Doubt - No 54

Magazine Overview

Title: DOUBT
Subtitle: THE FORTEAN SOCIETY MAGAZINE
Volume: Vol. II
Issue: Whole Number 54
Date: 1931 AD
Editor: Tiffany Thayer
Price: 35c. (2/- in Great Britain)

This issue of DOUBT, the magazine of The Fortean Society, is edited by Tiffany Thayer and presents a collection of articles and reports on unusual phenomena, scientific curiosities, and social commentary. The cover prominently features a quote from Emerson: "Science does not know its debt to imagination," alongside an illustration and the tagline "SCIENCE-CONSCIOUS-OF-THE SMALLNESS-OF-ITS-KNOWLEDGE."

Editorial and Society Information

The magazine provides contact information for The Fortean Society, with Tiffany Thayer serving as Secretary, based in New York City. It uses the Fortean 13-month calendar, with annual dues set at $2.00. Addresses for correspondents in England (Eric Frank Russell) and Italy (Prince Boris de Rachewiltz) are provided, along with a note to apply to the Secretary for addresses of centers in other regions. The magazine is available in principal cities worldwide and in many public libraries.

First Prize

This section compiles a series of brief, often humorous, news items. It includes reports of astronomers in Paris going on strike, British astronomers receiving air-conditioned telescopes, and a zoo's anticipation of a 'poisonous sea serpent' delivering offspring, which instead laid eggs. Other items mention a road safety council obtaining the British highway code in Braille, a school nurse dismissed for long absence, and a bootblack stabbing his fortune teller. The section also notes a bureaucratic decision regarding navigation lights on bridges in Arkansas and an unusual event involving a meadow lark singing like a cardinal.

The Peaceable Eichels

This article discusses Julius and Seymour Eichel, who are described as conscientious objectors and pacifists. Seymour is imprisoned for refusing to register for military service, following his father's example. The piece highlights their continued activism for peace and criticizes the judges, Matthew T. Abruzzo and Robert A. Inch, involved in Seymour's sentencing.

Russell's Best

This section reports on a Parliamentary Committee investigation in Western Australia concerning the impact of British atomic testing at Maralinga on native tribesmen. The report detailed widespread malnutrition, blindness, and disease, but the Commissioner of Native Affairs, S. G. Middleton, dismissed the report as "grossly exaggerated."

Scientific Curiosities and Observations

• Several short items touch upon various scientific and pseudo-scientific claims:
• A Danish "authority" suggests a link between alcoholism and having mothers who were eldest children.
• An assertion from East Berlin claims a Russian scientist would launch a "stratosphere rocket carrier" to Venus in stages, with refueling by radar-controlled rockets.
• A refined method for dating objects using Carbon 14 is mentioned, with a reduced margin of error.
• A new French political party, the Abstentionists, is founded with the motto "When in doubt, abstain."
• A U.S. atomic research specialist reportedly told "industrialists" in Paris that 35 tons of potatoes treated with radioactive rays were being fed to U.S. soldiers as a test.
• A woman is reported to have sleepwalked 23 miles while driving her husband's car.

Not So "Funny" Money

This article critiques the Federal Reserve System, labeling it a "bloodsucking System" and a "dead weight on our backs." It discusses the Social Credit movement in Alberta, Canada, noting the press's hostility and the Dominion government's restrictions. Despite these challenges, Alberta has implemented a "dividend" of $22 per year for citizens. The article includes quotes from Albertan members who express mixed views on Social Credit, citing its perceived religious undertones and outdated liquor laws, while also acknowledging its role in financial stability and the development of oil resources. However, concerns about bigotry and anti-Semitism are raised, particularly regarding Premier E. C. Manning's public preaching.

The article then lists nine points that the editor, YS, considers "essential" monetary reforms or societal changes, with monetary reform (Social Credit) being the ninth. These points include addressing the cause of polio, challenging the admissibility of "lie detector" and "truth drug" evidence, opposing water fluoridation and compulsory vaccinations, reforming medical practices concerning cancer and insanity, guaranteeing rights of conscientious objectors, making religions appear ridiculous, and removing "priests" from the backs of the people of India.

