Dear sir, we do not think you are an infamous person, and as we would like to have the truth of this established we invite your comments. From such information as we can obtain about you, you seem aware of your constitutional commitments. In view of the widespread contempt held for the law by many persons for Article 6, Section 3 of the Constitution, we feel it necessary to spell out some of the Constitution's provisions and ask those whom we believe to be of the best character if they share our desire that the Constitution be supported.

'We wish to ascertain their attitudes and contemplated actions in support of the Constitution. It would be a mistake for anybody to suppose we do not take the Constitution seriously. If public officials usurp power break the law they do it feeling safe in their reliance upon the help of other persons on the public payroll. You are among those thus relied upon. Your association is undeniable. Wrongdoers in public office expect you to protect them from the law's penalties and to preserve a false public image of innocence and righteousness.

'In some instances the difference between certain public officials and a gang of conspirators is dwindling outrageously. It is getting harder and harder for you to stand neutral between those gangs of criminals and the Constitution-supporting faction.

You can be guilty by association. It is an incontrovertible fact that some public officials do break the law, do violate their oath or affirmation. You have a moral, even a legal concern here. You can not rid yourself of this guilt merely by saying you are not associated.

'What, in your opinion, is the right and reasonable thing for you to do in this position? It might seem gratuitous for us to suggest that you resolve to carry out your constitutional promise were it not for the fact that quite a few public officers have begun immediately to argue, when taxed with the question, that the oath or affirmation is not really binding, that Section 3 of Article 6 is unreasonable and that the whole proposition is absurd.

If you intend to support the Constitution, and support is the word you used, how do you propose to support the Constitution? When a man is eating public money a high concept of duty is to be expected. We surmise that if a person on the public payroll is devoted to his duty he will welcome friendly inquiries upon the point; that he will probably give expression to an intention to keep his own behavior lawful and to discountenance any misbehavior in his associates. We would not be surprised to see him start a course of study to acquaint himself with his relationships with other citizens.'

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As you know, I have long believed that the cost of combatting evil should be borne by the doers of evil, wherefore I have urged the organization of the League of Lawful Men. Mr. B.

Dear ONE:

Los Angeles, California

In the case of John Vassall the British government finds considerable significance in the fact that one or more of the accused persons may be homosexual. The British government makes enemies of its citizens by meddling in their sex lives. Then, if a hostile act ensues, pleads that it was justified in making that enemy in the first place! How silly can you get?

I suppose it would be boring to repeat, as we must, that sex is a deeply personal and individual need and is not the business of a government to regulate in any sense. Mr. H.

Brooklyn, New York

THE THOUGHTFUL READER

Gentlemen:

Several months ago I took advantage of your clearance sale offer to get all back copies of the Magazine still available and spent many hours perusing the hundreds of pages of articles, fiction and poetry. I was delighted by the many entertaining, and yes, thought-provoking aspects aspects explored. Surely I did not always agree with the conclusions of your writers, but there is no question that I was not enlightened by them. May I congratulate you again for your meritorious service on behalf of those millions whose very existence you are making more meaningful and rewarding. Mr. M.

Sir:

Dorchester, Massachusetts

I have been reading occasional copies of the Magazine for close to three years. Only recently have I begun to realize the strength its existence avails to my personal struggle with guilt and fears.

From the age of thirteen I vaguely realized my emotional and sexual makeup. I fought myself from a world of which I knew nothing but my own desires. As I grew older these desires naturally became harder to overcome. I came out after an emotion-packed break with a set of typically straight-laced, intolerant and domineering parents upon their discovery of my incli-

nations.

At the outset of this life I seemed to live fast and blind to spite myself and my parents. Fortunately, I have matured somewhat and now am am realizing for the first time the full and lasting impact of this life. All of this has been said merely as a means

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