The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-05-10
COMSTOCK AND tom JONES'"
TEE HEhD sUPPRESSoR or TTcE
SCORES FIELDfSG's FAMOUS WORK.

ne Ne. Jest Heard or tire Esis,.nse 81 n.
Rsoh, bot Hs Says rcs Very wieksa s-s
Nest Ne supprsssed-Further surprss--
Expected ss a. Constoek Progresses.
Anthony comstoek never heard Of Tom
Jones" He coniessss IT, He has been in the
business OF bridline what he calls vice. OF sup
pressing everything under the sun that doesn't
strike him as right. for longer term Of years
than most persons care to remember; yet he
never heard OF Tom Jones' and never knew
how he was permitting public morals to 60 to
the bad. He knows bout Tom Jones" now.
and in the future he's going to prevent the
sale OF Tom Joneses"
A. Com stocks Ignorance. and consequent In
adveftent negligence. was exposed the day
before Yesterday. Yesterday he was out Of
town. and nobody at the Office OF the Society
for the Suppression Of Vice would say whether
or not his absence folio upon remorse aud
chsRrin at thinking Of all the Tom Jonescs"
he might have suppressed and didn't He
was gone. and nobody could say when he would
be back.
A. Comstock's enlightenment in the matter
took place when sx-Congressmau J. J. Little.
receivsr OF the worthington Company. book
sellers and publishers submitted to Mr. Com
stock some books from the stock OF the com
pany which he thought he might like to look
at IL appears that Mr.. Little discovered
that Mr.. worthlngton had been prohibited
by A. Comstock. nearly ten years ago.
from publishing and selling the rnsx-
purgatsd edition Of the Arabian Nights"
He did not wish to break the law. even
A. Comstocks law. so. as receiver OF the
COMPANY. he submitted to the Supreme Court
the question whether or not he had the right
to sell as part OF the eompany's assets. such
books as A.. Comstock had spoken badly Of.
The court declined to invade A. Comstocke
territory ny setting itself up as censor, and
so Mr.: Little took the bull by the horns and
The books were the e Arabian Nights" Oyid's
:. Art OF Love-, balzae,s Droll STORIES, the
and. as It turned out far from least Tom
A. Comstock's report was long brief Fl.
said the books submitted were abominable.
been insd and in DrisOnsd Tor handling them.
ordered Wor,hine ton so destroy the books and
plates. ten years sgo. Worthtp gton said he was
iI:6ss The District Attorney Of Philsdelphi.
Sa Scrt %SP h to .oS assSrS
ver. stored in @orthine ton's cellar. awaiting
The time When N New iotE should have no
cited all the decisions that had been made In
ter in the books published by the worthtngton
mind Of any decent H or fair. inded man that
such publications are clearly within the ban
OF the law and that the possession Of such
property for sale is clearly an offence"
Mr.. Little thought the brief q little too COM
prehsnsiye. He wrote to A. Cometock asking
specific report on Tom Jones'" on Rabelajs."
and on "Rousseau's Confessions" A. Conn
stock wrote in reply smother report II wa. IN
Tom Jones" shock. He had never heard OF
the book: IL was very bad: It was indeed an
eye-opensr. Those were not his exact words.
but that's what he meant Then A. Comstock
went out OF town. His decision was not final
but Mr.. Little said last night that he would
probably respect it.
Mr. Comstoek and myself are not at Odds
said Mr.. Little. Il sent him the books and
asked his opinion. simply because l wanted
the law OH the subject l don't think any OF
the creditors OF the worthington Company
would want the books sold II they thought
they were improper. and that the sale would
be contrary to law. As receiver. and tn erefors
an officer OF the court. can now only lay the
matter before the Supreme Court. BY its de-
c.sion / must abide. The books are now In
the possession OF Mr. Comstock. but they will
be returned to mo within q few days Mr..
Comstock doesn't object to the pictures In any
Of them. but to the text"
When asked u A. Comstock had acknowl-
edged HIS uDIamfiianty with any Of the othe=
books "a bInitted besides " Tom Jones'" Mr..
Littls smiled and said that Mr.. Comstock
didn't say.