Mitchell's Best

• This section recounts several unusual occurrences:
• A bridge built across the Missouri River from Decatur, Neb., to Onawa, Ia., became obsolete when the river changed its course, leaving the bridge without a river under it.
• A meadow lark near Port Credit, Ontario, was reported to sing like a cardinal, possibly an adopted orphan.
• A pilot involved in the bombing of Hiroshima and Bikini was identified as a bandit.
• The Vatican received a large sum for "war" damage to the Pope's summer home.
• A racing pigeon delivered a message from its caretaker after being lost for three weeks.
• Dr. Fred L. Whippie predicted that American artificial satellites would chart the Earth's shape with high accuracy.
• Measurements of the Earth's equatorial circumference and the height of Mt. McKinley were revised.
• A report on Mt. Rainier indicated it was only two feet higher than previously measured.
• A peak in China, Amne Machin, was computed to be taller than Mt. Everest.
• A debate exists among "experts" regarding the age of paintings in a cave near Perigueux, France.

Versailles Revisited

This piece discusses a book by Mrs. Iremonger, a former pupil of Misses Moberly and Jourdain, who wrote "An Adventure." Mrs. Iremonger's book reportedly challenges the earlier work, portraying the ladies as "utterly irresponsible" and one as a "vomitigated liar."

NYC Too Hot for Fluori

This article celebrates the successful opposition to the fluoridation of New York City water, noting that Falmouth, Mass., Stamford, Conn., and Syracuse, N. Y., had also defeated similar measures. Tuckahoe, however, discovered it had been drinking fluoridated water for years without being informed.

Colored Rains

This section adds to a bibliography of "blood" falls, citing historical and contemporary reports of colored precipitation, including black snow in Norway and mud deposits in New York state. It also mentions a report of the waters of Lake Albano in Italy turning blood red, with local residents recalling a headless body found nearby.

How Old a Crow?

A peculiar incident in Linehead, Scotland, where a dead crow was found on the strings of a piano.

"By Eric Hutton/" (Article on Falling Objects)

• This section compiles numerous reports of objects falling from the sky, including:
• Mud at Danville, Va.
• Frozen fish on St. Lawrence Island.
• Fish on a parade ground in India.
• Hard-shelled turtles in Gallipoli.
• "Rains of blood" in Italy, attributed to metal oxides, and a strange shower in Morocco investigated by Prof. J. Brun, which chemical analysis showed to be blood.
• Manna, as described in Fort's writings.
• Two pieces of hot aluminum falling at Little Oakley, Essex.
• A "fireball" falling into a backyard in Nutley, N. J., which was speculated to be a meteor, but the homeowner had previously dumped "slag fill" in the yard.
• A hole in a roof in San Gabriel, Calif., caused by a "50-pound piece" of ice.
• A "35-pound" chunk of ice falling in Moline Acres, Missouri.
• A large hailstone measuring 8½ inches in diameter in Texarkana, Ark.
• A live eel falling from the sky at Dovercourt, Essex, believed to have been dropped by a gull.
• A sea-going turtle found in a yard in Houston, Texas, after a rain.
• "Dead" starlings falling from a building in McKeesport, Pa., attributed to bird repellant paralyzing their wings.
• A pound of frozen hamburger falling through an apartment window in Syracuse, N. Y.
• Five strange, "foam-like but clear" objects seen floating in the air in Charlotte, N. C., one of which hit the ground and felt like "ice breaking up but liquid-slimy."

Jersey Bang

This report describes a "blast-like roar" followed by shaking houses and broken windows in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, occurring on April 2, 1957. It notes that the event was not attributed to planes and that Jesuit seismographs registered a "slight" quake in the area nine days prior.

Frogs and Such

Reports of unusual amphibian activity include small ash and frogs swimming in an open pool in Manitoba, Canada, and thousands of tiny toads invading a home in Long Island, N. Y. A battle between "one thousand frogs" in a small pond in North Malaya, resulting in many dead and wounded, is also detailed.

Falls

This brief section, referencing a piece from Magazine Digest, likely introduces the topic of falling objects, though the specific content is not detailed here.

More Losses

• This section mourns the passing of several individuals associated with The Fortean Society:
• Burton Rascoe, described as an "Honorary Founder" and an "enthusiastic of Fort's rooters," who passed away on March 19, 1957.
• George Faulkner, a "well-known radio and TV writer" and a Fortean, who succumbed after a long illness.
• C. F. Wakefield, a "third Fortean" mourned in this session, who had lived in seclusion on a mountain top.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of DOUBT include the critical examination of scientific claims, the role of imagination in understanding the world, and the investigation of unexplained phenomena. The magazine maintains a skeptical yet open-minded stance towards established scientific and governmental narratives, often highlighting inconsistencies or unusual aspects. The Social Credit movement is presented as a significant socio-economic topic worthy of investigation. The editorial stance appears to be one of encouraging critical thinking and questioning conventional wisdom, as exemplified by the cover quote and the diverse range of "Fortean" reports presented throughout the issue.

