The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-05-16
The Railroad to Heaven.

"The American Railway Literary Union"
is the title of company of gentlemen Of
ability and responsibility" who have
formed an association for the purpose Of
controlling the sale upon all railway and
steamboat lines of books, magazines, news
papers, SO. The object Of the Union,
as appears from their schedule, is to dis
countenance the sale of the pernicious sem
sstionsl literature which is now flooding
the country, and to establish in their stead
such other publications as in their judgment
shall have tendency to elevate rather than
degrade, the reader. We are furnished with
an outline Of the publications which, in the
opinion Of these self-constituted oensors,
conduoe to this praiseworthy result, and
we gather therefrom that the tastes of the
Union are less catholic than evangelical
By far the most prominent in the list are
call Bibles Of the common version and parts
thereof, the publications of American and
Foreign Tract and Ssbbath!school Societies,
and Denominational Publishing Boards,
with others Of that ilk. The migaty effect
which this desirable change is sure to pro-
duce upon the manners and morals Of the
country at large, cannot fail to be per-
ceived. Pious dairymaids and converted
cobblers will take the place of the "Lsst
Sensation and "Beadle's Dime Novels"
and the way to Heaven will be pointed out
by benignant divines to the weary travel
ler. instead of the illuminated road to the
other place, now so attractively portrayed
by the feuilletonists Of the Police Gazette.
Imagine the comfort to the bereaved
mother, whose son has paid with his life
the penalty of the rashness which induced
him to venture upon Northern railway,
when from the mutilated fingers Of the
corpse is extracted crushed copy Of
ssCrumbs of Consolation from the Basket Of
Grace" instead Of the 'immoral or vulgar"
trash, which but for the benevolent Union
might have disgraced his grasp. Fancy
the brands which this timely provision Of
the able and responsible gentlemen above
alluded to will pluck from the burning I!
Could there be more charming prospect !?
One almost feels disposed to. encounter what
Madame DE SrAEL called la tristesse de plaisir,
and to travel simply for the purpose Of
breathing 80 healthy and invigorating a lit
erary odor.
| and should it be suggested by some cav
illing critic that the contemplated project
savors somewhat Of that very Objectionable
idea to the free mind,-a censorship of the
press,-that the schedule which these gen.
tlemen offer is somewhat narrow and re-
stricted in it's provisions, and looks sus-
piciously like an attempt to saddle the pop
ular taste with an individual preferences
should the same critics 60 on to declare that
the scheme seeks to establish monopoly,
and that the contract to furnish the travel
ling public an unlimited supply Of we'll
watered milk of the word is likely to re-
dound largely and exclusively to the pecu-
mary profit of the monopolists;-shOuld
any such csrping suggestions be made
and there are men who will find fault with
the most laudable projects, on the most
trivial grounds-we are sure the ingenious
public will treat the insinuations with the