Doubt - No 35

Magazine Overview

Title: DOUBT
Subtitle: THE FORTEAN SOCIETY MAGAZINE
Volume: II
Issue: Whole Number 35
Date: 1931 A D
Publisher: The Fortean Society
Editor: Tiffany Thayer
Price: 35c. (2/- in Great Britain)

This issue of Doubt Magazine, published by The Fortean Society, delves into a variety of curious and anomalous topics, reflecting the society's interest in the unexplained and the unusual. The cover art, by L.M.F.S. Art Castillo, depicts a satirical scene with figures reading "Supreme Being News" and "Down With The Humanitarian Fanatics!!!", suggesting a commentary on societal beliefs and organizations.

Articles and Content

The Truth About Vivisection

This lengthy article, written by the Editor, Tiffany Thayer, critiques a medical contributor's article titled "Which Life Would You Choose?" by "Dr. Thomas Arkwright." Thayer accuses Arkwright of deliberately lying about the nature of animal experimentation. While Arkwright claims that animal experiments involve "some discomfort, perhaps, but rarely any pain," Thayer presents evidence from medical journals detailing horrific practices. These include animals being shaken to death, subjected to artificial burns, and mutilated. The article cites specific instances from The Lancet and The Journal of Physiology, questioning how Arkwright's assertions can be reconciled with these documented cases. Thayer concludes that if Arkwright is unaware of these facts, he should not write on the subject; if he is aware, he is deliberately misleading readers. The piece is contributed by HFFS Eric Frank Russell.

The Banned Number of "Animal Pictorial"

This section announces that the Autumn number of "Animal Pictorial" was banned by the Federation of London Wholesale Newspaper Distributors due to an article on vivisection. The magazine has several thousand copies of this banned issue available for purchase at 1/8, including postage. The Fortean Society has also taken over its own wholesale distribution due to this incident.

Concretions

By Harford Powel, Jr., this article discusses "concretions," objects found in the Eastern townships of Quebec. These are described as being composed of clay, forced through cracks in the ground, and hardening into sculpted forms. Powel suggests that Charles Fort would have been fascinated by these objects, likening them to "thunderstones."

The Tainted

This is a science fiction story by Garen Drussai. It depicts a world where children's games revolve around simulated combat and killing, using toy "dehydrators." The story follows Lenold, a boy eager to become a "Trooper," and his younger brother Bronny. The narrative explores the desensitization of children to violence, the militarization of society, and the potential for this conditioning to lead to real-world brutality. The story culminates in a disturbing scene where Lenold, now a Trooper, uses his "dehydrator" on his mother, turning her into dust. The story is presented as a cautionary tale, with undertones of dystopian themes reminiscent of Orwell and Huxley.

Apologies to Orwell and Huxley

This section, accompanied by a caricature, directly references Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, suggesting that their dystopian novels "Brave New World" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four" were not predictions of a future condition, but rather descriptions of the present. The caricature depicts two figures looking into a jar filled with elements from these novels, such as "Big Brother," "Ministry of Love," and "Newspeak."

The Giants of Minnesota

This extensive article by Jack Clayton explores the possibility of giants having existed on Earth. It begins by referencing Charles Fort's interest in giants and their supposed presence. Clayton discusses various accounts, including the Giant's Causeway, biblical giants like Goliath and Og, and mentions of giant footprints. He then focuses on evidence from Minnesota, citing reports of large skeletons found in mounds, such as those at Dresbach, LaCrescent, and Chatfield. The article questions the conventional explanations for these mounds, suggesting they might be related to giants or an ancient, advanced civilization. It also touches upon the tradition of the Delaware and Iroquois tribes encountering a race of giants in Minnesota. The author expresses skepticism towards mainstream anthropological explanations and highlights the mysterious nature of these findings, including the absence of bones and the unusual artifacts found in some mounds.

Too Late for Dreams

A poem by Norman Markham, this piece expresses a sense of impending doom and the failure of humanity to avert disaster. It laments the loss of innocence, the prevalence of greed and deceit, and the rise of a "lousy mob of frightened ape-like beasts" as the end of civilization approaches.

The Old Oaken Bucket

By B. S. Stevens, this article critiques the Copernican theory of the solar system. The author argues that it is merely a convenient theory and that true understanding requires thinking in infinite dimensional terms, beyond the limitations of current scientific concepts. The piece suggests that a new conceptual framework is needed to advance human thought and benefit humanity.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of Doubt Magazine consistently explores themes of anomalous phenomena, scientific skepticism, and social critique. The magazine challenges conventional explanations in science and history, particularly regarding vivisection and the existence of giants. The science fiction story "The Tainted" serves as a stark warning about the potential consequences of societal militarization and desensitization to violence. The editorial stance appears to be one of questioning authority, exposing perceived falsehoods (as in the vivisection article), and championing the Fortean approach of investigating the unusual and unexplained. There is a clear distrust of established scientific and medical narratives when they appear to contradict observable evidence or ethical considerations. The magazine also engages with literary and philosophical ideas, referencing dystopian literature and critiquing scientific theories.

This issue of DOUBT magazine, identified by the number 123, features a cover headline "FROM LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS" and includes content related to extraterrestrial life, personal protests against medical practices, and extensive lists of observed phenomena.

