The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1885-12-16
Suppression of Impure Liter
atttre.

Suppression Of Impure Liter
atstfe.
This department of our work has by its
successes during the past year fully dem
ongtrated its right to be. One OF the lew
acknowledgements of the National Conven-
tIon w.s the absence of Miss Lucy j.
HoImas, its cflcient national superintend-
emit, detained in her own home doubly
darkened BY tho shadow of death.
Mr. Anthony Comstock, that moral
hero" Is Miss Willard styled him in her
introduction, was present and was twice
called out to speak on this topic. lie
said:
feel that Should not do justice to
this convention II were to omit one or
two things that have come to my notice
concerning the w. C. T. U. They haze
not told YOU half that they have done
will here state an incident illustrating
this, which comes to my mind little
lady, your National Superintendent, MiSS
Lucy Holmes, came to my office ono night
In New York, and she said, ~ am from
New Hampshire, and we have No Law
against the trashy story paper and we
want our Legislature to pass one next
July. Can you give us facts TO all Us Ill
securing such legislation
sat down and prepared certain memo
randa and gave to her, saying, III you
need assistance I will gladly go to New
Hampshire and appear on this matter DC
fore the committee. She went back to
New Hampshire and got up petitions and
circulated them, and before We knew II
New Hampshire eradicated the blood and
thunder paper, and prevented its being
Gold RI yr,in0rS In that state.
While we have been Looking after the
legislation in New York. we feel that our
work has been national work. we
passed a law there that prohibited the
sale to minors of certain illustrated Grim
inal papers exposed for sale; story papers
filled with crime and bloodshed. There
IA one paper, a political power in New
York, while we could tone 1t down, we
could not do what the w. c. I. u, have
done from Texas to Maine, and Mime
sofa. In these states there has been
woman's work In this matter. They have
reduced the circulation of one OF those
papers during the past year In New YORK,
from over IS 900 In one week, down 70 D.
600. Two papers Of the same stamp that
were circulating in New York in 1854,
have died a natural death. And we look
to this union to secure the necessary leg
islation that shall prevent the circulation
of these immoral pamphlets and story pa
pers. In this one department In 1872, the
wear before the New York Association
for the Suppression of Vice was formed,
there was published in this country l65
different books that could not bear the
liQht of day. mean books that had to be
sold in secret, that were hidden away in
the dark corners. These were sold by 4,
600 dealers in this country. These
books were seized In the hands OF the
dealers In New York. There is scarcely q
city but what we could name men and
women engaged in this traffic In 1t. All
the principals, and nearly all the agents.
have been brought to justice through the
association.
Our association is not confined to New
York, we have branches as far west as
Des Moines, Ia. New Orleans, the Cana
dian border, Buffalo, Indiana, and Mime
sofa. Our work Is national. Our work Is
to preserve the morality of the young by
preventing the spread Of books which
tend to poison the fountain of morality
and purity. Evil reading Is the corrupt
fountain which poisons the soul. 1t takes
possession of the child's fancy and excites
his Imagination, 1t Is that which corrupts
all the Inspirations Of better things, and
turns him away from God. away from
moral purity, away from the incentive to
to-day evil reading and intemperance,
twin devils which tend to destroy and ov-
erthrow the moral purity of the country
When the mothers come to the legisla-
ture and plead for the youth, they are
pleading for thousands all over the coun-
try. They work to preserve the youth of
the country; they are untiring In their eff
forts to preserve the free institutions Of
America. Do not forget that our boys
and girls Of to-day must make the noble
men and women of tomorrow. II you
would have pure homes in the next Rener-
alton, you must care for the moral purity
of the children.
Since 1879 there has been arrested only
1000 people such as come under the juris-
diction of the association. What we ask
you mothers and fathers Is this, that
where you find this hydra-headed monster,
send q clew to me or my agents, and we
will hunt them down.
We have to stand between the children
and this curse. tell you brothers and
sisters l know what 1t Is to suffer IN this
cause, know what 1t Is to leave my home
in the morning and scarcely dare to see
again those whom love SO WE'LL may
never 70 home again. / cannot see them
without this feeling as | go away, and
when start out my inclination is to 60
back and say goodbye again, and linger
moment; and yet l do not mean that men
or women must falter, though death may
stare them in the face.
heard q sentiment this afternoon, that
went to my heart, and said, Amen-"Re-
member duty first and the consequences
afterwards" Duty first and leave all else
in the hands of Him who overrules all
men. This work here, friends, has been
carried on by prayer to God. In the face
Of opposition we have aroused the enthu-
siasm Of the noble men of this country
Union Signal.