The trip to the Huntington Library was quite pleasant, if a bit small. Those who attended were Ruth Berman, Dian Pelz, Chuck & Sally Crayne, Don Simpson, Don Fitch, and myself. We toured the Library together at the beginning of the afternoon, then split up according to our preferences.

The Library contains mostly books and manuscripts, of course. They have a Gutenberg Bible, some original Audubon nature prints, ancient globes and orreries, and so on. Of particular interest to us were a horrid 19th-century advertising jingle for Martha Washington's Hair Restorer; the first edition of William Blake's Songs of Innocence, opened to the poem, "Tiger, Tiger, burning bright..." (the tiger looked like a piebald Great Dane, as Dian pointed out); an example of fore-edge painting on a book; and what we all agreed was an 18th-century ancestor of the Ace Double-book, one of the first examples of two books bound dos-a-dos. There were also a number of Louis XV and XVI tapestries and clocks in the building, and Dian's keen eye suddenly noted that the clocks were all running -- and keeping good time, too.

From the Library, Don Fitch and I went into the Gardens. It was a bright, clear, warm day, perfect for walking around outdoors. We crossed neatly landscaped and trimmed lawns, a Shakespeare Garden laid out in Tudor manor style, and went into the Japanese Garden. After a long while, we crossed more lawns and entered the Cactus Garden. I won't try to describe them, except to say that each was spectacularly colorful in a different way. Parties of Japanese and East Indian tourists also present in the Gardens added to the exotic flavor of the atmosphere. It was a very relaxed and interesting afternoon. After a while, Don went into the main house, which holds the Art Gallery and a number of rooms decorated in various period styles. I toured this briefly, but paintings and antique drawing-rooms aren't to my taste, and I soon left. I hadn't seen everything, but I'd seen enough to satisfy me for the day; and since it was less than a half-hour from closing time, I decided to beat the crowd out of the parking lot, and left.

Four suggestions have been made for the next picnic outing. To Exposition Park, the L.A. County Museum, and the Science & Industry building (Don Fitch); to the Griffith Planetarium (Dian); a bookstore-browsing expedition (myself); and a thrift-shop tour (Don Simpson). Which would you prefer? Is there any outing that you'd like to attend, and, if so, where to?

Fred Hollander -- Aren't you eligible for a student draft deferment when you're in graduate school? I was, but I'll admit that I haven't been keeping up with all the changes in draft exemptions since '62/'63, and I know there have been a lot of 'em. In fact, I guess that a major in library science wouldn't impress a draft board much today, in any case. I certainly feel that I was lucky in getting called for my physical in Summer '63, when we were officially going to be out of VietNam by Christmas, and the board was a lot more liberal in granting 4-F's than it is now. ## I feel that our position in VietNam is morally right, but I also agree with your point that the war is not necessary for us, in the sense that our security isn't imminently menaced if all VietNam falls to the Communists. Where do you draw the line, though, and say that on this side we're fighting for our own life, and on that side, we're just helping somebody else out? Our presence in VietNam is presumably due to the will of the American people (and the South VietNamese too, of course), though this is probably more accurately described as an anti-Communist &/or war party in Washington, and a massive amount of confusion and apathy on the part of the average voter. I note that Sen. Eugene McCarthy is running for President on a peace ticket, and a fairly respectable one so far -- I haven't heard anyone calling him pro-Red, or a fuzzy thinker, or anything like that. (I'll admit that I don't follow political discussions too closely, though.) I'll be very interested in seeing the result of his campaign, to get some idea of what the general American public does think of our stand in VietNam. ## Bad luck has already come in threes and fours. Barbara Pollard is also dead, as I suppose all LASFS knows by now, and I hear the Bob Silverberg's house burned down and was a total loss.

Criss Stevens -- If we divide the Wilshire Walk into two parts, as Bruce now suggests, we might be able to get away with starting at 10:30 or 11:00. But if we're gonna try to make it all in one jaunt, we're gonna need all day. This does bring up a good question, though: how many people that would be willing to join us if we started at the later hour will decide not to attend if they have to get ready in time for the earlier hour? I'm willing to start at 9:00 or so, and I have to get up early enough to drive in from Santa Ana. ## If we're going to have a system of cars standing by, to pick up walkers who poop out, could we arrange to have one carry all our lunches, and meet us at a prearranged spot at a prearranged time? Or are we just going to walk into the nearest coffee shop at lunchtime? I don't relish the idea of having to carry my lunch with me for several miles before I eat it. ## Thanks for the information about the chanty. ## If you're thinking of the same 8th Street bookstore that I am, it would definitely not be on my list of places to visit. We wouldn't be welcome there, unless the management's attitude has changed considerably since I was last there, several years ago. The proprietor expects you to come briskly in, select what you want, pay for it, and get out; browsing is not encouraged. I was thinking of making two main stops, in Hollywood and in Pasadena. Each of those areas has enough bookstores to fill a day's browsing; the one on 8th St. is a goodly distance from any others worth stopping in. Of course, if enough people want a different itinerary, I'm willing to change my mind.

Bruce Pelz -- We'd probably have to set a time-limit per bookstore. Say a half-hour in each, then have everybody gather at the entrance to decide whether it's worth an extension of another 15 or 30 minutes. If somebody really wants to browse in any one store longer, he can come back on his own later, or stay behind and then catch up to us at our next stop. That's one reason I'm recommending going to areas with lots of bookstores within walking distance of each other, rather than a selection that can only be reached by driving from one to another.

Lee Klingstein -- There's nothing in Mother Night to obviously connect Howard W. Campbell, Jr., with John W. God. Even so, I doubt that the similarity of names is a coincidence. Vonnegut was probably just doing a bit of black Tuckerizing; using a stfnal name reference, without making it "mean" anything. Or maybe he doesn't like JWC; who knows?