Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-06-12
Poisoning the Fountain.


degrees from the smallest petty larceny
to the terrible crime OF murder. are much
more common now than they were few
years ago. and Notwithstanding the united
efforts of our numerous humanitarian
and Christian societies TO lift up, ,enlighten
and convert, crime still increases. To-
temperance has always been regarded IS
one of the prolific sources OF crime, and
by some US the chief cause, but there is
much less intemperance in New England
now than there was twenty years ago,
while there has been marked increase
OF crime. Ii follows, therefore, that other
causes than intemperance are at work 10
swell the criminal list, and in our judg-
ment the most important of these causes
and one which is now doing more than
all others to demoralize the American
people, and especially the young. is the
vicious literature which Is now thrown
of from the press aud slrewn broadcast
all over the land.
By the cooperation OF the Post Office
Department in not allowing it to be car
carried through the mails, the traffic in
obscene literature has been so reduced as
to inspire the hope that sometime the
miserable BUSINESS may be entirely
stopped. But there are other books and
they are numerous. and the press IS daily
adding to the stock on hand, which
strictly speaking are not obscene, yet
their entire influence is demoralizing and
hnrlful. These books may be found on
the shelves even OF respectable book
sellers, and on this account il becomes
the duty of parents and teachers to ex-
ercise the greatest care. and to scrutinize
closely the character OF the book which
they purchase to put into the hands OF
children. The publication and sale ol
these books do not conflict with the law,
but nothing is better calculated than they
to undermine the morals of the young
But there are hundreds ard thousands
CT weekly papers which are more hurttul
even than the books. and some Of these
aIo published expressly for the young
They are filed with stories OF pirates
highwaymen and criminal adventures ol
the worst kind. Their moral, il they
have any. is most pernicious, while their
style is inflated, and the narrative exag-
gerated and unnatural in the highest de-
gree. They are illustrated with cuts
which are ca lculated TO arouse the baser
passions, and it certainly seems, and We
would not Judge harshly. as if the direct
intention was to arouse every bad emo
tion in child's breast, and to develop IN
him an embryo bully, thief. robber or
highwayman. Their tendency is 10 pro-
duce this result whether intended or not.
They are rank mental poisons. and they
poison not the stream alone but the foun-
tain. How often have we seen papers in
the hands of young people containing
stories entitled "The Young Pirate
The Boy Highwayman." The Boy Pri-
vateersman, aud The like. and these sto-
res are read with great interest, devoured
SO to speak, by young beardless boys
The country is full OF this trash, and chill
dren are allowed TO read it uurebuked.
and in many cases are encouraged in 1t.
In too many instances boys are allowed
to choose their own reading matter. and
in such cases they almost invariably Sc
lect that of sensational and vicious
character. This point is well illustrated
in an incident which we find related in
one Of our exchanges. II IS as follows:
"A lady was visiting in the family OF
friend where there were lovely children.
One day, as she was sitting at her wiz
dow, she heard a sweet childish voice
reading aloud in the garden near by. On
looking out she saw q group OF young
girls and boys gathered around bright
lad of about ten years of age, who was
amusing them with story paper. She
was particularly struck with the sight
The lady watched the happy group for
some time. when suddenly a word caught
her ear, which caused her 10 give atten-
ton. To her intense surprise the story
was immoral and shocking in character.
Calling the lad TO her, she examined the
paper. She trusted TO his candor and
explained the nature OF the fiction. lie
put on an air OF bravado and pronounced
it bully And then be said he read just
such every week. OF course, the mother
OF that child was Mortified when told oil
the facts. Bot she confessed she had
never looked 10 see what those boys and
girls were doing"
When the fountain is poisoned by con
slant association with this vicious litera-
ture, how can pure and virtuous lives
flow out Of it? The plastic minds OF the
young receive impressions SO readily that
it becomes of the greatest importance
that their early reading should be OF a
character to develop their moral facul-
ties. Prevention is far better and easier
than cure. for when the young mind is
once filed with the false and exaggerated
ideas of life which it gets from the
sources to which we have referred, 1t is