The Portland daily press., 1880-05-17
ANTHONY COMSTOCK.
His Lecture at the Williston Church Last
Night.

The Williston church was crowded last eve
ming, the special attraction being the lecture of
Mr.. Anthony Comestock of New York The
pastor of the church, Rev. Mr.. Clark, intro
duced the speaker, who said:
ADDRESS OF MIR. coMEsToCK.
My lecture tonight will be on the subject of
evil reading. The mind assmilates what it
reads, and therefore how important it is that
the mind should be kept full of pure thought
And yet there is a business widely spread in
this country that aims to corrupt the mind of
the child, and I will proceed to glance at some
OF its features. First there are our daily pa
Iers as at present conducted. Papers that are
published that give the details of crime that
should never be touched on, and many bust
ness man is engaged in the work of debauching
the mind of his own child. How? By taking
such papers, and then having hurriedly glanc-
ed at the news of the day and perused the de-
tails of the stock market and other things
necessary to his business, he throws the paper
down in his drawing room. He chances at the
sickening details of crime with disgust and
then leaves the paper to be read by his child,
and what the man throws away the mind of
the child receives with avidity. Then there is
lowest criminal transactions, those things that
are only fit for the halls of Justice These
things are not only described but pictured The
child sees these pictures in the shop windows
DIS IL SoeS " Scnool from ltS nome, and we nave
not public sentiment that will suppress
them. Then there are papers devoted to chill.
dren that are called boys and girls papers, pa
pers that are published cheap, for five cents
These papers are sold freely, and one boy buys
one and the whole school reads them The
papers pal: are filled with stories of the boy and
girl criminal. The lowest places are described
in glowing colors. 1t is on this account and
because of these papers that SO many crimes
are committed by children.
l was called in by friend of mine, a physi-
clan to look after matter that had troubled
him. Money had been stolen day after day.
He said that he was convinced that some one
had been breaking into his house day after
day and stealing money. / laughed at him,
and told him to 'send me Thomas" Thomas
was his boy. He said: Its an insult
to even think of him in that Connection
said: doctor, when am called upon to act
officially you must let me act, just as when 1
call you into my family 1 must take your medi-
cine" | called up Thomas. 1 knew some
thing of his life outside, and he developed all
the characteristics of the story, and that con-
firmed my impression He was outraged, and
that was like the story; then he threatened,
and that.was like the story; then he grew de-
faint and said: "Well, if you want to arrest
me you can; am ready" 1 gave him two
days to think it over in, and he came to me
and he acknowledged that his fall was due to
the story,paper.
Out in Brooklyn three boys resolv ed to run
away and go west, and fight the Indians for
you see that this has its humorous as well as
1t serious side, but one of them happened to
remember something. Said he, 81 can't 90 till
l go back and get my girls picture laugh
ter9 am glad that there was some one that
ne loved with love strong enough to send
him back, just as he was about to 90. Back
he went, stealing into the house through the
window, but his father saw him. had him ar
rested as a burglar and when he found who he
was had the good sense to send him around to
the station to spend the night and in the morn
ing it came out that two other BOYS of II wears.
sons OF the neighbors had remained in the
street waiting for him to come out and join
them in leaving home to enter upon what
would have proved life of crime.
There is still another class of publications
that must be noticed. The infdel publica-
tions are my special enemies. They have
traduced my character, my work, myself and 1
am always to meet them. The infdel publ
cations and the infdel deride the Bible Shake
all faith, remove prayer, dry up the fountain
hlled with blood, attack even the spotless
character of Christ. These publications are
filled with blasphemy, and yet are, beyond the
reach of the law.
But there is another class of publications of
which some "a tons have been seized and for
the sending OF which over 400 persons have
been arrested The scoundrels who, having
obtained the names of children in schools send
under the seal of the United States their
literature to children in school and homes. and
yet yet the parent and tender cannot prevent it,
This literature, the things these men print
send and vend is running the world. The
plates from which these things were printed
in many cases 1 have had the pleasure of des-
troying. am called week after week to see
the ruin OF some boy or girl from cause. This
literature is everywhere. stopped Yesterday
at worcester and was.told by lady teacher
that IN two schools where he had been teach
ing this vile literature had entered. In one
school for girls in the city of Brooklyn found
more than two-thirds of the girls, ali under 10,
in possession of this vile literature, and to If
can be directly traced the ruin and probable
death OF one child. I found in a school in New
York city the same class of literature.
And now what is to be done?
e / was asked yesterday by one of your school
ofhclals If had any suggestions to offer in re-
gard to the suppression of the papers that deal
in vice. L told him that this meeting would
commence the work, and that the proper Way
would be to Introduce an order at the next
meeting OF the City Government of Portland
suppressing their sales We must make a
stand, we must resolve not to pay one, three
or tour cents a day to papers that publish the
disgusting detail of crime. We must get our
news cleaner and more respectable
The speaker was listened to with close atten-
ton, and is an easy speaker, only once in a
while falling into what is called the "preach-
ing Tone" He is a thick set and not very in
looking man, but is evidently deeplv
in earnest.
AT the close the thanks of the audience
were rendered the speaker by rising vote, and
collection in aid of the Society for the Sup
preston OF Vice was taken up