The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1876-09-20
MISCELLANY.
WORSE and WORSE.

Last week we gave an account of a woman
out West who had been sending love powders
to young women in different parts of the
country Among great number of letters
found in her possession were some from Ocean
Grove. Last Saturday Mr.. Anthony Com
stock, who is the agent of the Society for the
Suppression of Vice, and to whose efforts the
arrest of Mrs. Summers is due, called in our
office. He had just come from Ocean Grove,
where he had seized some of this vile wo-
mans letters to young girls residing there
He showed us some of the letters from Mrs.
Summers to the girls, telling them how the
powders were to be Mixed so that any young
man receiving them would Immediately fall in
love with the one who administered the dose,
as she asserted. Mr.. Comstock seized some
Of the poacders aosich had been mlired accord
ing to her directions, which will be used as
evidence on the trial of Mrs. Summers and
of all tho disgusting things that ever came to
our notice, this is the worst We said last
week. it made us "gag" to think of love
powders little knowing then how the filthy
mess was prepared. The shame and mortifi-
cation Of the girls who are thus exposed must
be terrible. They are the daughters of very
respectable people, but if the humiliation that
now causes them to hide their faces, will only
open their eyes to the degradation into which
such vile quacks as Mrs. Summers would lead
them, it will not be in vain that Mr.. Comstock
visited Ocean Grove. Now, then, the ques-
ton may be asked, how can such thinks be
advertised and find sale, and how do such
hags as Mrs. Summers get the attention of
the young ? In various ways. But one of
the most dangerous ways is through the col
umns of a weekly magazine, which is publish
ed in Boston and sold all over the United
States. 1t is a literary paper containing stor-
les, poetry and music, with but few advertise
ments, which are evidently well paid for or
they would not be admitted. To show the
danger of admitting such papers to the fam
lily, we need only say, that we have several
times bought the paper to look at its stories
and music, and were not aware of the char
acter of the advertisements until our atten-
ton was called to them. The question will
be asked by all fathers and mothers who read
this, how can we guard our children from
these evils We can only answer, by looking
at what papers they read by talking with
them about the laws of life and health, and
about the many things that are foolishly kept
secret in many families, but which they are
sure to hear imperfectly and in distorted
manner, from obscene publications. Mother
must win the confidence of the daughter
father must show the boys very early how to
avoid abuse of their natural powers we say
very early, because the devil will be in adj
vance of you if you do not. Many fathers
are astonished, and alarmed, sometimes, to
find out their own blindness in not seeing be-
fore, that son and daughter had already be-
come corrupted by evil companions, and such
circulars as Mrs. Summers scatters over the
land Our readers must not, for moment,
think that this neighborhood is the only place
which is cursed by such evils as these above
described. Alas, no. Mr. Comstock informs
us that certain parties make it business to
procure lists of the names of scholars who at
tend our schools and seminaries, which they
sell to unprincipled persons, who, like Mrs.
Summers, have some vile concoction or OBJ
scene book that they can dispose of to the
young anu uuWdry. MI. OOufStoSh says shoe
the Society which he represents had at one
time nineteen tons of obscene literature, which
after the conviction of the owner, was de-
stroyed. Scars received in defending our
country are always regarded with honor. Mr..
Comstock bears scar on his face inflicted by
a desperate man whom he once arrested for
publishing obscene books-a scar that reflects
-. l. I.T1
ceived it in time of war; Moral heroes should
always excite our highest admiration. We
will just add that the names of those who
sent letters from Ocean Grove are known only
to Mr.. Comstock, who is gentleman, and
while he will not hesitate to pursue and pun
ish evil, he will deal as leniently as possible
with the mistaken victims Of credulity, and
shield their names from exposure as long as it
is in his power to do so.-As5wrg Park Journal.