The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-06-01
LAW To REGULATE
NOVEL WRITING
official Censor to Pass ell
Books and Plays
THE LATEST PROPOSAL
Publishers and Writers Oppose Plan,
But Some of Them Think Regu-
lation Will come-Presi-
dent Favors Idea.
THE LATEST PROPOSAL

New York, May 31.-The agitation over
The government supervision of railroads,
the curtailment of big fortunes, or the
question of pure food regulation, is likely
to be surpassed by the cutlery for and
against the establishment of an official
censorship of books, magazines and plays
under state or national authority, a pro-
posal which is being advocated here
and which it is proposed to urge in
other parts of the country The idea
of an official body to decide what books
Americans may read or what plays they
shall see at first was treated as some
thing of a joke, but those who favor the
plan insist that they intend to carry for
ward their campaign vigorously and al
ready they have enlisted the support of
a number of influential organizations and
of prominent men and women
As result publishers, writer's, the
atrical managers and playwrights are up
IN arms against the proposal. The amount
of money invested in the publishing of
books ana magazines and the producing
of plays runs up into the tens of mil
lions, the greater part of which is rep
resented by enterprises centering in New
York. The subject therefore, has an
important commercial aspect aside from
its moral bearings In fact it is esti
mated that in New York alone there
are upward of $4,000 persons who derive
their income from work connected in
one way or another with the production
of popular literature, and tins is exclusive
of those engaged in the purely mechanical
side of the work.
Those who are behind the movement
however, say that they are not to be
deferred by any arguments based on the
possible money loss resulting from the
adoption of their PLAN They propose to
secure the cooperation of various re-
ligious organizations, the w. c. T. o..
and other bodies already interested IN
the campaign for purity in literature and
on the stage and hope to enlist the active
interest OF President Roosevelt who is
said to be in sympathy with the idea
Their position is that divorce and other
social evils which they believe to be
undermining American family life are en-
couraged by the treatment of these sub
iects in current literature and on the
stage. They assert that these books and
plays, on account of their cleYerness or
the popularity of their authors cause peo-
pie who would otherwise oppose these
things to accept them as natural and
inevitable and finally to regard them
with actual favor or at least with to-
Grafton.
"I believe that divorce and kindred
evils are tolerated and accepted by the
people,, said Mrs. Jean M. Hyde head of
the movement for purity in literature
conducted by the w. C. T. T., 'as en-
tirely normal incidents and experiences
of life in consequence of every day ia
miliarty with them in the pages of
modern fiction. | have for years made
special study of the tendency and Ct
feet of this kind of reading, and have
been all but discouraged at the astound-
ing Indifference of reformers to this ire
mendpus force which acts directly on the
people and to large extent decides their
opinions and determines their customs.
Many, most interested in uplft bewa il
the result of these formative agencies q s
evidenced in modern conditions. But they
make the mistake of treating effects as
the point of attack instead of seeking
out or even recognizing plainly evident
causes.
s"The whole agitation for an official GEN.
sorship of books is a part of the craze
for the regulation of every conceivable
phase of human activity that has taken
possession of the people of this country
within the past few years. said a pub
Usher who brings out many books by
popular writers. 1T may have been
founded in reason in the beginning but it
certainly has run to ridiculous lengths.
From a moral viewpoint there is no ma
ton in the world so exacting in the
standards that it demands of its writer's
as is the United States. So familiar is
this to the publishing trade that many
books which have been successful in
other countries and which possess gen
uine literary merit cannot be produced
here on account of their failure to satisfy
this requirement.
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