nd his answer follows Mr. Waite's letter below.

We welcome criticism of stories in our "The Readers' Corner." Never
yet have we withheld from it any criticism or brickbats of
importance--and we never intend to. But space is limited; there's not
room now for all the good letters that come in; and we do not want to
intrude too much with editorial comment. Therefore when we do not stop
and answer all criticisms we are not necessarily admitting they are
valid. In most cases everyone will quickly see their lack of logic or
accuracy, and in the rest we will ask you to remember that our Staff
is meticulously careful about the scientific facts and laws and
possibilities that enter our stories, so it's extremely unlikely that
anything very "atrocious" will get by.

Well, we'd better cut short now, before we take up too much "Corner"
room. But first, thanks to Captain Meek for going to the trouble of
defending two stories that needed no defense. And thanks, too, to Mr.
Waite, for his kindness in writing in to inform us of what he
thought--unquestionably because of hasty reading--were errors.--_The
Editor._

P. S. (Now we'll have to be _super_ careful of our science, for if Mr.
Waite ever gets anything on us--!!)

Dear Editor:

Just a note to tell you to keep up the good work. There was an
atrocious flaw, however, in the two stories by Capt. S. P. Meek about
the Heaviside Layer. How, may I ask, do meteors penetrate through that
imaginary substance which is too much for a powerful space flyer?
Also, how about refraction? A substance denser than air would produce
refraction that would have been noticed long ago. I don't mind minor
errors, but an author has no right to ignore the facts so
outrageously. Fiction goes too far when an author can invent such
false conditions.

In the latest issue "Stolen Brains" was fine, up to the Dr. Bird
standard. "The Invisible Death" was good enough, but too much like the
general run to be noteworthy. "Prisoners on the Electron"--couldn't
stomach it. Too hackneyed. "Jetta of the Lowlands," by Ray Cummings;
nuff said. "An Extra Man"--original idea and perfectly written. One of
the reasons I hang on to Science Fiction. A perfect gem.--Philip
Waite, 3400 Wayne Ave., New York, N. Y.

Dear Editor:

May I use enough space in your discussion columns to reply briefly to
the objections raised to the science in my two stories, "Beyond the
Heaviside Layer" and "The Attack from Space"? Understand tha