Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-23
The HQskin Letter 81 ~ : Rssss
NEW YoRK's ANTI-yICE SOCIETY.

, thority carefully defined.
Yet here was a group OF private
individuals. almost all of whom were
officers. directors or life members of
the Y. NJ. G. A. of New York, who
were empowered to enforce certain
laws and the poiice-the usual law
enforcing officials-were directed TO
assist them. None of them n none
of their agents was required to fur
nish bond or otherwise establish his
responsibility and no control whatever
oyer the officers and agents of the
! society was reserved TO the state.
Received. Half the Fines
The original act even went so far as
to provide that 'one-half of the fines
| collected through the instrumentallty
of this society or its agents, for the
violation Of the laws in this act speci-
fled. shall accrue to its benefit This
clause was speedily repealed and pro.
vision was made for the division of
the fines between the Female
Guardian society and the Prison As
ISOLATION OF New York, but the fact
that it was in the law as it was first
passed is illustrative of the confidence
imposed by the legislature in the so
cietv at the time it was formed.
However. it was many years before
the general public accorded it similar
recognition. It was something entirely
new to the courts, prosecuting attor~
news. the police, and the newspapers
and il was an object of suspicion and
sometimes of active luminosity, as 1t
now admits in it's publications. An
thonv Comstock, who was the execu-
tive secretary and director of its ac-
~tiyities from the date of its founding
anti his death in 1915, was subjected
TO all manner of criticism. tie was
lampooned and caricatured IN the
press and h~urlesgued on the stage, and
most people had the idea that he was
either a joke or an otticlous old busy
body who sought constantly TO stick
l,is nose in other peoples business"
Those who violated the laws which
his society was commissioned TO en-
force learned in time that Saint An
thopy. as he was dubbed, was not n
Joke, Whether he undertook 10 sup
press books and plays that were not
Objectionable save to prudes, and
whether he sought to establish stand
ards of morality that were not ac-
ceptable to a great majority or the
people, may be debatable questions.
However, it is not of record that any
thing he or his society has ever done
has harmed anyone save those who
sa1ght profit in transactions against
which the laws might be invoked. An
tIony Comstock nay have been de-
ftded MS a gloom and In some guar
tiers it may be argued that he took
Il great deal of the sunshine out Of
life. but the data compiled by the
society the figures of which have heeI
quoted. indicate that there must have
been some need for the work which he
undertook TO do.
John s. Sumner, who now carries
on the work started by Comstock, de
scribes the society as "a law entorc-
ing agency acting as proxy for the
ordinary citizen in seeing that specific
laws, aside from the usual duties OF
/ the police. are respected and en-
: forced He also says in his report
!, that any feeling of a~ntagonism DWARF
| the society heretofore existing has dis
anneared and the society now enjoys
the respect and has the willing co.
oneration Of all the established
J agencies Of the law both local anc
, national. as well as the aid of other
J organizations engaged in related
= work.
+ 1.-THE children of any country are
+ it's greatest asset says Mr. sumner
'.One of the chief duties OF govern
ment is to protect the child, and Others
' mentally immature. from m~ercenary
/, vicious influences. A branch OF tina
4 s~uecific duty has been delegated tt
Y this society. We oppose those wht
/ for n price. or to satisfy some viclou:
1 impulse. would place in the way of TIN
susceptible unnecessary temptations t.
Q do wrong-those who would debaucl
the mind and body of youth, thu
r thoughtlessly curious and the mental,
: unstable"