New-York tribune., 1919-11-22
About a Column
More About Morals

Well, well, WELT We're thoroughly
squelched. We are quite contrite at
having treated Miss Lewis's Defense
Of Literary Censorship in such light
and illogical vein. As we eagerly
perused her burning denunciatory para
graph, we were tempted to hide cur
weak intellect with shame. Never be-
fore have we been called so many un-
usual things in one fell breath. Be
fore the resounding close of the first
paragraph we had discovered that those
who took issue with Miss Lewis are
amusngy ignorant of human nature,
lacking in logic, unable to discern be-
tween morality and immortality, human
moles and in all pro, ability not citizens
Of this broad and beautiful land of
the free Aside from these failings we
probably haven't the slightest resem-
blancc to 81 wBolshevist, II hun or the
rissing link, except in face and form.
Vut speaking Of the moral question,
what is the line of demarcaton be-
tween morality and immortality? Just
where is it drawn and how clearly is
it defined? In France, TO our puritan
icnl minds, it is shifted consider
ably to the immoral side of Things,
and yet, who is so crotistical and self
centered as to say the French are an
immoral nation? The great and al
trulstic object of our advocates of
book censorship IS avowedly TO protect
the youth Of the Land" from mental
dyspepsia" Nv all means let US pro-
tect them fro,s this terrible disease,
but let us nor do it at the expense Of
our literature and art. National pro-
hibition was caused by a minority un-
able to drink spirituous liquors tenn
perately, and another minority bent on
IL -
selves. The Bolshevst regime in Rus
sia, despite its name, was instituted by
q few and is operated by a few.
In life we must have the evil with
the good. In our literature, evil is
rightly depicted as we'll as the good
and if the youth of our land" are
such intellectual lobworms as to be un-
able to choose the right from the
wrong. let US institute q reform IN our
educational system. Darwin and
Haeckel are well worth reading, ever
though We do not agree with them and
who will say that the Bible IS worthless
even though he has progressed from the
intellectual slough that gobbles down
Adam aud Eve, Jonah and the whale
and Noah and his ark at q single gulp.
Thomas Paine has written III The Age
Of Reason" clear and concise analy-
sis of the Bible. Snould it be sup
pressed because the 'youth OF tho
land" reading it may have insti!ieo IN
TO their weak minds doubts oF the
truth in the Christian religion? Be-
cause that greatest of realists and short
story writer's, de Maupassant describes
q "wo,nan of the streets" in Paris and
fails to loudly denouncc her and moral
ize, is it reasonable TO suppose that
every tlapper of sixteen or seventeen
after reading it viii take to the streets
in search of a career? Chaucer wrote
considerable drivel that wouldn't fit i'll
Sunday school lesson. but should he he
suppressed on that account? Nick Car
ter, Horatio Alger, 'urt L. Standish
and Harold Bell Wright are quite
moral as the definition goes: good IN
evitabiy triumphs: evil reaps its bit
ter reward And yet, the youth who
forms his opinion of literature and life
in general from this type OF book IS
sure TO be in bad way
BY all means let US save the poor
youth Of our land, who are undoubtedly
tottering on the brink of moral degra-
dation, but why not do If by educating
the mind to choose between the good
and the bad instead of following in
the footsteps Of the "drys' and trying
to legislate sin and crime to the scrap
heap and by constitutional amendment
uplft the minds and morals of degrad
ed mortals living their lives by their
own lights. u. ;. ii.