jim likes the MacDonald pamphlet because it tends to exonerate the German people from guilt. Now there may be socialistic grounds for such an exoneration (as possibly Mr. MacDonald, for all his puerile Stalinophobia, possess), but this can scarcely be the grounds of that non-socialist, non-trade unionist Blish. No. When a former defender of the Third Reich supports such a pamphlet, watch out.
************
Sappho looks like an achievement in publishing. The printed format lends the magazine a strength and persuasiveness not to be achieved by the best mimeographed magazine. But unfortunately Willie Watson has made the most stinking mess of the contents. Instead of using his printing to achieve the quality of some of the accepted poetry journals of America, he aims after the worst in school magazines and NAPA journals (than which there are none more muerile). We ask the Vanguard member to bear one fact in mind: it costs money to put out a printed magazine. Our estimate of the job is that, if he got it cheap, it still must have cost him about $4 a page. Which makes the total cost of the booklet about $80 or more. Keep that in mind and then read Watson's editorial. Therein we have the same stupid drivel that has been nauseating people in the fan magazines for years--with the added probability of it being not even true. There is no excuse for dashing off an editorial on a drunken bat in the middle of the night, when (a) you have nothing to say (b) the material will have to be nevertheless copy read, dummied, marked for the printer, proofread, etc. This is in no way the simple midnight process of banging out a last-minute stencil. Under the circumstances, we must condemn Willie Watson and George Eboy without reservation for making total asses out of themselves.
**************
Though we cannot boast of any charmingly overripe mementos of the Tinsel Twenties, K'Taogm-m herewith bashfully admits that it,too, like its contemporary Renascence, is a dogmatic review, a vehicle for the expression of aesthetic values free from commercial considerations, and above all, a laboratory for experimental creative work of all kinds---including architecture, mountain-side sculpture, and mass choral chants.

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K'taogm-m 9 NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANS IN LUCIS Temper is the best magazine in the Third Mailing, mainly due to the absence of other leftish critical journals. Amid the pile of cavorting pseudo-intellectualism from the right, it stands out as an expression of honest opinion from one whose heart is at least to be found beating for the common people, even if her outlook is oft confused. That the theories held by Judy Zissman can dangerously mislead her heart's desire is shown by her review of Dwight MacDonald's pamphlet "The Responsibility of Peoples." We agree that the work is very well thought out and very startling in its impact. But Zissman and other friends of progress should take heed when one with the social views of Jim Blish finds the same pamphlet to his liking. Of course there must be a reason, and though Jim has not said so, we venture timidly the opinion that Jim likes the MacDonald pamphlet because it tends to exonerate the German people from guilt. Now there may be socialistic grounds for such an exoneration (as possibly Mr. MacDonald, for all his puerile Stalinophobia, possess), but this can scarcely be the grounds of that non-socialist, non-trade unionist Blish. No. When a former defender of the Third Reich supports such a pamphlet, watch out. ************ Sappho looks like an achievement in publishing. The printed format lends the magazine a strength and persuasiveness not to be achieved by the best mimeographed magazine. But unfortunately Willie Watson has made the most stinking mess of the contents. Instead of using his printing to achieve the quality of some of the accepted poetry journals of America, he aims after the worst in school magazines and NAPA journals (than which there are none more muerile). We ask the Vanguard member to bear one fact in mind: it costs money to put out a printed magazine. Our estimate of the job is that, if he got it cheap, it still must have cost him about $4 a page. Which makes the total cost of the booklet about $80 or more. Keep that in mind and then read Watson's editorial. Therein we have the same stupid drivel that has been nauseating people in the fan magazines for years--with the added probability of it being not even true. There is no excuse for dashing off an editorial on a drunken bat in the middle of the night, when (a) you have nothing to say (b) the material will have to be nevertheless copy read, dummied, marked for the printer, proofread, etc. This is in no way the simple midnight process of banging out a last-minute stencil. Under the circumstances, we must condemn Willie Watson and George Eboy without reservation for making total asses out of themselves. ************** Though we cannot boast of any charmingly overripe mementos of the Tinsel Twenties, K'Taogm-m herewith bashfully admits that it,too, like its contemporary Renascence, is a dogmatic review, a vehicle for the expression of aesthetic values free from commercial considerations, and above all, a laboratory for experimental creative work of all kinds---including architecture, mountain-side sculpture, and mass choral chants.