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Voice of the Imagination, whole no. 44, July 1945

Page 5

IMAGI-NATION     5

To deal at random with VOM... one thing which tickled me immensely was Laney's description of the awful fate under whose shadow the commoners of fandom walk; to be criticised by one of the aristocracy in the fan press. Oh my.
More seriously, I feel that all this argufying with its sly innuendoes and inferred superiorities is for the bad. There is room for a great deal of mutual toleration in fandom in the future. After all, fans have a very congenial hobby and much opportunity for expression in the manifold activities of their kind, and each can find kindred contacts. But when one faction indulges in intellectual sneers to satiate their egos bad blood is created. You don't win arguments by jeers, however refined. If you want to collect SF do so; if you want to criticise SF collectors do so - but remember an essential to any community is tolerance between members and a code of good manners.
A few people have mentioned their pleasure at seeing music among the subjects up for disection - and here perhaps lies the root of a new policy for VOM. I am in agreement with the brief comment i noted of HW jnr. as to such being desirable - and why not make an effort to represent more fully the scope of fannish  interests? Painting, sculpting, literature, any damn thing from the facts of life to its faults. You'd get plenty of material I think - the immature fans of the early days have grown up to maturity with the result that their interests have far transcended fandom; and VOM could reflect these interests to a much greater degree than it does. How about a positive pursuit of the policy indicated? Or is it too treasonable? (What say, do U find Lane's suggestion too t-reasonable?)
Music - I confess to my own distatse of Jazz and the things one associates with it, not because, as Johnson so strangely remarks it isn't music, but because for me the criteria of music is its poetical value; indeed, I think this is the criteria of any art - the expression of the spiritual in man. One feels with music and painting and the other arts, rather than understands them. The understanding of art - or rather of its making - adds point to the appreciation, but the main criteria is the succes of the art in communicating its rich spiritual content. But as Ruskin says, to fully appreciate art it is necessary to discipline the imagination- to observe the detail.
Probably the above will find disfavour if any rationalists still exist in fandom; oh well.
Because of the above I have no liking for Jazz. Its appeal is emotional, altho perhaps the performer might wrest enjoyment out of the opportunities for improvisation it affords. It is the ephemeral product of an age without a background, sans religion and sans reason.
Look, if Kepner recommends a book why can't I? You all know Aldous Huxley, and perhaps some of you know is last work, TIME MUST HAVE A STOP. It's a fairly longish novel, full of contrasting characters typically Huxleian, all of whom stand in contrast to a mystic, Bruno, whom we know chiefly by his effect uopn the ostensible hero, Sebastian, a young poet. Huxleyuses his chracters to show the failings of the human soul; Sebastians father, an ardent left winger, who is bitter because his efforts haven't resulted in power... notably Eustace, a sophisticated aesthete, a fascinating chracter, an exponent of the good life. He dies, typically, in a bathroom, when we get an mazing picture of his agonised ego in eternity.
Kepners classification of fandom seems rather futile to me; one or more or all of his points will doubtless be applicable to any reader, but the only lesson to be learnt is that there are as many types of fan as there are individuals. If you want to pigeon-hole anything remember that even the pigeon-holes are bound together in a greater matrix .. and so on ad infinitum.
A point is that those who are interested in No4 - cultural matters - haven't even a fan mag to their name. Surely something ought to be done about this - how about it Harry, Willie, and certes other Amerifans and several Britishers?? #
EMILE E GREENLEAF JR, 1303 Mystery St., New Orleans 19, La, asks: Want to get a laugh? Read John Poldea's letter in the latest Amazing (Sept). "Necrominicon", "Arkton"......ha! It slays me! How in the hell could Palmer fall for such a thing!!!??? (Clark[[?]] Arkton Smith or Howard Phipps Lovecraft only knows!) Hmmm.....I wonder--is Poldea the guy's real name, or...... Ackerman, have you been in a Palmer-baiting mood lately? Either you or Laney or Mel Brown, or anyone, for that matter? Hmm? (Tis de-baitable!)
Evidently Gerald Hewett needs to be told the facts of life. He wants to know what a girl's got that a copy of Astounding hasn't got! Oh, brother! (Eve had less leaves than Astounding, that's for sure! But if U'd rather whistle at a stf mag than a shapely bag, U're a science fiction fan, my son!)
I think I have a duplicate that I could send to Gallet. I'll see if I can get it sent off. Maybe Juneau, Almett (the two local slans) and I could each put in a mag or two, and make up a nice little bundle to send him. (Good. Mailing restrictions are lifting now & mags need no longer be sent first class. If postage considerations have kept U from donating something scientifictional to Georges Gallet, they need no longer stand in your way. Contribute something to him today at 36 Ave M. Foch, Marseille, France.
A good project for fandom would be to try and locate former fans (if any) on continental Europe. In fact, after Japan quits, we should try and spread the gospel of stf. all over the earth, so that eventually we may say, "the sun never sets on fandom." Nice, huh? You can say that right now for that matter, for aren't there servifans all over the globe?
Ho-hum. It's late, nearly dawn in fact, so I must be getting back to my coffin before sunrise. (Is Emile aiming to emulate Dracula? A son of Dracula, as it were? I wonder what time does the son rise?)

