Connecticut western news., 1893-05-25

J the west. The western rascal, who seeks in a clumsy way to initiate the French, sinks to 8 depth of infamy, clumsy bestiality, that would drive the modern Frenchman into monastery if he had his choice between the perusal of such book and the abdication of life. Let me quote the announcement of two of these books that are fair samples of the hun dreds found on the average newsstand:
 This story is considered by many to be the most interesting and entertaining ROMANCE OF GAY LIFE ever written. There is some thing about it that Charms and Fascinatee and wins the admiration of every reader. The heroine is one of those WILD, RECKLESS DAREDEVILS that every now and then dashes upon the world like Blazing Meteor and by Brazen Audacity and Wonderful Cheek creates a Sensation that makes her at once The Talk of the Town and the Star of the Street. She delights in being called Wicked Her own words, in one striking passage, tells what she is: Mother" she said, II will not go home! l will not be goodl will not reform! will al ways be
 "A GAY GIRL OF THE TOwNr'
 She laughs with Horrid Glee at Mothers awful Curse, Defes the Officers of the Law, Damns everything Good, and in every possible way endeavors to be the Wickedest Girl in - She Drinks, Swears, Fights, Lies, Steals and takes pride in being Abominably Bad. Some of the situations in this story are Frightful in their Fiendishness, while others are Ridiculous in their Ludicrousness. It is a well told tale one that will be carefully preserved long after trashy yarns are dead and forgotten-and is destined to take Front Rank among the Real istic Romances of this Fast Age.
 IT IS THE FASTEST SELLING BOOK EVER
 PUBLISHED.
 Most Liberal Terms to Dealers. Agents wanted everywhere.
 Here is a specimen from a second an nouncement:
 A ROMANCE CROWDED WITH WILD FIX CITEMENT AND STRANGE ADVENTURE.
 The story told by the author is that lates entirely to the Night Side of -, nearly every scene, from commencement to end, be- ing at or near the Ghostly Midnight Hour. The characters are all taken from Hfe many real names being used. Every phase of City Life is depicted SO truthfully to make each chapter of the book one of Sensational Excitement. Nothing is omitted that may be seen Under the Gaslight. ''The Tiger'' is visited in his lair. The Scarlet Woman is pictured in her Mag nifcence and her Degradation. The Assigna- ton Fiend plays prominent part. The plot is. one admirably calculated to bring out the Fiery Element in writing that has made the author famous Every chapter contains some thing Hairraising and BlOodcurdling. It con- tains every element of popularity as a Sensa- tional Romance, abounding in Abductions, Street fights, Stabbings, shootings, Plottings against Virtue, and many more exciting themes that cannot fail to interest those who like to read of city life as 1t Is. It is fully Illustrated with full page engravings.
 These are not exceptional books taken from the newsstands. They represent the. average book now carried by the newsdealers in our public places. I can select from among well stocked news stands at least 100 books equally as vicious as either of the two described by their publishers. These books are issued by the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands, and they carry the imprint of publisher with the advertisements to all dealers and to the public. A man is now serving term in the penitentiary at Joliet, Ills, for selling obscene liter ature. He was at one time bookseller in Chicago, but through drink fell into evil ways and began the vending of evil books. The postoffice authorities at last secured his conviction, and he is now serving his sentence. To show what sort of progress we are making, the books for which this man was convicted and sen fenced to the penitentiary for selling are not one iota worse in any particular than the hundreds of books that are now
 
 thousands of newsdealers from end to end of this nation.
 The dime novel is the power that is molding and fashioning the lives of our boys. Here they get their education. The editor of one of our leading dailies, describing recently our newsstands, says with just sarcasm: '"The dime novel is more plentiful than the sands of the sea. The old fashioned schools delight to give a certain amount of instruction in worth less branches of knowledge, such as arithmetic, writing and spelling, but they have no value or any important share in developing the character of the boys and of fitting them for the active duties of criminal life. In the department of murder the instruction given by the dime novel writers is all that could be desired. There is not a possible method of murder that is not fully described and illustrated by brilliant examples in these educational works. Our boys are taught where and how to deal effective stabs, in | which part of the body to plant pistol | bullets to the best advantage and how | to understand poisons skillfully without l too great danger of detection. Not only are they taught how to kill, but, what is | of far more consequence, they are deftly l led to look on murder not as repulsive and dangerous, but as an elegant and desirable recreation"
 AN HOUR WITH A NEwSBOY. | Nor does this villainy stop at books which are openly sold from our news stands. It is evident that the business should even go lower. Newsboys accus- toned to handle this class of publica- tions so successfully seek matter even more salacious for their prize trade. Go- ing out of Cleveland a short time ago, the newsboy on the train, after I had bought some papers from him, asked me | if would like very rich book-some- thing choice which he had on hand. told him I would like to see 1t. He brought it to me and whispered not to let the conductor see the book. He said that the price was 75 cents; that it sold as high as $1 and g. It was little tract of about % pages, bound in yellow pa per, which cost perhaps a cent and half to produce. Without any exception it was the vilest book upon which my eye ever rested. If the devil in hell had written it or had appointed special agent to produce it for the purpose of corrupting boyhood on earth, it could not have been done more successfully.
 It was written with the sole purpose of debauching the imagination. of the boy or the girl who should read it, and it's language was as direct as is the lan- guage of the dissecting room itself. There was left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It was the description of the debauchery of a boy of 12 years of age, to describe which is impossible either in print or in speech for the eye or ear of decent men or women. This book is published in the city of Chicago, so the newsboy informed me, and is sold upon thousands of trains. It bears the imprint of no publisher and is sold, as the boy said, from 75 cents to g apiece. This same youngster also asked me if would like some very rich pictures-photo- graphs of girls. Itold him would like