| Show Bitching Horseshoes I I. I By ly Billy Rose Ro r ing J about break break- tse big four conference in Tm thinking of joining in so- so sor r ia an t Ti- Ti a a tat san Y it d to o the he I ff and the its Ito mem mem- ni a in tain it gains 7 hat inter ry 1 through ind nd sprin- sprin r n earth three three- Billy Rose midgets that foot 1000 to play toes tic on our beds and that people ocy ocy oc- oc y burst into flame for no not it t all ill lI talking about a x sty razy outfit Hardly Its members include Oliver ll Holmes Theodore Dreiser lock Ellis Clarence Darrow tand t and Alexander t f was formed in 1931 and Tiffany Thayer has been Its it started It pubs puba pub pub- a s monthly magazine called ills Its symbol is a big question fraternal salute of the members is five front of pf r the nose This lI society of my myth maulers maulers was formed to popularize popularise the teachings of an intellectual spitball spitball spitball spit- spit ball artist named Charles Fort Fort who died in 1932 1032 devoted most of his hs 68 years years to poking holes in popular beliefs He insisted insisted Insisted in In- that the brain cells titled to a new look Jook each year I I 1 can conceive of nothing in rb- rb r ligion science or philosophy he wrote that is more more than the pro proper r thing to wear for awhile Wrote Four our Books Charles Charl Fort wrote four ur bo boThe books The The Book of ot the D Damned rimed New Lands Lo La Lot and Wild Talents Theodore Dreiser er thought I Fort the thc most fascinating literary figure since Po Poe e. e Ben Hecht called him the Apostle of the Exception Ex Ex- Exception and the Jocular Priest of the Improbable H He commended commend commend- ed edthe the writings of ot this dogma dynamiter for their onslaught on the accumulated lunacies of 50 O centuries Membership in the so society so- so clety is open to alL allOn On its ib rost roster r ryo yo you will find Democrats poets Republicans Republicans- astrologers chiropractors chIropractors chiro chiropractors and F FBI FBI B I agents It fronts for tor lost and unpopular causes adherents of the fl flat flat- t earth theory arid and people who wh believe it snows upside down The F rte society rates rates' law of r relativity with the act year Each Each Each y year nr ty cont confers rs' rs an ari aril l- l the individual who most effectively ett assails ss j s the currently current y ascendant dogmas dogmas' The award Isa is isa isa a small replica of a a. famous fountain fountain fountain foun foun- tain which stands in a square in Brussels and represents the For For- tean attitude toward the world The recipients recipient in the past have In Included included in- in such tradition ticklers as H. H G G. G Wells Carl Van Do Doren en Bertrand Russell and John Dewey Distributes Distributes' Data The society occasionally distributes distributes dis dis- dis tributes s books to elevate the mass mind The one Im I'm bu buying ing mys myself for Cor Christmas is entitled Rabelais for Cor Children Now why should the breakup of the big four conference in London Lon Lon- London don lead me to join a society dedicated dedicated dedicated dedi dedi- to the exception rather than the rule Very simple If It Im I'm going to go down the drain I may as as well go down laughing In 1945 the clear thinkers finished killing people Now they're choosing sides to kill If that's all aU our clear dear thinkers can show me meI I might as M aswell aswell well join up with the loonies At least their jokes joke are better Im I'm sending in my application to Box Grand Central Annex New York City I dont don't know no there v here the society holds Its meet meet- ings My guess would be the top op branches of a a. tree In Central park But wherever it meets I hope hope to to tobe be there there the the n next time tUne the members members members mem mem- bers convene Its It's a cinch the chit-chat chit will be beon beon beon 1 on a higher plane than T Teheran heran Yalta and Potsdam I Copyright 1947 7 by Billy Rose Distributed by Bell Syndicate Inc 1 |
