The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-16

A Special Agent for Its Suppression Locates
One source of Supply In Indiana.


One source of supply In Indiana
st. Louis Post Dispatch.
81 have never seen in all my work for the So
ciety for the Suppression Of Yice so much nasti-
ness as has come under my notice in the last
three months" said Agent McAfee this morning.
formerly there were works Of standard filth
and vile lodges of various kinds but these
have been entirely thrown in the shade by
the new nastiness ] now find In circulation.
located the other day in Indiana
d headquarters of distribution for O.
typewriter book which is being sank through
the mails In addition have three books en-
tirely unsurpassed in the history of bad litera-
ture for the unadulterated and inexcusable filsh>
of their contents. They came into my posses
sion lately, and | shall soon, think be able to
provide residence for the publishers and dis
tributors. I cannot say where they are pub
lished. but they are altogether too easy to get
The title pages say they are published. two in
New York and one in Jerusalem, but that Is not
correct The West produces more OF this filth
than the East Some really able men have given
themselves up to its preparation and dissemina-
ton"
What positions do such men occupy9'
Strangely enough, in many cases they are
preachers and men of professed goodness. They
are men whose morals have gone to seed. They
think and talk so much. about morality and
goodness that they grow to think secretly about
the other side of the question, and it's the old
story-first adherence, then pity, and then they
ISA6 Give III the dirty water themselves.
After that they get to splashing the slime, and
do 1t more artistically and with more damage
than the men who were raised doing nothing
else. At Cincinnati the other day we convicted
man for sending circular through the mails,
advertising list of books Published by himself.
He was given five years in the penitentiary. He
IS man of real ability, capable of making a
reputation in good literature but he chose to
out-Swinbgrne Swinburnan
rs 'Laus Veneris' interdieted by the sOci-
etyg
mo; we have never paid any attention to that
class of matter. 1t is difficult to reach It ia
not nastiness in the open flush. The Honi
SOFT motto is applied to it by those who would
pass iudicially upon such works. Yet, Swim
burne in his own form is bad enough Young
and young wife in New York, was O
victim of that poet I have seen q let
ter written by Thompson's room mate to
friend He says that he and Thompson
mad been for several months before the mar
riage reading Swinburne, and the latter had
become thoroughly cracked. He frequently told
his friend that his only ambition was to be really
loved once and then die. He said if he was sure
that he was loved he would kill himself And
he did. That is the explanation of what has SO
long been mystery. He was made insane by
stuff, but when the stuff gets as bad as this -
and this -. we can and do suppress it
Since May l, / have made ten arrests, SCI
cured eight convictions. with sentences aggrega-
ting three years and ten months, with fines and
costs amounting to 81, $50. In spite of the in.
crease in the food of wickedness, we hope event.
ualy to limit the diffusion of such stuff to very
small areas. To entirely eradicate it would be
impossible"