New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-08
FAD BECOMES A MENACE.


Not until the postal card began to depict
humanity however, did it develop into the
veritable Frankenstein that it is at the present
time Not till then did it become not only a
craze but Also in the opinion of many. a
menace. And yet it showed, after ALL how
much more vitality man is interested in his own
self than in the world he lives in. When the
postal card portrayed simply buildings and
landscapes. it appealed only to the more edu-
Gated, to those who had travelled or hoped to
travel who read the travels of others. When
it began to picture human nature however, it
captured the attention of every one. Its field
became limitless. It found itself able
stir the varied emotions of man, to hit off his
different traits TO ridicule his foibles, to car
toon his hobbies. and, in fact, to run the whole
gamut of human life from what is best in it
to what is the very worst In this way the
postal card would make every day st. Valen-
tines day, and all the world continuous vaude-
vile Unlike other fads it does not seem
doomed to an early death, because it does not
have chance of becoming monotonous. 1t is
continually assuming new costumes and playing
new parts.
For the very reason that its range is so WIDE
the picture postal has not only sought to depict
the ideal. but also stopped to the baser side of
life. More and more it is choosing subjects that
verge on immortality or are professedly vicious.
Money getting, of course, is behind this danger
Gus tendency of the picture postal business.
Printers like theatrical mana gers, know that a
theme of questionable virtue will awaken the
morbid curiosity of people, draw the crowds and
pay where wholesome subject is passed by.
AS one publisher of picture postals expressed 1t,
Tainted meat draws the flies, and we after
the flies
Tempted by such motives some printers are
utilizing every opportunity possible to
marked tunclean cards. as the Postoffice
authorities call them. Some of them do business
with much secrecy as counterfe1ters, guarding
against discovery until they have printed a big
stock and then dsposing of them through gutter
peders, who pay for police protection TO dispose
of their wares without interference. Indeed,
W. T0Tt-a he eta mad
out by the Police Department if Mr. McAdoo
would see that his did their duty. Again
that are actually obscene while bluecoat walks
blindIy by The profits of selling 'unclean
cards. are tremendous. One printer is known to
have run off 100000 Of these cards IN a Brook
lvn attic at a cost of 5000 and then put them
on the market at two for five cents Half Went
to the fakirs and half to himself, so that his net
return was 50 500 and his net profit SZ,5UV
CoMsTOCK AFTER THEM.
Some idea of the size of the evil is afforded
by a few experiences which Anthony Comstock'
of the Society for the Suppression of Vice. has
had in the last few days. On the street the other
day he came across pedler who was making
about 50 an hour selling cards of grossly i'm
moral character MIR. Comstock bought few
samples to get his evidence. and then had the
youth arrested. From the fakir he learned who
printed the cards, and at opportune time
raided the place. which was in Bushwick-ave'
Brooklyn. There he found stock of 100000 in
decent cards which were just about to be sent
ont for sale in the streets. Mr.. Comstock now
cantures an average of a ton of cards week.
Conviction of those who sell "unciean cards
is easily obtainable, and the evil might De
practically suppressed if the police would give
If the slightest attention. The law both of State
and nation against the crime IS explicit inc
federal statute prohibits the printing or selling
of literature pictures which are obscene,
leUd lascivious indecent The State act
proyides for all this and more 1t also prompts
the sale of what is filthy and disgusting.
Another alarming phase of the evil is the way
it is creeping into the stores, Where II mas SUN
larger opportunities Of communicating the minds
Of The Young In many places these 'unclean
cards are sold to customers by girl clerks. MI
ComstocLS tells of one 3d-aVe store where ne
found picture postals OF an extremely immoral
tyne being sold by mere children
Until recently the indecent postal cards came
into this country from Europe. so that most of
them were held up by the postal authorities.
The worst came from France, being sent hlther
nv American tourists Indeed. the Paris dealers
nj these cards say that the Americans are their
host customers and the English next, although
10Th Ran from countries which have the strict
est laws against such things. At the present
time the postofficeS of the United states are be-
iny deueed with vicious cards that are nome
made and they are increasing so last that the
nosfal authorities can hardly keep up with them.
when a clerk for instance, is sorting a huge
quantity of mail he may have the time to pick
ont y few of the most glar1ng specimens, out ne
mUst let the bulk of the ''uncIean cards go
through from sheer lack of time
WILCOX ALSO ACTIVE.
Until a short time ago the Postoffice employees
IN this city were not holding up more than a
hundred cards a week. Then Postmaster Will