Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-23
were empowered 10 enforce certain

were empowered to enforce certain
laws and the police-the usual law
enforcing ,oficials-were directed to.
assist them. None Of them and none
OF their agents was required to fur,
nisll bond or otherwise establish his
responsibility and no control. whatever
over the officers and agents Of the So
ciety was reserved TO the state.
Received Half tho Fines.
as to provide that "one-haK Of the
fines collected Through the instrument
tally, of this society or its agent, for
the Violation Of the laws in this act
specified. shall accrue to it's benefit"
This clause was speedily repealed and
provision was made for the division
of the fines between the Female
Guardian society and the Prison assoc
citation OF New York, but the fact that
1t was in the law as it was first pasEes
is illustrative OF the confidence i'm
posed by the legislature in she society
Mt the time 1t was founded.
However, It was many years beeore
the general public accorded It similar
recognition. It was something entire
~ new to the courts. prosecuting at
torneys, the police. and the. newspa-
pers and 1t was an object of suspicion
and sometimes Of active luminosity,
rs it now admits in its publications.
Anthony Comstock. lwho was the ex-
ecutive secretary and director Of Its
activities from the date of It's POUNDS
ing until his death in 1915, vas sub.
1ected to all manner Of criticism. He
was lampooned and cartcatured in 4he
press and butlesqued on the stage. and
most people had the idea that he wan
either a joke or an officlous old busy
body who sought constantly to stick
his nose in other peoples business
Those who violated the laws which
this society was commissioned to en-
force learned in time that Saint AM
theny. as he was dubbed, was no a
joke. Whether he undertook to sup
press books and plays that were not
Objectionable ave TO. prudes, and
whether he sought to establish stand
ards Of m6rality that were not ac-
ceptable to a great majority Of tho
people,. may be debatab!e questions.
However, 1t Is not Of record that any
thing he. or his society has ever done
has harmed any n save those who
soughk profit in transactions against
which the laws might DO invoked. An
thony Comstoclk may have been de-
Gided as gloom" end in some quar-
ters It may be arSded that he took q
great deal of the 6unshine out ofJife.
but the data compiled by the society,
the figures OF which have been quot.
ed, indicate that there must have been
some need for the work which he IN.
dertook to do.
John B.. Summer who now carried
on the work started by Comstock de-
scrlbes the society a "a ~lhw-enforc-
Ing agency acting az proxy for the
tordinary c~itizen3in seeing that specific
laws, aside from the usual duties Of
the police. are respectful and An-
forced He also says In, hts report
that. any feeltng OF antascnism TO-
1HAs disappeared and the society now
Ico-operStton Of all the estabitshsd,
ttonai,, as we'll as. the aid Of other
organizations engaged In related worIo
1.-THE children o. any country ara
Its greatest asset. says Nj. snrnner.
l"Cne OF tho chief duties Of severn.
efs mentally Immature, from merceri.
fnent ts to 8protecHthe child. and 9TH
airy vicious influences. IA branch &ot
|that specific dat2$ has been delegated
to this society We oppose those wHo
lfor a price, or to satisfy ~somesyitious
Impulse, would place In the way OF
ItheN susceptible Unnecessary teInptA-
ltiDns to do wrQng-those xwhoEWouldt
Idebauch the mind ana body Of youth,
THE. thoAghtlcssly curious ana tie
Mentally unstable" r-$ /.
ANtSWERSsTO CtEgTlONA.
20. Were sonsieadSrAAn the nrrky
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