WITH A DISINTERESTED benevolence born of his age and relative prosperity, Dr. Boli is always willing to lend his support to a new literary enterprise. He has therefore, mostly as a personal favor to the young editor (who has asked that his name be kept private), taken under his wing a new magazine entitled Mr. Magundi Speaks His Mind. He feels compelled to warn his readers that they may find something there that offends them; but he suspects that his readers are the sort who will read that warning and immediately rush off to be offended.

The editor of this new publication has kindly provided the following explanation of the enterprise:

There’s a little group of us who wait on the same safety island for the Red Line streetcar every morning. We never had much to say to one another until Mr. Magundi joined us.

I didn’t notice him at first, but when I made an offhand remark about the weather, and the unreliability of meteorologists, he was ready with a reply that made me ashamed of myself, and very nearly induced me to write a note of apology to the National Weather Service. I asked his name; he seemed to think for a moment, and then replied, “Salvatore Magundi.” Some of us are of the opinion that he made up that name on the spot, but he has stuck with it.

Mr. Magundi has turned our little group from a clot of bored commuters into a conversation—always with the understanding, however, that Mr. Magundi will do most of the talking, and we will do most of the listening. We think he may be partly mad, because he says things no sane person would ever say in public. But he keeps us entertained for five or ten minutes at a stretch, and we’re all grateful to him for that.

If you are still willing to expose yourself to the opinions of Mr. Magundi, you may proceed to Mr. Magundi Speaks His Mind, always remembering, of course, that Dr. Boli accepts no responsibility for the consequences of your actions.