Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-04-01

New York, March 29.-The recent
suppression. on the ground that they
are immoral. of two books published
by highly reputable American firms, has
attracted renewed attention to the ac-
tivities Of the New York Society for the
Suppression of Vice, otherwise known
as the Comstock society, which made
the attacks on both Of them.
Heretofore the activities OF the Com
stock society seem to have met win
little criticism, but in the case OF the
| novel just suppressed, tJurgen, by
James Branch CabelD, several of the
strong conservative newspapers Of the
country have expressed disapproval of
| this policing of our national literature
| by nm organization which is, they say,
| doubtfully we'll qualified to judge it.
According to Henry l.. Mencken, the
! we'll known critic, this Comstock society
and other societies Of similar nature
| have pronounced effect on the quality
| of American literature. 1t is not that
the actual number of books suppressed
| is large, but that every American WRITER
of fiction is in constant danger or an
attack on his good name and his prop
ertv If he writes something which the
! ('omstock society chooses to consider
II is no wonder ha writes,
..that the typical American maker OF
books becomes timorous and lnei1ec-
tive fellow, whose work tends inevitably
toward feeble superficiality ..... The
result is literature full OF ma"h'sh'
| In England there are 10 competent
rora,;st FOR every one in America. ln
Fnglnnd there have been suppressicns
ton hut the attitude toward literature
;s vastly more tolerant there than here
and the result is far richer crop OF
hooks. many of which are brought ou,
IN America. 1t might be added that
these English importations are seldom
bothered by the Comstocks: 1t wouie
be easy to mention half a dozen movers
of English origin, now IN print IN TINS
country, which are both franker in then
allusions to sex and more radical IN thell
indications concerning II thah tue lately
suppressed "Jurgen.'
Few Americans understand the ma
chinery by which this business OF cen
sorine their national literature is car
r;ed on. The New York Society for th'
Suppression of Vice was founded b!
Anthony Comstock. who received hi!
first financial backing from Morris Il
Jesup. Comstock got bill througl
congress in 1873 which prohibited th'
sending through the mails Of "obscene
ileWd. l0SciVlOuS.. .OE AHlAy iu"etCA
hnt which did not define these adjectives
leaving it wholly to the jury to decid
what came within the meaning of tn
law. A similar amendment to the New
York code of criminal procedure adde'
to the strength of the prosecutors. b.
enabling them to attack the, publisher
under state law in the city where nearl
the whole Of the American publishing
business is located.
Now this law was primarily designe
to keep out Of circulation WORTHLESS
pornographic literaturc--a thing whic
everyone agreed should be done. Sever!
such books. included the notorious "Onl
Boy" were suppressed and everyon
iapplauded Then Comstock proceede
to show what dangerous power he ha
created by attacking Rabelais. the De
cameron, and the works Of Zola. Balza
and Daudet-three French classics whic
NAV be found on the shelves Of ever
first class library in the world. In othe
words, he showed that power whic
/. lad beAp created for the suppressing q