Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 44 — page 83: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION or living thing. Let me remind you, in all times and all lands, the latent terrors in the minds of people have been based on scorpions, spiders, Cancer the crab, the angry god of the sea with his three-pronged trident, the hideous brews suspended on the witch’s tripod. These fears, actual or imaginary, have been effective and all have existed in the minds of men; and they are all embraced by geometrical mutations of the Star virus! “Furthermore, all these fears have been allayed or propitiated by opposing geo- metrical forms, the circular wreaths cast on the waters of the sea, the paired leaves of mistletoe used by the Druids of ancient Britian, the myrtle garlands hung in Rumanian houses on Walpurgis Eve, the so-called lucky horseshoe, the vertical totem poles of Ameri- can Indians, the joss stick of the Chinese, the peculiar arch of Japanese shrines, the ar- chitectural arabesques and beads of Islam, the two curved horns of the medicine man in some savage tribes, the cross of Christianity and here, in Australia, the sacred boards aid bull-roarers of the abor- igines. “The star virus is indisput- 82 ably the superbrain, the clever- est chess player in the universe! It has prepared the way by making man subconsciously aware of its existence, yet without knowing a thing about it. The psychological war of nerves is carried out with a deftness and subtlety hitherto unheard of. The power of the star virus comes from beyond the earth; it cannot be de- tected or measured, but it is a tremendous force. In outer ~ space there are stars des- cribed as ‘red dwarfs’ and we are totally unaware of the effect they may exert on us. These stars lack size but their stellar mind is of a titanic vastness and potency. Do not forget that the power of a mind, given the slightest of favourable chances; will tri- umph oyer sheer bulk and physical power, just as man himself succeeded where the dinosaur failed. “The attack of the star virus will, almost certainly, fail to be noticed. The disease will attract not the slightest attention until it is well established, and then, even if detected, the virus will have made stealthy countermoves to prevent search for an anti- dote. The major offensive may be delayed for some comiclbooks.corn