state of the public mind, but I'm inclined to think that if there were any devil in Salem Village, it was the Rev. Mr. Parris. Queer thing about that Salem business: an ancestor of mine, one John Alden—not the character in Longfellow's poem—was arrested in that same time and accused of being in league with the devil, but emulated the example of three Tyrian brethren and made his escape."
Mr. Quinn, in his "Servants of Satan" series, has been fair to all parties to that dark business—even to the Rev. Mr. Parris.
E. L. Middleton, of Los Angeles, writes to The Eyrie:
"Occasionally some other magazine comes out with a pretty good 'spirit' story, but none of these excels some of those in Weird Tales. 'The House of Dust' in the November issue is particularly attractive, as well as is 'The Malignant Entity' in the Anniversary Number. Your magazine is creating a distinct type of literature which will last. In my opinion these stories of terror and fear are not unwholesome, but, rather, quicken the imagination to a desirable degree, and in no way do they have the deteriorating influence of the sex stories which are published in great numbers, nor do they have a tendency to cause crime as do the crime thrillers in print and in the pictures.
"There seems to be one great remaining field of literature which has not yet been covered, and which some author might cover some time by a story in Weird Tales. I refer to that section of Biblical prophecy which deals with the end of the world and its millennium, more particularly known to Bible students as 'The Great Tribulation.' From various verses in the Bible, a rather elaborate program of the 'Time of the End' is built up, telling how the Devil, in the guise of some great religious power, shall rule the world for seven years and shall be destroyed finally when the millennium is ushered in. A story dealing with this period could be written without being sectarian or religious or without quoting Scripture, and make a good story—nothing more—and not try to prove any particular prophecy, but rather deal with a possible future destiny of the human race."
We refer this last suggestion to our author friends. Weird Tales would gladly consider such a story, but it would have to be well written, absorbingly interesting, and it must not offend religious feeling. That excellent magazine, "Romance" (unfortunately it is no longer printed), had the courage to print a weird tale dealing with the crucifixion, and called "The Doomsday Envelope"; and Weird Tales will shortly print a remarkable story, reverently told by Arthur J. Burks, called "When the Graves Were Opened", based on the statement in the New Testament that the graves were opened and the dead went immediately into the city. It tells what the dead did when they went into Jerusalem.
The readers' favorite story in the December issue was "Death-Waters," by Frank Belknap Long, Jr. This story was closely pressed for first honors by "The Death Clinic," by Otto E. A. Schmidt; "The Valley of Teeheemen," by Arthur Thatcher; "The Earth Girl," by Carroll K. Michener, and "A Hand From the Deep," by Romeo Poole. The votes for favorite story were widely distributed; there was hardly a single story in the issue that did not draw one or more votes for first choice.
What is your favorite story in the present issue? Send your choice in to The Eyrie, Weird Tales, 317 Baldwin Building, Indianapolis, Ind. It is only by finding out what stories you, the readers, like, that we are able to know what kind to publish for you in the future.
