The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-07-01
it requires a strong effort of the will to resist
the false conclusion that
Earth's a bowling wilderness
Truculent with fraud and force

uiIc ldlSo COuCluSlOu uudG
Earth's bowling wilderness
Trucuent with fraud and force.
The foul black objects thus thrust before our
eyes seem for the moment larger than the sun;
they blot out the landscape and the sky from our
vision. A real and somewhat permanent wrong
is thus done to us, and to mankind We see
them in false light, the thousand good men are
thrust into the background, the one villain is
brought out and set in strong light in the
foreground. This holding the mirror up to
nature is not the honest holding up OF plane
glass; it is the deceptive holding up OF con-
cave glass before each mole and wart-magnl-
fying them into hideouS deformltles without
allowing us to see the general features.
For the surgeon and physician these concave
specula are of the greatest value,-nay, he
must even dissect morbid growths and place
them under the most powerful microscopes
but for children and for women ana 1or men
in general it is better that their attention and
Imagination should not be directed to speci-
mems of morbid anatomy. Even the surgeon
and physician are compelled, by the needs OF
their own nature to seek relief from the con-
temptation of disease and suffering: by turn
ing their minds frequently away by force OF
will, from the depressing sight to seek refresh
ment and strength in the beauties of the land
scape or in social enjoyment among the
healthy, the joyous, the young, and gay
In like manner the prison chaplain, the Off
GERS of the law, and those engaged in the pros
ecution or defense, or trial of criminal Offend
ers, may need at times to study thoroughly the
morbid anatomy of the soul, to look squarely
at the horrible revolving details OF crime, and
to analyZe carefully the workings of soul
yielding to the sophism and seductions of a
depraved heart tempting it to evil. But the
community in general do not need such studies
and men in general and young people in par
ticular are seriously injured by them. Novels
ard tales containing the analyses of morbid and
depraved persons, dramas painting powerfully
the workings of passions which mislead, re-
ports of criminal trials and confessions of de-
tected criminals, are unwholesome food for the
strongest, and deadly for the young and imma-
ture
such persons is worse than the sale of poisonous
wallpapers and dressgoods, adulterated grocer
les and confectioneries. The percentage of
crime to the population has during the last
fifty years more than trebled in this State, and
nearly trebled in New Jersey, and it is proba-
BILE that the same change has taken place in
other States. 1t is time, then, that we should
awake to our danger and take means to avert
it. Among those means, l think that one, at
least, should be vigorous attempt to cut Off
the supply of pictures of crime to the young.
| The healthy moral sentiment of our people
should show itself in public opinion discount
tenancing and REFRESHING exhibitions of what
is repulsive to pure taste or demoralizing to
a weak nature: whether those exhibitions are
the play of fancy or the record of facts. Good
deeds are more numerous than crimes; beauty
is more abundant than deformity; what we ask
of those who hold the mirror up to nature, is
that they should so hold plane mirror as to give
no undue prominence to what is foul; but rath-
er choose for their portraiture scenes in which
beauty and goodness predominant. The young
organism is greatly influenced by its surround
ings the growing character of child assimi-
lates itself in some degree to the pictures which
it frequently contemplates; and as it is imposs-
BILE to defend our children altogether from con-
tact with current literature, we have the
stronger reason for asking that this literature
be unadulterate and wholesome.
The innocent ignorance of sweet and blame
less girl is admired and respected even by the
depraved and guilty. The indefnable charm
which hangs about her, attaches itself also to
the young man who is manly and bold to do
whatsoever is right but simple, unsophisti-
Gated, girl-like in his ignorance of evil He
may not have her absolute ignorance but if he,
in addition to manly courage, shows her power
of repelling from his mind and imagination the
thought of evil, he is the more admired and re-
spected by his companions, even by compan-
ions who have not his strength of mind and
who themselves are powerless to resist the
evil.
The government of our own hearts and
minds is difficult task; as the Hebrew proverb
says He that ruleth his own spirit is greater
than he that ruleth kingdom. When we
have once had the pictures of foulness and sin
off, and replace them with better scenes. To
remember is difficult, and it is more difficult to
forget We sometimes fear lest We never can
forget our own follles and sins. Yet the sweet
promises of forgiveness made to us by the Lord
Jesus include the promise that we may forget.
Let me not, therefore, discourage any nearer,
or lead anyone to think that the stain made by
the mere knowledge of evil cannot ever be
wiped out. Even the deeper stains made by
the commission of sin can be washed out, in
the tears of penitence and in the blood of the
Lamb; much more the lighter stains made by
the mere knowledge of the sins of others.
While, therefore, we regret, and even resent,
the officious persistence with which the report
er, the editor, the novelist, the dramatist, keep
thrusting before our eyes their vivid pictures
| of human depravity and guilt, let us not give
way to egotistic indulgence in the resentment
or the regret but rather remember the first
| part of ST Pauls WISH taken for my text; and
seek to be wise unto that which is good; seek
means of preventing this incessant dwelling
upon the fouler aspects of human life; seek
means of stimulating men to more active and
efficient usefulness; seek ourselves to forget
that which is behind, and press forward to bet
ter and higher things before; seek, in short,
| those things which are above where Christ sit
| teth at the right hand of God