Saving...

IMAGI-NATION 5 To deal at random with VOM... one thing which tickled me immensely was Laney's description of the awful fate under whose shadow the commoners of fandom walk; to be criticised by one of the aristocracy in the fan press. Oh my. More seriously, I feel that all this argufying with its sly innuendoes and inferred superiorities is for the bad. There is room for a great deal of mutual toleration in fandom in the future. After all, fans have a very congenial hobby and much opportunity for expression in the manifold activities of their kind, and each can find kindred contacts. But when one faction indulges in intellectual sneers to satiate their egos bad blood is created. You don't win arguments by jeers, however refined. If you want to collect SF do so; if you want to criticise SF collectors do so - but remember an essential to any community is tolerance between members and a code of good manners. A few people have mentioned their pleasure at seeing music among the subjects up for disection - and here perhaps lies the root of a new policy for VOM. I am in agreement with the brief comment i noted of HW jnr. as to such being desirable - and why not make an effort to represent more fully the scope of fannish interests? Painting, sculpting, literature, any damn thing from the facts of life to its faults. You'd get plenty of material I think - the immature fans of the early days have grown up to maturity with the result that their interests have far transcended fandom; and VOM could reflect these interests to a much greater degree than it does. How about a positive pursuit of the policy indicated? Or is it too treasonable? (What say, do U find Lane's suggestion too t-reasonable?) Music - I confess to my own distatse of Jazz and the things one associates with it, not because, as Johnson so strangely remarks it isn't music, but because for me the criteria of music is its poetical value; indeed, I think this is the criteria of any art - the expression of the spiritual in man. One feels with music and painting and the other arts, rather than understands them. The understanding of art - or rather of its making - adds point to the appreciation, but the main criteria is the succes of the art in communicating its rich spiritual content. But as Ruskin says, to fully appreciate art it is necessary to discipline the imagination- to observe the detail. Probably the above will find disfavour if any rationalists still exist in fandom; oh well. Because of the above I have no liking for Jazz. Its appeal is emotional, altho perhaps the performer might wrest enjoyment out of the opportunities for improvisation it affords. It is the ephemeral product of an age without a background, sans religion and sans reason. Look, if Kepner recommends a book why can't I? You all know Aldous Huxley, and perhaps some of you know is last work, TIME MUST HAVE A STOP. It's a fairly longish novel, full of contrasting characters typically Huxleian, all of whom stand in contrast to a mystic, Bruno, whom we know chiefly by his effect uopn the ostensible hero, Sebastian, a young poet. Huxleyuses his chracters to show the failings of the human soul; Sebastians father, an ardent left winger, who is bitter because his efforts haven't resulted in power... notably Eustace, a sophisticated aesthete, a fascinating chracter, an exponent of the good life. He dies, typically, in a bathroom, when we get an mazing picture of his agonised ego in eternity. Kepners classification of fandom seems rather futile to me; one or more or all of his points will doubtless be applicable to any reader, but the only lesson to be learnt is that there are as many types of fan as there are individuals. If you want to pigeon-hole anything remember that even the pigeon-holes are bound together in a greater matrix .. and so on ad infinitum. A point is that those who are interested in No4 - cultural matters - haven't even a fan mag to their name. Surely something ought to be done about this - how about it Harry, Willie, and certes other Amerifans and several Britishers?? # EMILE E GREENLEAF JR, 1303 Mystery St., New Orleans 19, La, asks: Want to get a laugh? Read John Poldea's letter in the latest Amazing (Sept). "Necrominicon", "Arkton"......ha! It slays me! How in the hell could Palmer fall for such a thing!!!??? (Clark[[?]] Arkton Smith or Howard Phipps Lovecraft only knows!) Hmmm.....I wonder--is Poldea the guy's real name, or...... Ackerman, have you been in a Palmer-baiting mood lately? Either you or Laney or Mel Brown, or anyone, for that matter? Hmm? (Tis de-baitable!) Evidently Gerald Hewett needs to be told the facts of life. He wants to know what a girl's got that a copy of Astounding hasn't got! Oh, brother! (Eve had less leaves than Astounding, that's for sure! But if U'd rather whistle at a stf mag than a shapely bag, U're a science fiction fan, my son!) I think I have a duplicate that I could send to Gallet. I'll see if I can get it sent off. Maybe Juneau, Almett (the two local slans) and I could each put in a mag or two, and make up a nice little bundle to send him. (Good. Mailing restrictions are lifting now & mags need no longer be sent first class. If postage considerations have kept U from donating something scientifictional to Georges Gallet, they need no longer stand in your way. Contribute something to him today at 36 Ave M. Foch, Marseille, France. A good project for fandom would be to try and locate former fans (if any) on continental Europe. In fact, after Japan quits, we should try and spread the gospel of stf. all over the earth, so that eventually we may say, "the sun never sets on fandom." Nice, huh? You can say that right now for that matter, for aren't there servifans all over the globe? Ho-hum. It's late, nearly dawn in fact, so I must be getting back to my coffin before sunrise. (Is Emile aiming to emulate Dracula? A son of Dracula, as it were? I wonder what time does the son rise?)