The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-12-06
BEGIN CRUSADE AGAINST
NEWSPAPERS THAT SAP SAL
MORALS OF IRISH YOUTHS
Ecclesiastical War Started on
London Publications That
Specialize on Divorce.
ARCHBISHOP LEADS FIGHT
Public Is Urged To Inaugurate
Boycott Against Imported
Papers From London.

DUBLIN, Dec. 6.-There has been a
growing feeling that the morals OF
the Irish youth were being sapped by
the importation of immoral literature
from England and this week move
ment TO check the evil was definitely
started.
One OF the things on which Ireland
has always prided herself has been
her morality and she has had good
reason TO do so, for In no country In
Europe are the statistics OF crime and
what is commonly known as vice, so
low as in this country. No country
has cleaner press.
The first meeting of the new cru
sade was held under the patronage Oh
the archbishop of Dublin, and was
convened by the st. Columbias Drancn
of the Catholic Young Mems society,"
but IL was attended by representatives
OF religious organizations OF all ialtns'
and of the Ancient Order OF Hlper-
mans and the Sim Fein organizatioh. n.
The first and most obvious step Oh
course. ia TO deal with the frankly IN
decent literature and postcards which
are sold more or less openly In most
of the Irish cities. This presents little
difficulty. for the authorities can be
rallied on to suppress these when
their attention is drawn TO them, and
when they are properly supported by
public opinion, but the really difficult
task is to deal with the Sunday news
papers of low tone, which are Inn
ported in large quantities from Lon
don. Here II Is rather hard to see
how they can be dealt with by the
police, for these papers specialize In
the proceedings OF the divorce courts
and police courts.
II was stated by news agent at
tbe meeting that 10000 copies ol
,hese Objectionable newspapers are
distributed in the Irish capital every
Sunday. -,
n was decided to attack the evn
a. three WAYS. An appeal will be made
80 the neys agents and newsboys TO
the Objectionable publications.,
the irish newspapers will be asked 10
hack mn the distributors In the boy
colt. and the public will be appealed
TO to support both parties and 10
boycott any agents who deal In TINS
class of literature.
The matter has also been consld-
cred In some of the Dublin and BelIast
newspaper Offices where the managers
see an opportunity to add to tnelr
circulation, at the same time helping
along a good cause. The trouble Win
a good many of the Irish papers is
that they are dull. Long reports or
political speeches seem to be their
idea Of what the public In Ireland
wants, varied by verbatim transcripts
of law suits over the trespass or a
COW or some other equally exciting In
cident. The success Of one Dublin
paper which has modelled itself on
modern lines and is lively and decent
has opened the eyes of some OF the
other publishers and the result is that
and modernized.
Complaint was made at the meeting
this week of the kind of reading mat
ter for Irish boys which aso comes
from across the channel. Some Oh
these papers are filed with the ex-
ploits of famous criminals, luridly IL
lustrated, and cases Of Juvenile crime
are constantly traced to their In
fiuence. The Rev. Myles V. Roman
announced that a project was under
consideration for the publication OF
good bright boys weekly which shall
be under the control OF the ecclesiast-
ical authorities, but which Will be In
no sense goody-goody or propagand-
list publication.
The next step in the crusade Is 10
ba a great meeting in the rotunda OF
the Mansion house to which all the
newsdealers will be invited. they
Will be asked to sign a pledge to re-
frain from handling the Objectionable
napers and those who do SO Will be
supplied with window card stating
that their stock is morally clean. The
public will then be asked to patronize
only those newsdealers who display
the card. Similar meetings will be
held in Belfast, Kerry and Cork, and
when the movement is well under way
in these centers of population the
smaller towns and cities will be dealt
, with in the same way.