Brief Intermission

Many people, including myself, dislike prefaces. If the man has anything to say, let him proceed to say it without explaining how he came by the idea. His reasons for writing it should turn up presently.

In the case of this book, however, I felt that the reader should be informed, at the outset, concerning the nature of my project. In the event that you skipped my preface, let me repeat that on the advice of my physician I intended to write something every day; something remembered from a life which had arrived at the actuarial finish, three score and ten being considered par.

In addition to the slowing-up process due to age, I have been in frail health, bedeviled by arthritis, and experiments with “miracle” drugs for same which damaged my heart. If you will believe it I have recently spent two months sick-abed with mumps.

There are two varieties of mumps, viz., contagious and senile. Doubtless the medicos could have found a more polite name for the kind I had, for many an elderly person can and does have all the discomfort of the earlier mump without being senile.

What I am now trying to say is that my book has moved forward with something like the frisky gallop of the three-toed sloth.

Meanwhile, the world has got itself into more and worse troubles. It is possible that we may be headed toward a third world war. In any case, we are headed toward preparations for it. Many products, not necessary to our national defense, will be in short supply, such as paper and the other ingredients used in the manufacture of books.

My publishers and I are agreed that it may be a couple of years or longer before my proposed book of recollections could be brought out. So, we have decided to publish it in two volumes.

The second volume will deal with my memories of life in the ministry and as a novelist.

I shall begin at once on Volume II. I hope to meet you there.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

Lloyd C. Douglas died February 13, 1951.

THE END