The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-16
PUBLIC INDECENCIES.

Ihere is not the slightest reason for impupn.
nr s ene elate OF the law which provides against
open and hagrant violations oi public decency
anu prOpriety. All that is wanted is its con-
bIsnt persistent execution As far as we can
unueTstand the English law on these matters, it
aSSelns " amed with great propriety. 1t does not
alln AT making the Individual chaste and sober
ana ViItuous. These things are impossible to
compel by legislation. Tue deadly sins depre-
csted IN the Litany are not punishable by our
scts OF Parliament Private vices, uuchastIty
ana uncle9nness and sensuaty, are left TO
tnii,t tnH safeguards OF conscience, morality, and
Ielglon. 1t Is only when these things be-
come rampant, offend the public eye, aud
outrage external propriety, that the police
are are empowered to interfere. A more stringent
law would defeat itself. We see this by the
experience OF Paris. There the police are
Stmed Win great powers OF domicilary inter-
ference. Theresultis not encouraging. Neither
a. tne condllon OF London; but 1t Is because
the law is not carried out aud its provisions
are not fulfilled. We have never yet been able
TO. guess at the cause of the present state of
things. Nobody pretends that the law is too
lhqulsltorial, or its penalties too severe. Not
the slightest murmur is ever raised when the
latW Jaw Is put INTO execution; not a pretense
Oh wrong or Injustice Is urged when the
police do act. The only complaint
urged, and Ii is one which has some point
IN It, by those against whom 10 Is enforced, Is
that It's execution is intermittent partial vague,
uncertain, and therefore unjust. And it is so.
The general and natural impression about the
state OF the law is that it is very difficult of
carrying into execution; that with its usual
tenderness for rascality, the English law makes
the proof Of public indecenCy so difficult, aud
furnishes ubsCenity and lndecenCy with any
opportunities of escape that after all much
may be urged in vindiCation OF the apparent
supmeness OF authority in these matters. But
when il comes to matter of fact Just the re.
verse takes place. About once a tWGlyemonth,
or once in two years. raid Is made on Wych
street or Holywen street and with great
triumph we are informed Of the tons of books
stereotype plates, aud photographs which are
seized and burnt. The offenders are fined and
imprisoned, with as much ease and certainty as
AFnn nd rl nd HKYau lil lltu,n5 fan
ago we heard of the publication of the Hay.
market aud its purlelus We were assured that
in the midnight hours Coventry street was as
decOrOus as Great Ormond street at MONDAY.
Still later we were assured that the night
houses in those pleasant shades were quite
reformed and cleansed. And We believed that
all this was quite true. The picture was
engaging; the results Arcadian; and the char.
acter OF the law-suflciently strict, yet not
DracoDically aus,ere-was admirably Vindcated.
And theu all OF sudden 1t comes out that we
have been living in FOOLS paradise. One OF
Thursdays newspapers, describing this the
actual London of 1862 assures us that 'the
main thorOughfares round the Haymarket from
midnight until O'Clock in the morning are
rendered Impassable by dense mob of women
of the town, thieves, and bullies. The police
on duty view the scene, and take no steps to put
an end to it;' and so the report goes OIL COM
munica'ing the particulars, inexpressibly filthy
and disgusting, which are correctly enough
such as would be tolerated in no other capital.
TEis, whether truly or not, is described as the
OF our national life during this present week.
From winch it follows-and we are almost
ashamed to come out with 30 bald tluism-that
either there is great neglect now, or that
the respectable citizens whom we now think
proper TO stigmatize as thieves, prostitutes,
and buliies, OF few years ago We're very hardly
dealt with for their tastes in taking their mid
night walks abroad. Either these denominations
ought to be put down now, or it was a great
violation of the liberty of the subject wheni
some years ago, we suppressed tho little play
tul eXhlDlt1ODS oil Yenlal ImmOrAlltV. so WI II
another ci.glaceul mOtter. Last Monday Mr.
Knox took evidence and fined fellow named
Brooks for permitting Poses Plastiques Tab
: leaux Vtvants, or whatever they are called, and
for PRESIDING over or keeping what Is called
Judge ard Jury Clu6IihAt Is, mock trlal, the
staple Of which is filthy language, or, as Mr..
Knox calls 1t, broad and disgusting beStiality."
We shut our eyes and wonder where we are. Is
it, or is it not true that there was such fellow
rs Chief Baron Nicholson? Was or was not his
portrait as familiar to all London people as the
lion on Northumbe berland House? Did he not go on
for years unchecked in his dirty trade? Later
STILL have we not walked in Leicester square {?
Have we not seen and read the announcements
pictorial and In print-,of all those COrinthian
and Lampsacene prettinesses? Is Finlen's
name, and the connection of that great polti-
clan with one OF these Judge and Jury Societies,
forgotten, was it recorded long ago in con-
neCton with the days OF Hogarth and the
Mohocks? Have we not been living for q
quarter of a century at least in presence OF
Judge and Jury Clubs as an institution as much
recognized as Exeter Hall itself? But all of q
sudden 1t comes out that the house which har'
bors ese editylng midnight conversations is
disorderly; grave offense has been committed
a fine is indicted: much proper and extremely
impressive language is used by the sitting
magistrate; eveu the lawyer employed to defenC
Mr.. Henry Brooks apologies for his advocacy
and the DAILY Telegraph writes an eXcellen
leader on his con viCtion, the effect of which is
however, slightly counteracted, aud its affect
ing defense Of propriety and cleannes'
- impaired, by the appearance OF two advertise
nents Ui two vile books in the same impres
sion of that proper and decorous journal
Again We ask, what does all this mean 1t that
huge satyr, Baron Nicholson, was allowed Il
rot out in the odor-and very nasty odor II
was-of obscenity, unpunished, thea Mr.. Henry
BROOKS is rather hardly dealt with. 1t cauno
be that the meshes Of The law were not strong
enough 10 retain that blOated carrion-fy of the
days gone by while it has Con'rived to catch
the small midge Brooks, for the law was thC
same, the otfense was the same, the sort o
house III which the offense was committed the
same. In whatever sense Books den, called
reireshment house, was open - the police
Nicholson 8 public house was equally amenablC
10 the Law We permitted the one; we suppress
the Other though for years we have practical,
eDcOUral ed it,.
and therefore we beleve misChievous, admins
tratiOn of the Law. Everybody knows tn
Tich0orne Street Anatomical Museum. 1t 4
as familiar TO us as the fountain and ferper
shop VIndOH in the Qua trant. More thd'
thai, everybody knows what the museum
means. Its touteTs oOenly parade Its contents
and offer Aou catalogues OF its nastness. Th
attempt 10 pass it oil as ascienhhc insntuti0
only adds the vice OF hypocrisy TO the sin {
obscel ity. II is loathsOme den, in whic
not only the wares exhibited are abomiuahlC
II IL IN