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Voice of the Imagination, whole no. 29, January 1944

Page 13

IMAGI-NATION     13

Bill Temple pencils a couple pgs from ITALY yet! Just to let you know that I seem to be getting most of what you've sent. The idiocies of Shangri L'Affairs and Forry's mad serial ("Madman of Mars", FAPA) contrast in a welcome way with the less pleasing idiocies out here. I have been devouring such pleasing idiocies & an imagination haunting the LASFS clubroom (which I have determined to see some day) while squatting on the Egyptian sands (you can have 'em), traversing the Lybian Desert (they can keep that) & the Shores of Tripoli (nothing to make a song about) & Tunisia (who wants that?) & Sicily (the vino & the grapes make it almost inhabitable) &, as now, touring in Italy (doing as the Romans do, which is apparently scratching their mosquito bites & getting washed out in cloudbursts.)

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stoch
Put all t heir jewelry in hock
For nine long months they toiled and slaved
They worked and scrimped and scraped and saved
They gave up beef and veal and pork
To pay their meat points to the stork
July 28th (The date will live)
They told the stork, "Come on, now -- GIVE!"
The wheel of fortune gave a whirl
And then produced a baby girl
The baby's name is Sally Ann
Method of birth? - Caesarian
Her weight is five pounds, fifteen ounces
The mother is well
And the baby bounces!

[[illustration text]]
WA WA
sequel
[[end illustration text]]

KEPNER returns for a 2d round this ish: Dear Morojak, The subject this time relates to pacifism. " First, to define broadly, and then more specifically, what I mean by the word. Its wider meaning denotes a predisposition against war and the use of violence. More narrowly, it applies to the absolutist philosophy that evil can and must be met only by good, or at worst, by passive resistance. Here, even defensive violence is verbotten. " But so far, few persons have considered the influence that pacifism is beginning to have on the world, and the role it is to play in history. " Patriots will quickly point to our so-called unpreparedness, and lay the blame to the pacifists. However, we may make a discount here, since the Axis has had to contend with the same problem, for pacifism was especially widespread in Germany, and among the Christians in Japan. But, back to the cahrge in re preparedness. It is not hard (altho not entirely fair) to "pass the buck." 'Twas the powerful Isolationist bloc (with whom the pacifists had allied during the last presidential election) rather than the handful of pacifists, that succeeded in blocking preparations for war. " Howeverm I think that the wave of pacifism that followed the last war, and the even mightier wave likely to follow this one have a deep historical significance. " While pacifism is intentionally striking a deathblow to nationalism, I feel that it is unconsciously striking a tolling blow against an even greater force - religion. Here we have a case of childbirth causing the mother's death. Pacifism has denuded religion. It brings out the most blatant contradictions between the Old Testament and the New. It flashes a spotlight on the gross hypocricy of the Churches, which claim to be based on the teachings of the extremely pacifist Christ. And it drives a solid wedge between religion and nationalism, from which latter religion has gained much of its power. Now, I do not mean that the pacifists wet out with these purposes in mind, for most of them are quite religious. But the ideas begin to permeate our society, and more and more people are faced with the realizations (whether or not they themselves are pacifists) that the Old and New Testaments are ideologically opposed, that the Churches flagrantly ignore or deny the teachings their founder emphasized most storngly, and that religion and patriotism fit together about as well as a lumberjack's big hands in a dainty lady's gloves. " I have heard that during the last war, people flocked back to the Churches. Religion experienced its greatest revival since before the turn of the century. And wehn this war came on, the Churches had high hopes. But somehow, they failed to materialize. There has been a markedly steady decline in general Church attendance sincethe war began. Religious people go about their patriotic pursuits with a heavy heart. They try not to think of the incongruity of it all, but the thoughts are there, just the same. And after the war, they will break forth into full bloom. " Pacifism, born of religion, seemsdestined to do more to shatter its parent than has any force since the great debates on Evolution during the last century. And after that, it will merely be a slow racial process of forgetting. " slancerely yours, " Post Script: Dear Editors, you have no idea how dry and rambling aletter appears to be when the paragraphing is left off. A little empty space here and there enlivens the letters marvelously. The doodles help altho they never come at such a juncture as to space thoughts correctly. Puh-leeze, use paragraphs, or else it giffs a blasting letter next time. (Well, that's one way to insure mail! Jike, how do U like this nice blank space at the bottom?)

