New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-28
NOTES ON BOOKS.
THE NEW CENsoRsHIp-MR. RUSKfN-THE
Nl,V; REVIEW

wnoNf
London, July -:
quote from a letter TO The Bookseller the
following astonishing paragraph, referring to the
recent prosecution and CONVICTION oil WI.
vize,elly for publishing an English edition OF
some of NJ. Zoa's novels;
The result is that the trade is placed Mt the
mercy of the Vigilance Association To quote
but few examples: The 'Decameron' ana the
.heptameron, which figure conspicuously In all
our public libraries, have been withdrawn from
circulation 'Manon Lescaut and the Dame aux
Camelias' have experienced similar fate anu ior
the first time in 400 years none but secoho
copies can be obtained of Sir Thomas Urquharts
admirable translation of the works oil haoeN'iS'
Firms of high standing have thus Withdrawn
sboolxs that they had been selling for years ana
years, arguing, no doubt that IL wouio hoV ''
worth their while to contest an action.
That is o state of things which cannon iaS'.
s,nvlaud seems to be on the eve of new literary
..r.or,hin with the National Vigilance Society
sor censor There have been three prosecutions
.,,sodv. nil succesfuI ut seems evident, con-
,,pucs this writer, that certain class OF hoera-
tu,e exists solely by the permission oil V,e
National Vigilance Association III IL vert oni'
xoa-Zola in English-who existed by th'S per
mission. or failed to exist, IL would not ""''e''
.avc for the principle involved. Zoa Is "i'''i
nj extraordinary power, who has chosen 10 Vull
his great gifts TO base uses. They are oase' o'''
n french. In English, his essential qualItes "'
a writer disappear There Is no excuse loi "n
English edition OF him, and no symi"'"S - ~.
no wasted on his English publisher or OH o'no'
publishcrs The publishers are very well ao,' ~,
take care OF themselves, and II they nave ~. -. r
go 40 30 their 6pinions, and will not hght lor
chem ar for the right of publishing what Is "s'''
80 "a determine what is legal and what is NV
they probably know their own business oeSV'
their organ says, forcibly enough:
.w;,hout in the least approving Of Hola hoera-
,nr. and its class which we should be gnu " ','
.,,iro,,, ant of the market, the danger 10 pun
,.-,.,s 20 becoming entangled in costly nUe"uo'
,h,orob rho action of an irresponsible society &c
considerable A society supported py e"'
scrintions of enthusiastic prudes may r'No ~
,,scIf 70 threaten with judicial procee"inss "n'
ophlisher whose books fail to Satisfy Vi'e
taste Of some representative memper' 80.
IN his favor would not relcVe 'ne UNI 49,.
mhlisher who might have been selec''N u" -,
,',,oot ~ their experiment of the worry anu eA-
s"''0'' evan the successful party to law
80 ~. 49, a. UNDERGO A society whose Duslhess -
,',.,s,, !. mot likely to wait long for Victins'
r. 40, ,,st sentence you have the key 10 Vne
,o,o business A society is formed moheS
ohtainca from wcll-mcnning weak pefSon'' o'' -.
an, Amounted they must do something W VIM
cato their official existence, they set up 'eliS
nouistion. and the legal rack anu thum oscrem' On
soa, at work. The SolcitorLGenerd. Sir Ha""t"
Clarke conducted their prosecution "s 49,
viyefellv and in the course OF his speecn 10, 0
Cro,yn an sccsted says this writer thaV lns e"'."
for snch they really arctic vigilance Assault"
,iap might proceed against oil uheAP"is"N
editions II he said that he has done pupno
.crviee. though not of the kind ne ln'ciioeu noV
the Vigilance Association act on MS eussTs.
ora the real issue will be raised fairly Leu US
% - ,,lat may he sold and what may not
Let Mrs. Chundy have the courage oil her oplniois
- % the preiudices which she fancies are
oninions Where will she stop IN her eNpursa'ins
orusadeP Nay, where will she pegih 10
S,akcsnpnre 10 be tolerated? May beaumont
and Fletcher be sold? VIII license be lssueo
for the printing Of Swift? Is the whole Ehza-
he,ban literature and that of the Restoration
and a great part of that of the Eighteenth OehVuiS
40 be mt under ban? What ABOUT Dryueh'
Itou, much of Milton must be cut out before
III. ooems or his prose are again to be seen on
v,oosseller's counter? Finallys what Oh 'he
Bible?
No, one NJ thc writer's or books have named
could. II Judged solely on it's decency ny One
standard of the Vigilance Association, DE toer"Vc''
II they mean to tolerate one ana to suppress 'i0
other. let them say OH what principle u"y h"N0
the distinction; why the Bole muso pe DUN
lcrizcd and Shakespeare not; or VICE versa in0
plain truth is that these meddlesome anu pruri-
cnt persons have entered upon an lniposslpie
career. They cannot pursue IL 10 inc emu vi
with impartiality, and unless tney eau 'n'S
have no warrant for beginning. l don't know
Association
York, or whether Mr.. Anthony Comstocks zeal
extends 10 the expurgation of authors us Wen
as of ort But the question, as raised py olr
Edward Clarke. inadvertently perhaps. concerns
ovorv one who cares for English and American
literature II ought not 10 be necessary to argue
such n question; il is enough to state IT, ana W
AJAX once more with Milton whether we are OF
are not 10 have the Liberty Of Unlicensed PRINT
ing.
7. IL not EASY 10 see how Mr.. Ruskin is to be
excused for publishing his new edition of Mod
rrn Painters" He compromises his good latin
nv doing H. When he issued the 1873 reprint
NJ this hook he wrote and signed q preface de-
scribina TINT as the last edition of the book IN
its complete FORM That was understood as q
uledpe and the edition was bought up IN reliance
ON this pledge. The phrase " in Its complete
form had definite meaning. 1t referred 10
and provided for the issue of an abridged and re-
vised edition of the book In these circumstances
Mr.. Ruskin can hardly be surprised If he is ac-
cused of disloyaty 10 the 1900 buyers Oh tne
1873 edition. he has been accused, ana MI w.
q. Collingwood comes TO his defence MI
Ruskin's promise" says Mr.. Collingwood, " has
been kept to the letter" Possibly, though even
that might be disputed but is this the best that
can be said for "a great writer who has preached
morality and sincerity all his hfep His books
are full of sentences from the Bible. lie might
add one 10 his new preface: Not OF the letter
but OF the spirit, for the letter hlleth but the
spirit giveth life" Mr.. Collingwood is out
sorry champion. His defence OF MIR. Ruskln is
special pleaders defence; evasive ana teehnicai
rT.s. .,e comics of plates in the new edition, so
l. . Ia what ATTORNEY