Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-04-08
A L1cRNsED


The New York Times is giving its at
tention to the growing evil of fash liter
sture with which certain conscienceles
publishers of that city are flooding tn,
couRtry. This is timely and wholesome
j. is a hopeful moral sign when at leas
one influential metropolitan journal sp
preciates the deadliness of the poison
which this class OF publishers are liber
ally dispensing through the mails. The
Times detailed a member of its staff tc
Investigate the evil. OF three fash news
papers bought at random from the prin'
cipal vendors it gives q description OF the
contents, TO indicate the character of vile
and degrading fash literature that is
tdpplied to the youth of the country.
There are published in New York every
week not less than ten newspapers whose
titles denote that they are intended
exclusively for boys and young
men, and as many monthly maya
zines, all filled with such matter 81
10 boy, no young man, can read without
filling his mind with trash fatal to the
storing up Of anything useful or true
stories in which the o%utcast, the despe.
RADIO and the criminal always figure in
glowing c%olors, and the decent person is
0vsrthrown and thoroughly vanquished
Recently they have gone a step further,
and lscherous and impure stories in
which fallen women figure prominently
ornament their columns. The news
stands are plastered over with this per
nicious literature-a sure sign that the
circulation is large and rsmuuerative.
As a rule, the word boys is in the
NEST conspicuous type in the headings,
TO entice the juvenile customer. The
titles to some Of the stories in one paper
fairly represents the class. They are as
follows: Escaped from Justice" "Thir
teen, or the Brotherhood Of Death; !
The Burglars Of New York, OIL
the Crimes of Jerry 0'Keefe;" Stump,
or Little, but OH Myl;" Under the
Gallows," etc. Among the answers to
correspondents is this: Charley
Masher. You want to mash, hey2 Buy
How to Do It, just out, and you will be
able to get all of your girl friends on
string; price ten cents." The titles Of
stories Of another paper are quite al
unique - for example: The Wharf
Boys of New York, or together as One
by the author Of Bang Up" The Mys
FERROUS Messenger" etc Three Yankee
Chums, or DR.. Dodd's Exploring Expe
d%ition," by the author Of Sassy Sam,
"Barnum's Boy Ben" etc., etc. Then
comes the announcement, THE Bowery
Night and Day. Ready in two weeks.
A rafting boys story, descriptive o
life in that most fascinating o
all metropolitan thoroughfares, the Bow
cry" The other stories are. Shorty
Jr., on His Ear, or Always on a Racket,
By the author of Shorty" Shorty il
Luck" Sherry, Jr.," etc etc. 9TH
Boy Clown, or the Star Of the Panto
mime" by the author Of Teddy 0'Lyun,'
BILLY, tie Boot.Black, etc. etc. The
Scared Hand" Hale aud Hearty, OIL
the Boys of Columbia College" TIE
Tell-tale Paper" by a New York detec
tive, and Red Leary, the Bill-poster, o.
the Murder on the Pier" In the flash
list Of other improving stories to come
which includes one hundred and twent.
numbers, are "Tbe Devils Diamond, TIL
Pirate Doctor, The Pirate Chief, Til
Smugglers, The Masked Highwaymer
The Hangmau Of Newgate, The Demo
OF the Deep, Tom Dick, n the -
The Pirate Schooner, The Pirates {
America, The Pirate Cutter, The Blac
Pirates, Three.fngered Jack, The Dew
on Two Sticks, The Higbwayman's Fat,
The Lighthouse Murder, The Assassin
Doom, The Pirate Of the Shoals, Til
Robbers Of the RhiEe, Duval and Il
Pals, On the ScaeOld, The Highwa!
mans RIDE. Duval in the Cloister," an
a score of others of the same kind. A
the stories in all these papers are full
impossible adventures, or somethir
worse, aud the situations are such as,
reached in real life, would send Il
heroes to the penitentisry or the gallov