Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-12
NO CLASS IN oBscENlTy.

There is no favored class in obscen-
advantage in this respect over the
variety theater or the hoochie-coochie
show. Filth is filth 1T does not mat
ter in the least whether an alleged re-
vivalist uses it in his alleged sermons
or scarlet woman shrieks it drunkenly
on a street corner or a newspaper of
repute prints it to be read by the
children Of the homes that trust It's
editors. Vile language, suggestive
pictures, whether drawn in lines or
painted in words, belong neither with
religion nor publicity. The respect
ability of the sermonizer and the char
acter of the journal are both, open to
question. The obscene is obscene. and
filth is filth, and is outrageous when
used from the pulpit or printed in a
newspaper
The organizer and publisher of a
prominent eastern paper-not Hearst
Observation-Disclosures the yellow char
acter of his paper in it's earlier days
thus he ran yellow journal of the
yellowest type, gathered in as readers
all the riff-raff and vicious elements OF
his city, represented these elements
and pandered to them until he secured
a circulation Then he raised the
character of his paper to somewhat
higher level He says he made news
paper readers of these classes. He
says they followed the paper up to
the higher plane. However the known
facts are that he got the readers first
from the slums. 1t is not so fully
proved that he carried them with him
when he grew decent. The reyfvalist
who depends on obscenitiees to attract
an audience would very likely use the
same illustration.
This kind of reasoning would apply
in justification of all evil, under condi-
lions. However, we can scarcely ex-
cuse the thief who steals half mil
lion and is willing to divide his swag
by endowing a library with half of it.
1t would hardly be in keeping with
Christianity and modern ideas of de-
cency to establish Sunday schools and
build public baths with the proceeds
of prostitution and burglary. The
argument is that of the greedy and
knavish 1t doesn't belong With re-
spectacle ideals or with respectable
citizenship Filth is filth, and crime is
crime whether it is garlanded with
flowers or stands stripped and naked.
Obscenity is degenerative, nothing
else When it finds a place in the
pulpit or the public press it is we'll to
shun the particular pulpit and keep the
paper out of the house and the hands
of children The Salome dance is
barred from the stage of Iowa, except
in a modified state, and least suggest
i've form When Oscar Wilde selects
the lascivious court Of Herod as the
vehicle for play written as one would
expect from it's authorship the theat-
rical manager exercises the utmost
care and discretion before he books or
produces it. There is no reason why
the police should not censor the re-
vivalist who takes advantage of his
position to picture shamelessly to the
imaginations of a mixed congregation
the indecency of degenerate court in
a degenerate age And this censorship
might we'll, it appears, extend to the
public prints.
Summed up, the man who uses OBJ
scenity in public should be put to Jail,
whether he, is drunk and fighting ON
the street, running "revivals" to i'm
mense personal profit. or printing the
news.