tangents

news & views

by dal mcintire

Millie Robbins in her Frisco CHRONICLE column recently traced the fortune magnate Mark Hopkins. left his "mousy" widow-who married a "mincing" decorator and passed him the 50 millions when she died. "Young Searles was sitting pretty with enough scratch to keep him in satin sofas and fancy footstools for a few centuries." He went in for art collecting-statue of George Washington for 1/4 million -and New England castle built around giant pipe organ. He died in 1921, leaving "virtually everything to one Arthur T. Walker" a previously unknown Brooklyn clerk who "didn't even have a telephone." Publicity-shy, Walker dodged the press. Rumors that Searles had been poisoned were quashed by autopsy. "So the obscure Walker, who had never had a railroad tie, walked into Uncle Mark's millions."

BITS OF BERGLER

Bergler getting reprinted in all the sexpose mags. The semi-scientific SEXOLOGY condensed him (July 57) with this explanation: "Sexology Magazine disagrees with many of the conclusions reached by Dr. Bergler. Many experts... will disagree with his ... view that homosexuality is a 'disease' to be 'cured. Nor do they

agree... that Dr. Kinsey and other sexological investigators-by making public statistics on the extent of homosexual practices are responsible for the seduction' of many.

Among the other questionable aspects... are his attitudes toward 'bisexuality' and his antiquated use of the term 'perversion.' SEXOLOGY presents Dr. Bergler's views because of the wide publicity which they have received in his present book and our policy of presenting varied and divergent opinions by authoritative medical spokesmen. ... The diversity of thinking indicates that medical and psychiatric science has not yet arrived at a conclusive understanding of the causes and nature of homosexuality."

SEXOLOGY's commendable tolerance may lead them someday to print views of self-accepting homosexuals on the subject? Or is that asking too much? . . . SEXOLOGY now has competition. SEX Facts of LIFE, SEX SCIENCE and REAL LIFE GUIDE now on stands. Latter seems most worthwhile. . .

Mary Haworth's syndicated column recently ran following letter:

"Recently my husband and I intercepted a letter our teenage son had written to another boy, the gist of which was homosexual. Needless to say we were shocked, as we never had suspected such a thing.

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