This issue of DOUBT magazine, Volume 1, Issue 3, published in 1957 by The Fortean Society, focuses heavily on "MORE NOTES of CHARLES FORT." The cover headline prominently features this title, indicating the primary content of the publication. The magazine is priced at $1.00 and is presented as a continuation of Fort's work in documenting anomalous phenomena.

Key Articles and Sections

More Notes of Charles Fort

The bulk of the magazine is dedicated to transcribing Charles Fort's extensive notes. These are presented chronologically, starting from the early 19th century and continuing through various dates. The notes are drawn from 32 boxes, with the publication alternating between series identified by numbers (non-human phenomena) and letters (personal observations). The handwriting is noted as difficult, often using symbols and code.

Notable entries include:

• 1731: A report from Dom Hallai about droplets of molten metal falling during a thunderstorm.
• 1761: Bergman's observation of a rain that caused objects to scintillate and the earth to appear covered in inflamed waves.
• 1773 & 1774: Accounts of rain where each droplet threw fire upon reaching the ground.
• 1767, 1796, 1799, 1809, 1822, 1825: Various reports of unusual atmospheric phenomena, including luminous clouds, earth impregnated with fire, illuminated earth, luminous rain, and luminous sleet.
• Insect Swarms: Numerous entries detail the appearance of vast swarms of insects, including locusts, white butterflies (noting their scarcity in some years), midges, and other species, across various locations in England and Scotland.
• Other Anomalies: Reports of dead ladybirds, unusual moths, spiders, and even a shower of frogs are also included.

News and Contributions

• Queen Mary Rocks: An account of the Cunard liner Queen Mary experiencing unusual heaving and lurching in mid-Atlantic on December 19, 1956.
• Dusty Sea: A pilot's report of encountering unusual dust clouds near Honolulu.
• Arend-Rowland: MFS Frank McMahon reports seeing the Arend-Rowland comet with a particularly impressive tail.
• Mealy's Grist: This section highlights contributions from MFS Mealy, including news about a censorship fight in Minnesota, the local struggle for press freedom, and school desegregation. It also includes anecdotes such as a Rockford church discontinuing bingo due to financial loss and a discussion on the age of tektites determined by MIT researchers.
• The Name's The Same: A section featuring poetic contributions, including lines from William Blake and H. D. Thoreau.
• Good Boy: An anecdote about a young contestant, Robert Strom, who used the word "invented" rather than "discovered" when referring to scientific laws, highlighting a child's frankness.
• Climax: A recommendation for the magazine "Climax/a creative review in the jazz spirit," published in New Orleans, and "Flashlight," published by the Palo Alto Peace Club.
• Meteoric Fire: Contributed by MFS Caron, this section expands on the theme of unusual atmospheric phenomena, referencing historical accounts and scientific observations of luminous snow, hail, and rain, and the potential connection to nuclear fission products.

Advertisements and Society Information

• The Fortean Society: Advertisements for books by Charles Fort, including "The Book of the Damned," "New Lands," and "Wild Talents," available as a 4-volume set. Information is also provided for ordering other publications.
• Freethought — Atheism: An advertisement for the United Secularists of America and their publication, "Progressive World."
• Books: Advertisements for "Order Glacial Period and Drayson's Hypothesis" by John Millis and "America NEEDS Indians" by the author.
• Raped Again: An advertisement for Chakotin's "Rape of the Masses."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue strongly reinforces The Fortean Society's mission to document and investigate anomalous phenomena that fall outside the scope of conventional scientific understanding. The extensive compilation of Charles Fort's notes serves as the core evidence, showcasing a historical pattern of unexplained events. Recurring themes include unusual atmospheric occurrences (meteoric fire, luminous precipitation), mass insect phenomena, and unexplained aerial sightings. The editorial stance appears to be one of diligent cataloging and presentation of data, encouraging readers to form their own reasoned opinions, as suggested by Arago's quote. The inclusion of news items about censorship and local struggles also suggests an interest in broader societal issues related to truth and information dissemination.