Cover Story: Life on Other Planets

The cover prominently displays "FROM LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS" with a quote attributed to H. Spencer Jones, Astronomer Royal, and a Fellow of Jesus College. The accompanying illustration includes a dialogue bubble with a humorous comparison between the inhabitants of Mars and Earth, suggesting that Mars is inhabited by "CABBAGES" and Earth by "CABBAGEHEADS." The text below the illustration, attributed to H. Spencer Jones, discusses the "quest for conditions suitable for life to exist" and finding "clear evidence of changes taking place which we can only attribute to the growth of vegetation" on Mars.

Forcible Poisoning: A Protest

A significant section of the magazine is dedicated to "FORCIBLE POISONING," presenting two letters from Russell Jaque. The first letter, dated October 10, 1951, is a preamble to a letter of protest sent to the U.S. Public Health Service. Jaque expresses his desire for "free-living" and questions the influence of "commercially-minded medical exploitation" on governmental health services, and the basis of disease causation on the "nervous system, and not the erroneous germ theory."

The second document is the letter of protest itself, addressed to the U.S. Public Health Service and dated October 2, 1951. Jaque details an incident on September 13, 1951, where he was taken from a Missouri Pacific Railway coach in Laredo, Texas, by medical officers. He refused vaccination due to his "conscientious, religious and scientific convictions" against what he termed the "pollution of the human blood-stream with pus-virus from diseased cattle." He claims James L. Crawford, the medical officer in charge, refused to let him sign a vaccination refusal form and compelled him to submit to vaccination before he could continue his journey. Jaque further states that Crawford refused his offer to submit to a blood test to prove he carried no contagious disease. He registers a "most vigorous protest to above described treatment and compulsory vaccination" and demands "proper and adequate reparation from U.S. Public Health Service for its pollution of my blood-stream with vaccine of Batch D2152."

Narrative: Johnny Kelly

This section, written by Kenneth Lawrence Beaudoin, presents a narrative titled "JOHNNY KELLY." It describes various individuals named Johnny, highlighting their characteristics and life circumstances. The narrative focuses on a specific Johnny O'Kelly, who is depicted as rough but soft-eyed, living with his wife and son. The story recounts Johnny's fear of unemployment, his wife's difficult pregnancy, and an incident where he drank whiskey before his wife's hospital visit. It touches upon his fear of his wife's condition and his potential job loss, leading to a difficult interaction with someone named Wilkins. The narrative concludes with Johnny's wife having to come to the hospital due to a premature birth, and Johnny's resolve to "sire no more babies."

Poetry: Ode to Swift Death

"ODE TO SWIFT DEATH" is a poem by George Sylvester Vierick. The poem expresses a desire for a dignified and swift death, free from pain and slow disease, embracing dissolution as a "royal gift."

More Notes of Charles Fort

This extensive section presents a chronological compilation of phenomena, primarily meteors and quakes, transcribed from the manuscript notes of Charles Fort. The entries are dated from 1861 onwards and include details such as time, location, type of phenomenon, and references to publications like "BA" (Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science) and "LT" (London Times).

Notable entries include:

• 1861: Quakes in Caucasia, Central America, Persia.
• 1862: Meteors over England, quakes in China, a "shower of rain like drops of ink," and auroras.
• 1863: Large fireballs, meteors, and quakes in various locations including England, Spain, and Australia.
• 1864: Meteors, auroras, and unusual atmospheric phenomena.
• 1865: Meteors, quakes, and a "vast invasion of moths" in New York City.
• 1866: Meteors, fireballs, and a "dark object size of a cask" observed in New South Wales.
• 1867: Meteors, quakes, and a "great met" with a prolonged report.
• 1868: A large meteor in Australia, and a "spot looked like a tourbillon on Mars."
• 1869: Meteors reported from Mars, and unusual brightness observed on the moon's disk.

The notes are presented in a format that alternates between records of "non-human phenomena" and "persons," drawn from 32 boxes of Fort's material.

Advertisements and Publications

The final pages contain advertisements for books and publications:

• "Order Glacial Period and Drayson's Hypothesis" by John Millis, reprinted from Popular Astronomy.
• "America NEEDS Indians" by the author, described as a plan to "conserve this continent for the good of all."
• "RAPED AGAIN" and "Chakotin's RAPE OF THE MASSES," described as a "living, working blue-print" for "gaining domination over the millions and mentally enslaving whole peoples."
• "The PERFECT GIFT for Any 'Graduation'" which includes "The Books of Charles Fort" in a single volume, containing "The Book of the Damned," "New Lands," and "Wild Talents."

These advertisements are from "THE FORTEAN SOCIETY" in New York.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of DOUBT magazine revolve around the exploration of the unknown, including extraterrestrial life and unexplained phenomena. There is a strong undercurrent of skepticism towards established scientific and medical authorities, particularly evident in Russell Jaque's protest against compulsory vaccination and his questioning of the germ theory. The inclusion of Charles Fort's meticulously cataloged observations of meteors, quakes, and other anomalies reinforces a commitment to documenting and presenting phenomena that fall outside conventional scientific explanations. The editorial stance appears to champion individual freedom, particularly in matters of health and bodily autonomy, and to provide a platform for unconventional investigations and observations.