Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-01
ADVERTISING CRIME.

Not long ago a Chicago Judge. presid-
ing al a murder trial. ordered all chill
dren from the room and announced that
in the future no minors would he ad :
mitted. In laying down this rule. the
Judge said They come here TO feed
their minds on the sensational details,
and It is a bad kind Of mental food for
immature minds
The wisdom OF this VIII he admitted
by all. A court room. where the sick
enng details of crime necessarily must
be rooounted in the interest of justice.
Is no place for children whose plastic
minds are ready for any impression.
They should be preserved and as care
fully guarded against stains as a sheet
Of paper upon which an author means
70 record the important results of
thought or research.
Bur, unfortunately, the closing of the
court room does not carry with 1t the
protection from the depravlng Influence
Of the sensational newspaper. the low
grade dime novel. or the crime-pro-
noting exhibitions OF moving pdc-
lures" These constitute so many dan
gers to the youth and even to grown up
persons who are not masters over them
selves. Many newspapers make spe-
clalty OF reporting murder trials and
crimes of all descriptions. as sensation
ally as pen and ink can make them. II
is a question whether parents and
guardians have proper appreciation OF
no, 10,
exhibitions. IN text OF picture. Boys,
Il has been said truly, might crowd a
court room every day In the year end
not he IN anything like the dangers of
being corrupted morally that they are II
they read each day any one of the
vicious new spapers which are sold in
the streets OF nearly every city In the
country, or, II they hnoltually gaze up
ou a certain class of vitascopc exhibit
lions OF ialls and JAN life. In these
criminals are generally represented as
heroes on their hdcousncss is con-
crlcd uudcr some funny situations.
Even the so-called funny pages" are
often so conducted as to make deception
and crime seem attractive. Yet, many
Well meaning people buy them habitual-
ly and carry them home to be read by
Tho children,
A writer I'm tho Cosmos, published I'm
PasIs has recently paid some attention
TO tho subject of advertising crime
A, quoted IA the Literary Digest, he
maintains that:
"Hosts OF individuals and in these
Journalistic tales the germs OF criminal
Ideas. which thrive m properly pre-
pared soil and await only the proper
moment 40 sprout. . IL rs be-
youu doubt that acts OF violenc. - on
kinds are oftou suggested by pathetic
stones OF similar acts read In the pu-
Pr,s, The example Is contagious: the
idea takes possession OF a weak or de-
pressed mind and becomes "a sort Of ia
tally against which It is impossible
20 struggle When we peruSe the rec
ord of criminal justice we must bo
deeply surprised at the preliminary In
Hluctun acquired by murderers. These
WurdCrers hy reading the accounts Of
tIIlH ana of sensational crimes, havo
been initiated into The first idea OF
crime and instructed IN The manner or
comnitllng II. Goorget, who studied
this question long ago, said 4 never
heard of 80 many cases or hOmicidal
maria before the journals began Ia re-
hcarse inCTssautly the details OF the
most recent affairs IN which this mala.
dy hgdres. IL would be easy
% multiply examples of crimes whose
suggestion came 70 their authors from
ielllng newspaper stories"
These are so'frevident and important
truths, Courts Win always be over