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Scientifictionist, v. 2, issue 2, whole no. 8, March-April 1947
Page 16
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THE CURTAIN FALLS by the Editor Over a year and a half ago, in September 1945, the first issue of Scientifictionist saw the light of day. The express purpose of the magazine was to provide a place of expression for scientifictional discussion of all types, there then being no fanzine catering exclusively to the straight s-f fan. We feel that in the publication of these eight issues we have carried out our purpose to the best of our ability. Now, however, after much serious thought on our part, we arrived at the conclusion that the time had finally come when it would no longer be possible for us to continue the publication of Scientifictionist. In short, Stfist is dead and buried with this issue. The reasons for this decision were numerous, and we think, well founded. Foremost is the lack of time. Since the time when we founded this fanmag, our general outlook has changed considerably. From occupying by far the dominant place in our sparetime activities, fandom has come to be only one of our fields of interest. Some have claimed that fandom is an escapist hobby; a withdrawal from the reality of life into a pleasant inner world. The more one becomes entangled in fan doings, the more one realizes the truth of that statement. However, we believe that we are most fortunate in living in this world of today. We cannot help but think that this era -- the "Age of Confusion" as H.G. Wells has called it -- is one of the most significant in the history of mankind. That we are in the midst of an age of change so profound that the daily turmoil which we witness is merely the most superficial glimmering, no one can deny. It is our deep-felt conviction that as a citizen in this world, we must not withdraw into an inner shell, but do our utmost to study and investigate these changes, and then in our small way, to take part in them. The vast fields of knowledge vital to an understanding of today and a personal orientation, both in the realm of books and that of personal experience, takes time to study. Time and more Time. We also feel that the literature of Science Fiction, to a greater or lesser extent, is one of the types of knowledge contributing to a general broadening of one's mental attitude. Science Fiction, we have found, is one of the most stimulating and yet pleasurable pathways to thought yet found. Ever since our first introduction to s-f, we have avidly read and collected it. Fan activities are a natural consequence of the stimulation from s-f, coupled with a desire for self-expression. Fan publishing is one of the most important facets of this activity. The choice we had to make is whether it is the most important item. Lately affairs have come to the place where we have a nearly complete file of Astounding, FFM, Super Science, Startling, and others, all unread. Current magazines pile up on our bookcase, unread. We've been lucky to be able to read 1/4 of the stories in any current aSF. And to us, S-F literature, itself, is by far the most important phase of fandom. And our correspondence has lain unanswered for months. We also feel that the friendship and exchange of ideas brought through correspondence is perhaps the only lasting benefit wrought from fandom. So we decided that this state of affairs could not long remain, and as a result Stfist had to go. Other difficulties were the usual ones besetting publishers nowadays: rising cost and increasing scarcity of supplies and lack of material --particularly the latter. To those of you who have made this magazine what it has been in the past year and a half, go our sincere thanks. This does not mean complete cessation of our publishing activities. By far the most popular features of Stfist has been its letter column, and this we intend to continue to publish. We've received many letters of appreciation of this black-and-white forum. So please continue to send in your letters of comment -- we'll see that they reach an audience. Format of this venture will be nothing fancy, but we guarantee its readability. The whole thing will be on a strictly informal basis. The publication frequency will depend entirely on the amount of response. It's entirely up to you. Come on, send those letters in! Share your thoughts with the world! page 16
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THE CURTAIN FALLS by the Editor Over a year and a half ago, in September 1945, the first issue of Scientifictionist saw the light of day. The express purpose of the magazine was to provide a place of expression for scientifictional discussion of all types, there then being no fanzine catering exclusively to the straight s-f fan. We feel that in the publication of these eight issues we have carried out our purpose to the best of our ability. Now, however, after much serious thought on our part, we arrived at the conclusion that the time had finally come when it would no longer be possible for us to continue the publication of Scientifictionist. In short, Stfist is dead and buried with this issue. The reasons for this decision were numerous, and we think, well founded. Foremost is the lack of time. Since the time when we founded this fanmag, our general outlook has changed considerably. From occupying by far the dominant place in our sparetime activities, fandom has come to be only one of our fields of interest. Some have claimed that fandom is an escapist hobby; a withdrawal from the reality of life into a pleasant inner world. The more one becomes entangled in fan doings, the more one realizes the truth of that statement. However, we believe that we are most fortunate in living in this world of today. We cannot help but think that this era -- the "Age of Confusion" as H.G. Wells has called it -- is one of the most significant in the history of mankind. That we are in the midst of an age of change so profound that the daily turmoil which we witness is merely the most superficial glimmering, no one can deny. It is our deep-felt conviction that as a citizen in this world, we must not withdraw into an inner shell, but do our utmost to study and investigate these changes, and then in our small way, to take part in them. The vast fields of knowledge vital to an understanding of today and a personal orientation, both in the realm of books and that of personal experience, takes time to study. Time and more Time. We also feel that the literature of Science Fiction, to a greater or lesser extent, is one of the types of knowledge contributing to a general broadening of one's mental attitude. Science Fiction, we have found, is one of the most stimulating and yet pleasurable pathways to thought yet found. Ever since our first introduction to s-f, we have avidly read and collected it. Fan activities are a natural consequence of the stimulation from s-f, coupled with a desire for self-expression. Fan publishing is one of the most important facets of this activity. The choice we had to make is whether it is the most important item. Lately affairs have come to the place where we have a nearly complete file of Astounding, FFM, Super Science, Startling, and others, all unread. Current magazines pile up on our bookcase, unread. We've been lucky to be able to read 1/4 of the stories in any current aSF. And to us, S-F literature, itself, is by far the most important phase of fandom. And our correspondence has lain unanswered for months. We also feel that the friendship and exchange of ideas brought through correspondence is perhaps the only lasting benefit wrought from fandom. So we decided that this state of affairs could not long remain, and as a result Stfist had to go. Other difficulties were the usual ones besetting publishers nowadays: rising cost and increasing scarcity of supplies and lack of material --particularly the latter. To those of you who have made this magazine what it has been in the past year and a half, go our sincere thanks. This does not mean complete cessation of our publishing activities. By far the most popular features of Stfist has been its letter column, and this we intend to continue to publish. We've received many letters of appreciation of this black-and-white forum. So please continue to send in your letters of comment -- we'll see that they reach an audience. Format of this venture will be nothing fancy, but we guarantee its readability. The whole thing will be on a strictly informal basis. The publication frequency will depend entirely on the amount of response. It's entirely up to you. Come on, send those letters in! Share your thoughts with the world! page 16
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