Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-04-19

Two bills ostensibly in the interest
of pubic morals have been introduced
into the State Legislature. They are
aimed at what are called immoral
public exhibitions, and have no doubt
I been framed with q view to the sup
! preston of Giving pictures, so called.
Whatever may be the moral purpose
of the men or women who drafted
these bills, it must be seen that they
do not fall within the restrictions of
discreet and practical legislation.
Nothing is SO disturbing to the cool,
law-making sagacity as yirtuous indig-
nation, and the clean sweep of these
projected statutes, their Wholesale and
indiscriminate prohibition and the
| utter impossibility of carrying out the
provisions make them wholly inadvis-
able at this time. In the first place
| the question of what is and what is
not immoral in exhibitions of the hui
man form is an open question of taste
I and Judgment, and cannot be abjudi-
Gated by law. There are thousands of
well-meaning men and women in this
community who honestly believe that
the Venus de Medci has demoraliz-
ing tendency and they could lodge
complaints against it under either of
these bills.
The late Dr. Howard Crosby on one
occasion advised every woman to
throw her carved and painted cupids
out the window, as they were iniqui-
tous devices of the devil, and while il
is within the discretion of every woman
to do so, it is utterly repugnant to
the spirit of the age to make such
destruction mandatory. The Mullen
bill makes it penal to post or exhibit
in any place of resort, whether public
or private, with or without the con.
sent of the owner thereof, any de-
vice." &C., which, interpreted, as
laws usually are, by the letter, carries
! the restriction into a mans parlor.
, The same bill does not tell us who
shall decide what is indecently clad OF
indecently exposed, and there is q
very wide range of opinion in that
respect. What the late Mrs. Parar
Stevens might consider a precious
work of art might awaken the moral
Indignation of the ignorant police
man.
Public taste cannot be regulated by
statute directly, and art cannot be en-
compassed by the views of primitive
legislators. 1t is the proper function
of the lawmakers to hedge vice about
and regulate, if not suppress it, but i
is not their function to particularizt
open questions of beauty rs vicious
These things must be settled by pub
lie opinion. To enact either of the
laws would be to put the whole ques
ton of expediency and good taste
under the indiscriminate harrow of al
Anthony Comstock, and that will
never do for liberal and enlightened
community.
1t now appears that John y. Nc
Kane is not insane, but in better health
than he has enjoyed for years. Stead.
employment, regular hours and free
dom from political excitement ar
what the ex- "Boss" needed, and thes
are all being supplied in liberal an
proper doses at the penltentiary.
Society sincerely mourns the lat
Mrs. Paran Stevens. She was an OF
nament to the select circle she adorne
and led, and if there were more lik
her it would be an estimable blessing
There we're no frills or furbelow
about her. She liked joke, coul
tell good story herself and was hal
fellow well-met with her intimateE
She was an authority on social MAJ
ters and generally respected and be
loved. Having large fortune sh
was constantly in litigation and alway
| "talked poor" but evidently for
purpose. She is gone and buried now
May the good old soul rest in peace.
Rich New Workers are chucklin
over the new income tax law. Unde
Q it, landlords and bond holders al
r exempt About all many of the mi
lionaire "fellers' have, is invested j
one or the other, and they are techn
cally poorer and pay less tax than SON
poor duffer who has not dollar owe
! his income of 81, 600. But such is tt
: law. A tax on the thrifty and tt
] l.o,ao inpnra1