The sun., 1910-01-09
The Censorship OF Novels In Eng
land.

| lAnd.
Mr.. JESSE Boor has risen within the
last thirty years from being a small
cut rate druggist in an English provin-
cial town to a post Of such national
influence that he can now think Of pro-
tecting English literature by an amateur
censorship; nor, as il seems, Is this
thought of his altogether self-delusive
and vain. Besides exciting a good deal
of anxious comment in the London
press, il caused the Authors Club OF
that city the other day to protest SOL
EMMY against it through the voices OF
men OF letters so well known as are
Mr.. ANTHONY HOPE HAWKINS and Sir
OLIVER LODGE.
These gentlemen laid before the
Authors Club, duly. assembled, some
excellent deep reasons why Mr.. JESSE
BooT should not be allowed to impose
a censorship on English literature. The
author Of Dolly Dialogues and The
Prisoner of Zenda" explained that the
modern novelist stakes the place to a
certain extent Of the pulpit and Of the
Trafalgar Square orator" and that he
should have "a great deal Of liberty in
order to fulfil these new 'functions"-
as much liberty at all events as poll
ticians and clergymen' have. The en-
inent physicist and necromanoer Sir
OLIVER LODGE congratulated his
brother scientists that "at any rate they
had the good fortune not to be censored
for promulgating their opinions, how
ever unconventional they might be. I"
He thought that novelists ought not to
be censored either, because if the char
acters in their books were real creations
"they would not always do what was ex-
pected of them, to please a censor or
any one else; they would take the bit
between their teeth, and to coerce them
toward any end would result in bad art.
Sir OLIVER was further Of opinion that
Mr.. JESSE Doors intention "savOred
distinctly of an illegal conspiracy to
boycott
Apparently, then, the cut rate drug
gist's censorship OF England's authors.
so far as they are not already looked
after by Mr.. REDFoRD, is a quite serious
possibility. Lacking that support of
the State which is extended 10 Mr.. RED
FORD. what enables Mr.. BooT TO aspire
to a judicial throne above the MUSES.?
The answer is simple: besides selling
cheap drugs Mr.. BooT let's books out on
hire at low rates He now has a great
rpany drug stores, and at each of them
he let's books out on hire in such guam
titles that he is actually one of the
principal circulating librarians" of the
kingdom. He desires that the books he
hires out shall be as pure az the drugs
he sells. Some complaints have been
made, on the score of impurity, against
one or two visiting books from his en-
poriums, and Mr.. JESSE BooT, unable
to stand the least blemish on his name,
has foregathered with the most eminent
of his colleagues in the circulating busi-
ness and taken steps TO prevent repe-
tition of these painful occurrences.
Hereafter, as has been duly announced
to the publishers. all books must be SUBJ
mitted in advance to board of CEN
sors acting on behalf OF the circulating
Librarians, and the board shall divide the
books into three classes: THE first
class will be absolutely banned the cir
clIlation of the second will be prevented
SO far as il can be prevented without
the ban absolute, and the sale or cir
cIllation Of the third will be permitted
without restrictions" II appears that
the Publishers Association has re-
ceived this announcement in a more or
less submissive spirit and that some
prominent members of the associations
council are even strongly in favor OF
the censorship, being Of opinion that
the new boards o K will increase the
sale OF their wares.
We do not suppose that Mr.. JESSE
BooT and his colleagues will make any
sensible impression on the literary tone
Of the age. Being placed on their
Index might serve to advertise book,
and the modest price now asked for
novels makes il possible as a rule for the
reader to buy one that he really wants,
when he cannot hire or borrowit IL. More