Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

THE GIVE-AWAY WORLDS his cigarette. “‘And all this is inevitable?” “‘Unless we have colonies, yes.” Miles accepted coffee and smiled at Susan. “‘Colon- ies would provide the equiva- lent of barbarians. They would supply new blood, new en- thusiasm, refuel, as it were, the rocket of civilization. Without them we are headed for cultural death.” “But we’ve got colonies,” said Susan. ““We’ve——”’ She broke off, looking at Mark. ““Trying to keep it a secret?” Miles shrugged. “‘Try if you want to, but I think I know the truth.”” He gestured to- wards his charts, graphs and papers. ““The colonies are failing, aren’t they? I’m a social engineer, remember, and I know people. I’ve been to ColTerm and seen the applicants. If you can build a colony from that material, Ill eat it.” ““No guts.”? Murbash rose and stretched himself. ‘‘The’ boy’s right, Mark. Right all along the line. You’re sending out weaklings and they can’t take it.”” He leaned across the desk, suddenly sober. “I’m 39 not so young as I was, Mark, and maybe I’m too long away, but I don’t like what I find when I come home. May- - be that’s why I drink too much, I wouldn’t know. But we're offering mankind the universe on a plate and he’s spitting it right back in our eye. Why, Mark? Why is ColTerm failing?” “Why ask me?” Mark dragged at his cigarette. ““Why not ask the colonists?” “You select them, Mark,” Murbash was quietly insistent. “You pick them out. All you have to do is to pick the right ones. You haven’t done that. Why?” “Correction,” said Mark. “IT pick the best we can get.” “Then the best isn’t good enough.’’ Murbash sighed and straightened from the desk. He looked suddenly much older than before. ‘“‘Looks as if we’re too late.”’ *“We’re not too late.”’ Miles sounded positive. “The trouble with ColTerm is that it’s run by politicians, not experts. I bet that you haven’t even got a social engineer on the staff. Right?” comiclooks.conn