Saving...

IMAGI-NATION 13 Bill Temple pencils a couple pgs from ITALY yet! Just to let you know that I seem to be getting most of what you've sent. The idiocies of Shangri L'Affairs and Forry's mad serial ("Madman of Mars", FAPA) contrast in a welcome way with the less pleasing idiocies out here. I have been devouring such pleasing idiocies & an imagination haunting the LASFS clubroom (which I have determined to see some day) while squatting on the Egyptian sands (you can have 'em), traversing the Lybian Desert (they can keep that) & the Shores of Tripoli (nothing to make a song about) & Tunisia (who wants that?) & Sicily (the vino & the grapes make it almost inhabitable) &, as now, touring in Italy (doing as the Romans do, which is apparently scratching their mosquito bites & getting washed out in cloudbursts.) Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stoch Put all t heir jewelry in hock For nine long months they toiled and slaved They worked and scrimped and scraped and saved They gave up beef and veal and pork To pay their meat points to the stork July 28th (The date will live) They told the stork, "Come on, now -- GIVE!" The wheel of fortune gave a whirl And then produced a baby girl The baby's name is Sally Ann Method of birth? - Caesarian Her weight is five pounds, fifteen ounces The mother is well And the baby bounces! [[illustration text]] WA WA sequel [[end illustration text]] KEPNER returns for a 2d round this ish: Dear Morojak, The subject this time relates to pacifism. " First, to define broadly, and then more specifically, what I mean by the word. Its wider meaning denotes a predisposition against war and the use of violence. More narrowly, it applies to the absolutist philosophy that evil can and must be met only by good, or at worst, by passive resistance. Here, even defensive violence is verbotten. " But so far, few persons have considered the influence that pacifism is beginning to have on the world, and the role it is to play in history. " Patriots will quickly point to our so-called unpreparedness, and lay the blame to the pacifists. However, we may make a discount here, since the Axis has had to contend with the same problem, for pacifism was especially widespread in Germany, and among the Christians in Japan. But, back to the cahrge in re preparedness. It is not hard (altho not entirely fair) to "pass the buck." 'Twas the powerful Isolationist bloc (with whom the pacifists had allied during the last presidential election) rather than the handful of pacifists, that succeeded in blocking preparations for war. " Howeverm I think that the wave of pacifism that followed the last war, and the even mightier wave likely to follow this one have a deep historical significance. " While pacifism is intentionally striking a deathblow to nationalism, I feel that it is unconsciously striking a tolling blow against an even greater force - religion. Here we have a case of childbirth causing the mother's death. Pacifism has denuded religion. It brings out the most blatant contradictions between the Old Testament and the New. It flashes a spotlight on the gross hypocricy of the Churches, which claim to be based on the teachings of the extremely pacifist Christ. And it drives a solid wedge between religion and nationalism, from which latter religion has gained much of its power. Now, I do not mean that the pacifists wet out with these purposes in mind, for most of them are quite religious. But the ideas begin to permeate our society, and more and more people are faced with the realizations (whether or not they themselves are pacifists) that the Old and New Testaments are ideologically opposed, that the Churches flagrantly ignore or deny the teachings their founder emphasized most storngly, and that religion and patriotism fit together about as well as a lumberjack's big hands in a dainty lady's gloves. " I have heard that during the last war, people flocked back to the Churches. Religion experienced its greatest revival since before the turn of the century. And wehn this war came on, the Churches had high hopes. But somehow, they failed to materialize. There has been a markedly steady decline in general Church attendance sincethe war began. Religious people go about their patriotic pursuits with a heavy heart. They try not to think of the incongruity of it all, but the thoughts are there, just the same. And after the war, they will break forth into full bloom. " Pacifism, born of religion, seemsdestined to do more to shatter its parent than has any force since the great debates on Evolution during the last century. And after that, it will merely be a slow racial process of forgetting. " slancerely yours, " Post Script: Dear Editors, you have no idea how dry and rambling aletter appears to be when the paragraphing is left off. A little empty space here and there enlivens the letters marvelously. The doodles help altho they never come at such a juncture as to space thoughts correctly. Puh-leeze, use paragraphs, or else it giffs a blasting letter next time. (Well, that's one way to insure mail! Jike, how do U like this nice blank space at the bottom?)