, 1877-04-29
How Schools Are Corrupted, and Boys
and Girls Enticed to Ruin.
The Grand Work Done in New York by
Anthony J. Comstook.
How One Energetic, Conscientious Christian Gentle
man hay Fight Great EEil. ),
A Life Devoted to a. Noble Work,
and It's Results.
Chicago Now the Headquarters for the
Manufacture Of This Damnab1e
Stuff.
8ptcful Correspondence Qf The Tribune.

| Sptctal Correspondence Qf TAe Tribune.
New ioEK, April 28.-Mr. Anthony j. Com
/ stock is young gentleman who has, within tho
past three or four years, obtained something more
| than local notorietv. lie has devoted his life to
certain work, and has done that with IN ear
nestncss which, in other spheres, makes heroes OF
men. lie is the Secretary and General Agent OF
| the Society for the Suppression OF Vice So far
as work Is concerned, and the carrying out Of the
objects Of the Association. Mr. Comstock is the
Society itself. His work lies chiefly in discover
In: and destroying immoral publications and
ttclcs, and in securing tho punishment Of the de-
! PRAYED wretches, men and women, who make
business OF dcbauching the bodies and souls Of the
youth Of the country. . 1t is grand work,
| aud be Is grand man who has vol
| unarily taken upon his shoulders d work
! OF such immense magnitude. His reward
Is clear conscience and the knowledge that he Is
| doing Christian work, for he makes nothing by
| It. The Society pays him modest salary, but he
conscicntiously refuses to touch dollar of the
| many that by law accrue to him In the way Of
| 1noleties Thousands of.dollars have been tempt
| ingly offered to him it he would forego certain
prosecutions. and today he could receive fortune
II he would quietly take bis departure for Europe,
and thus permit the escape OF certain villains
| against whom. criminal prosecutions now
pending. But Mr. Comstock is man with a con-
SCIENCE and temptation has been able to swcryc
him from hs purpose. Very few persons have any
! conception ct the
EXTENT TO WHICH OBSCENE LITERATURE,
bcasty pictures, and immoral articles were circn-
lated in this country few years ago, are even
| at the present time. Nor hare many parents even
the f1intcst conception Of the terrible influences
to which their innocent children are exposed in
| public and private schools, in the streets, or
wherever they escape for moment from parental
| observation. These beastly publications. filed
with the foulest language and the most disgusting
pictures, are fnsiduously placed before them at
times when they ate supposed to be beyond the
reach OF such contaminating influences. But the
persons who deal in them are the ahrewdest aud
sharpest Of our villains, and they succeed in cir
culating their corrupting stuff in spite Of all Wig
ilance. There Is but one way to prevent 1t, and
that is by destroying the foul sources from whence
it emanatca. And this is precisely what Mr. Com
stock Is doing. Hundreds Of tons Of obscene books,
pictures aud other articles have been captured BY
him, enough to have supplied oue-half tho
children Of this entire country with some indecent
object, to corrupt its mind and sully
the purity OF its soul. can best illustrate the i'm
portance OF this subject and, trust inspire ad-
ditionul care in the breasts OF some parents, by
briefly rcci.ing
TILE WORK DONE Br MIR. CoMsroOK-
He came to this city some years ago poor boy.
fair education, much energy, good moral prin-
ciples, and determination to push his way. He
| obtained place as porter in large dry goods
honse, but soon found deserving OF promotion,
which he received from time to rin1e. While en-
poyed in the dry goods business he frequently saw
obscene books and prints In the hands Of his fel
low clerks and acquaintanccs, and was witness
Of their degrading influence upon those who had
them. lie saw several OF them hurried to worse
than suicides grave, and others tho victims OF in
curable diseases, the result of the ceutious lives
they led induced By this class Of literature. At
agents, employed by the. publishers, made
sto1es and e otsees. There were laws iorbiddng
the selling reading Of such articles, but there
was one whose business 1t was to see the laws
street-corners, slyly It is true, but eagerly to all
who manifested the slightest curiosity. Mr- Com
stock ew TINT the trouble lay in the fact that there
forcement OF the law, and be determined at Last to
make an nttempt to do something towards 1t in bis
prpper authoritios to sense Of their duty in tie
matter. He had little difficulty in finding book
store we're this kind of stuff constituted the bulk
them After much delay. the man was
brought to tsial and received
caused another arrest to be made, and conviction
md sentence followed But these were believed
are in The habit Of making on gamblers, and the
men in the business paid little heed to them, carry
ing on ..-... .---
THEIR INFAMOUS TRAFFIC.
as boldly as before the arrests had been made:
But this experience convinced Mr. Comstock that
there was crying necessity Tor vigorous actton On.
opportunity Of securing the plates from which one
OF the worst Of these books was printed. It
would cost some money, and he knew not where
to turn for it. One day be met Morris +: Jessnp,
gentleman Of means, and to him he related his
Experience giving him an idea of the extent
Of tIs Infamous traffic, AlI. Jessup became In
tercsted at once, and gave Mr. Comstock check
ss Ios be been one Of the sanchest friends Of Nj
t:omstock, contributing freely OF bis means to
prosecute the work, md giving his time and tnnu
cnce without stint WITH the nioney thas oe.a1neo &
| ceiyed from any one for this WorE-Ar. Comstock
bought the plates he had discovered and destroyed
them. He continued his independent rafds on tne
that he WIS doing but little towards suppressing the
evil. For every dealer he drove out OF tae bust
ness two or three others took their places becom,
pefsiytent pursuit Of the evil would succeed In
cradlcating it. he applied for assistance to
TIE YOUNG MEMS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
committee was appointed to aia ann. out IL lts
1lr. Comstock had to carry them on nis snouIas1s
together with his other work some eooo !esnite9
from this, however, as it opened INC cyeh OF g9Gu
bnst1ess and this resulted IN the organization OF
the present Society for the Suppression OF wee:
charter obtained from tho LesNlat9re. aS We'
IN The lst OF January 1874, the Society was ready
for active work. A few gentlemen contributed me
means for prosecuting the work, and gmaa a, sa!a
| abandon bis business and devote his energies TO
carving out the objects Of the Society HIS hcaf1
had long been IN The work and be at once aeeeptsa
hut given his Wnpe time and his excellent