Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-05-23
DIME NOVELS.
ovr DR.. RIKgR SAILS IN ON YELLOW
BACKED LITERATURE
Al Cots in a Rap Upon the Nswspapsrs-Thinks
n,g Hghs and Murders Should Be Elm
mated, and the Postage On
Papers Increased.

Thor, was well filed house at the
nth Street Methodist Church last
,~b, on the occasion Of the delivery
sr Dr Riker Of the fourth sermon on
T,,ps for Young Men. DR.. Riker last
.i,bt discussed pernicious literature.
This is not so aged topic as some
.,bers have discussed. The fragrant
Jl~-ereration OF literature has grown
~ M the last few decades. IL will do
~, 90. much harm 20 read a book
Ssreb intent as 10 will 10 associate
,-.,b tbe author Of that book, and even
.,ors As when reading you have more
enc 70 get lost in the intricate and al
hiring mazeS Of the book.
II YOU 20 TO the public library OF any
large city YOU Will find that about %
rs- cent. of the books called Tor are
f,tiop. and the kind of fiction demand
a5is M a light and Aimsy character.
rbs Doctor then went on 70 discuss the
-o,l,w. hacked novel and the trashy
rss-lv DaUer. Five thousand tons OF
,bi. literature pass through the New
Vork Dostoaice every year. All this
-.st amount of literature that is spread
broadcast over the land has readers,
md think how rapidly and surely IL Is
undermining the morality and purity OF
,ba Young. These stories are all skill
MN wraught, aud vice is painted In
,Tdsd coIors. The life Of Jesse James,
will venture 70 say, had the largest
ale of any book in this country. The
,asror then went on 20 tell Of the ini-
unity that had grown out or reading
limo novels; how the SensationaliSm
lad aroused the animal nature Of the
Young 10 such an extent that In many
cities cowboy scenes bad been enacted
All evoked through the high tension
tales OF perniciOus literature.
Again, our secular press ought TO
guard very carefully the purity OF our
y8nth. think 10 is a shame that the
secular press should dish up the court
news in such a way as viii undermine
the morals of the youth. i must protest
against such police court proceedings as
have read in an evening paper, an at
tfmDt 40 wit and with such yulgarlty as
togbs0lutely n&useate decency. picked
no an evening paper here ia town the
other Gay 90 learn something Of the
proceedings Of the General Conference
on MethOdists, but there was little more
than mere mention OF the Conference,
likewise OF a big Presbyterian session
that was going on In another part OF
the country, but there was fully a third
Of O column about some fendish doings
OF wretch 10 human form, out in Mis-
souri,, and 10 was dished up in all its
0athsome details. Now, of what interest
sthis criminal story from Missouri 10
people of Wheeling. There is court
out in Missouri, and there are officials
whose duties 10 is 20 look after these
things Let them attend TO these mat
tsrs, and do not throw them broadcast
0l the readers. Why should more
space be given 60 an item Of that kind
1an Of those sIalwart men who stand
10 the front Of the great moral reforms
o, the country.
You ask a newspaper man why ne
prints all these things, and be says be-
cause the paper circulates among all
classes, cliques and conditions OF people,
and they have 10 cater 20 a multiplicity
% tastes, and there is money in il by
So doing. II you are going 20 put IL
that basis, why not turn lose the whole
food tide Of in.Quity. The burglar
and the murderer has the same basis 10
work upon.
Dr. Riker closed his dicourse by urg-
ily Increased postage rates on per-
H.ci0us literature with view to sup
pressing It,