The morning call., 1892-03-28
EVIL LITERATURE.
Rev. j. @. A. Henry Makes Some
Startling StatemcEts.
He Shows toe Harm Done to Young People
By Vile Publications - Nude Art
Condemned.

Rev. J. Q. A. Henry, pastor Of the First
Baptist Church. devoted last evenings serv-
Ice TO a sermon on the perniciouS literature
of San Francisco, the second of series on
the subject: rs San Francisco a Moral
City ,"
He says the value Of books cannot be
questioned; they put one in touch with all
the great minds of the world. But books,
like all other good things. may be abused.
4 person may reach state of mental satu-
ration; 10y that time he has read too much
and books to him are not the blessing they
otherwise might be.
FEwNESs OF VALUABLE BOOKS.
OF the countless number of books pub.
lished, not more than 500 have a permanent
place IN the world, and less than fifty may
be called familiar. \ man may by constant
application read o0,OO0 books in lifetime
bur 1t Will be impossible TO become familiar
with more than oDe-thiTd that number. IL
Is astonishing what the judiciOus use of
spare time viii do IN the matter of reading
Twelve pages a day will amount in four
years to forty-eight 300-page volumes, which
may comprise the bulk of important in
formation of the world
In the stricter sense of the word this Is
not an age Of books, notwithstanding the
thousands that are published daily 1t
comes nearer being the age of newspapers
difficult 10 live without newspapers. The
speaker related that he once heard a news
paper man say that the press was his
savior. Thank GOdW he exclaimed, Il
know something about some other Savior.
| would tremble at the thought OF trusting
my soul to the press OF to-day"
NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION
Of the great number of newspapers. he
said, 100 reach about a quarter of the entire
population OF tie nation. THE press is un-
QuestloDabiy great power, and / believe
the prevailing portion Of il is for good We
must not oppose the papers; we must CO.
operate with them"
Papers were classified into good and bad.
Bad papers he denounced with tremendous
emphasis as emissares CT the devil-the
most prolific source of immortality and crime
in existence. Bad papers are those that
reek with the sickening details Of crime,
vice, blood, thunder and sensational trash.
Their Influenza on the young mind is PERM
cious and scrofulous.
The standard of modern literature, Mt.
Henry unhesitatingly declares. is the
French. Ninety -nine per cent of it is
scrofulOus. IL is founded Oh marital nfe-
licity and illicit love The epidemic has
spread to England aud America
The speaker thought it would be pre-
sumption for any one to take the position
that San Francisco is less vicious than other
cities.
OPPOSED TO NUDE AKT.
A firm stand should be taken By all decent
parents and people in demanding prohib-
TORY measure against the exhibition of
nude art, and the speaker hoped that the
whole Christian and moral world would
protest against it at the great Columbian
Exhibition. 1t is one of the most fruitful
sources Of evil thought and act in the
young, and assists fearfully in rotting their
souls. He referred TO a certain place on
Market street that ought to be exterminated
as moral peStilence for that reason.
The pastor pleaded with his flock to give
one little practical application of his ser
mon by refusing to patronize tie 200 news
stands OF this city that are doing so much 10
circulate pernicious and scrofulUus literature
among the young