The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-10-09
NJ wAtTnn HrHT

From a few friends Of THE MrN,
AcE who evidently are bcfoggcd a,
20 the facts Of the case and its re
lated ISSUES, has come some rather
severe criticism Of my article on
Anthony Comstock in last week :,
paper. In order 10 enlighten thes,
misguided objectors, ! will ex
plain my position in the matter by
setting forth the following salient
facts:
First; The United States Com
stock Law is the weapon being
welded by Rome 10 destroy TIN
MENACE. This fact has been ad
mitted by one side and accepted
by the other. We can not success
fully resist the enemy il we ignor,
his weapon.
Second: The issue is transpicu
Gus and must be Squarely met. II
ComstOckery Is right, then TIL
MENACE Is wrong aud has no de-
fense.
Third: Comstockery being in,
iquitous, as ! shall hereafter
prove, il must be discredited, else
The MENACE will fail Of vindica.
tion. And Comstock was the per,
sonifcation of Comstockery-thS
incarnate spirit Of Inquisition. The
twain can not be divorced. One
can not effectively be attacked il
the other go scatheleSS. The man
can not be detached from his
methods. There are those who
hold il proper TO excoriate the per,
sonal sins of priests, because
priestcraft fundamentally is the
fruit of the church; yet these
same persons are so inconsistent
as TO take exception to a personal
arraignment of Comstock, who is
not the development but the de-
rivagant, who holds the same rela.
tive connection with Comstockery
that the hierophant has with the
hierarchy. In this instance they
would protest the product, but
would refrain from laying the AK
Of destruction TO the root of the
parent tree. We can not consist.
emily revile an emanAtion without
respect TO its source. Elsewise
might a stream rise above the
level of its origin.
Fourth: Syllogistieally speak.
ing, Comstock was essentially
evil he was the creator of Com.
stockery; no good can come out Of
Gomorrah.
As a simpler illustration, His
Satanic Majesty as a reputed per,
sonality does not greatly concern
me, but the principle Of evil which
in him is personified is scarcely
to he commended; ergo, ! do NOT
regard it as reprehensible to de.
nounce the devil.
That Comstock was a mora
monstrosity is not largely impor,
tant. The thing of consequence is
the harmful potentiality of the
movement he representative
spirit Of persecution crystaliZed "a
concretiop and vitalized into ac,
tion.
We must make war on Com.
stoekery, and we can not do this
and defend Comstock. Besides, nc
righteous person should wish tc
defend, even negatively, that
which is indefensible-to cover
iniquity with the cloak of silence.
Admittedly it is true that we
should deal with principles instead
Of with persons, with ideas rather
than with individuals, but where
a principle is so intimately identi'
fed with a personality that divis'
ion for separate discussion is i'm.
possible, we must perforce con,
slider them together. This inexor.
ably is the case with Comstock
and Comstockery.
Now, let us consider casually
the Comstock Law in order TO get
a line on Comstock-that we may
Judge the progenitor by his pro,
geny, and see if injustice has been
inflicted upon HIM.
Prior to the enactment of the
U. S. Comstock Law, there was q
statute adequate for the indict.
ment and conviction of persons
guilty of obscenity. This was not
sufficient, however, for the ulterior
purposes of the Roman Catholic
hierarchy and institutions Of similar
sinister character. 1t was by them
deemed desirable to procure a Law
of such plastic provisions that il
would insure the conviction of in
nocent persons upon whom they