The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-18

people who live by Turing fools to their
dens- of vice. When permitted, these
people set their snares in the daily
newspaper columns. They advertise as
clairvoyants, massage operators, teach
ers of languages and music, ETC. In one
newspaper which has cultivated this
sort of thing the language OF the adver-
tisements has recently been vulgar and
outrageously suggestive. Aspecial rate
for this class of advertising has been
charged, and an income of $3.50 OF 5000 a
day has been gathered from the infamy.
The editor, who has no social status in
New York, has been enabled to
live abroad in luxury, mainly from
the proceeds of this depraved business.
On the morning before the grand jury
issued its anathema the foul and pollut-
ing Mass of advertising, which had for
ten years been Haunting in the faces of
the shop girl and hostler public, sudden
ly disappeared, and it has not made it's
appearance since. Anthony Comstock's
society, which has been repeatedly
called upon to take cognizance of this
journalistic degradation, has claimed all
along that the laws of the state gave it
no control over such matters. Mr.. Com
stock has about as much power now as
he ought to have, but I sincerely trust
that the legislature, before it adjourns.
will enact a1aw which will effectually
curb the shameful industry referred to.
/ remember the fight that was made in
the World some years ago to keep the
harpies of the town out of the adver-
Using columns. One of my serious
labors on Saturday nights was
to read the proofs of certain ''small
ad" departments and cut out every
questionable or suspiciously-worded an
nouncement. I sent men to investigate
certain houses, and when the character
of the inmates was established entered
the number on q 'sblack list" which
was pasted in the composing room.
The wary children of sin would change
their vacations from day to day. The
clairvoyant of to-day would be the
teacher Of French tomorrow, and
names stood for nothing. But the
black numbers exposed them, and the
shameless business was kept down to a
minimum. In those days the counting
room was disposed to wink at it, be-
cause the revenue was gracious, but,
when appealed to, the proprietor
set his face against it, and, with
the assistance of vigilant Proof
reader Robinson, we gradually
drove the DEVILS agents over to
the Tribune's wicked tenant, the Morn
ing Journal There the vile and loath-
some business Haunted uninterruptedly
until met by the King James-like blast
from the Taber grand jury. The per
manency of the present enforced re-
form no doubt depends upon the action
of the legislature.
SOME NOTABLE s'M'C's."
The McK's and Noes are all one to be-
gin with, of course, and two of the most
notable illustrations of their grip on
public affairs in the United States just
now are the new men at the head of
the great Reading corporation, Mcleod.
and the great New York life society
Mccall. Old Gov. Mexican, of Penn
sylvania, was the son of plain North
of Ireland father. There are Ward Nc
Allister, the society butler; Joe Nc
Auliffe, the slugger; Judge McAdams,
of the superior court; Col Mcclure, of
the Philadelphia Times; s. 8. Mcclure,
of syndicate fame; the McCorniclSs, of
reaper and telescope fame; the McCul-
loughs, of stage fame; the McCul-
laghs, McLellans, McCanns, Nc
Combs, McCallas-the naval COM
mander's cruelty pepetuates them
McCarthys, McCaulls, of whom the
comic opera manager has been the most
prominent; McCloskys, a famous one of
whom is an archbishop, and another
the victim whom Maggie Cline throws
nightly; McClaughreys, one of whom is
chief of police of Chicago; McCrearys,
one of whom is consul at Valparaiso,
and SO on, through the McKays, of
whom that blatherskite Nathaniel said
he elected Harrison by his protection
romances; the McKeons, McKinleys,
one Of whom is the governor of Ohio;
McKinneys, one Of whom governs Vir-
ginia; McKelways, McKennas, McKen.
zies, McKees, one of whom rules the
white house by caricaturem; and so on
down the list. If the Mos and the O's
were to ''go'' what gap they would
leave!
A BRAIN WORKER APPRECIATED.
After all, it is a mistake to say that
New York city is not blessed with in
tellectuality. Passing Days theater
She other morning about eleven o'clock,
! saw well-dressed crowd of people
pushing for the door. A genuine matt
nee in New York aroused my curiosity
CHANGING to meet Chandos Fulton he
explained that well-lSnown professor,
who illustrates his lectures with pic
lures, was giving series Of morning
entertainments there. 'And will you
believe it, he said, she is playing to
the capacity of the house every day"
AS Days holds fully fifteen hundred
people, / must say that was sur
prised, likewise encouraged. These lee
lures are purely educational. They
are not associated with monkey bust
ness" They appeal to the art soul and
beget yearning for better things.
That fifteen hundred New York people
would get up early in the morning to
sttend such an entertainment seems to
give assurance that we have not yet
e. IL r