Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-06
NORALSHERE TOO GOOD TO
BE TRUE, SAYS GEORGE

Georges, l am accustomed TO letting
these conjugal arguments pass, as
it were, over my PROSTATE form).
"True," admitted the novelist.
yet man is a weak animal, easily
led into temptation. Adam proved
that. Then what would be the loss
to the world if he also were abol-
ished in the name of morality?
There are difficulties in the way
of this program" it's expounder
went on thoughtfully. THE first
difficulty would be in finding the
men to suppress the women. Any
man who has tried to suppress even
one woman knows what he would be
up against. Furthermore, there
seems little doubt that the women
would make a frightful noise while
they were being suppressed! Never
theless, in the interests Of true NOR
atty, I can see no other complete
solution.
Country Is Moral
"And America is a moral country"
ton. at is true that I sometimes
wonder if she is as moral as she
seems. Your papers are full Of sex
assumed, is having an affair with
his stenographer. Yet probably
there are fewer immoral sex rela-
tionships here than elsewhere-for
two reasons. One Of these is that
your men are too busy. They
haven't the time to enjoy forbidden
love affairs, and they are too tired.
Chastity is often matter of ex-
haustion.
"The other reason is that divorce
is so easy in many Of your states.
Both your rich and your poor can
shift their residence from one state
to another, according to the facili-
ties offered for changing husbands
or wives. You legalize your free
love. Why be immoral when it is
really easier to be legal?'
Speaking of why's, why are we
so devoted to the pastime OF regu'
lating habits in the name Of moral
ity?" 1 asked,
Mr.. George advanced a novel and
interesting explanation, While we
slipped our demi-tasses.
America" he pointed out, lis not
a settled country. 1t is still set
Ting, AS pioneers you learned to
do things in a hurry-if you didn't
you were starved to death or shot
by the Indians. That is one reason
why you are trying to reform your
selves in such hurry.
Another reason, to my mind the
most important Of all, is that you
are dominated by your rising classes,
by the persons who have rather
more money, rather better positions.
than their fathers and grandfathers.
And the first instinct of the rising
classes is toward responsibility.
They turn toward a sort Of super
morality in the effort to prove that
they are 'somebodies,' that they are
superior to their rude and unre-
strained forbears. The result is
strict regulation and-of course -
more or less hypocrisy. We went
through the same stage in England.
Victorian morality was nothing but
the impulse toward responsibility of
the enormous middle class created
by the triumph of industrialism.
"There are minorities, if you like,
backing many of your reform gov
ernments. But they triumph
through the voters Of the majority.
The minorities want to do some
thing, and they know definitely what
they want to do. Most persons, you
see, do not have an opinion. They
have only an obedience"
Censorship Bad.
"But don't you think the CEN
sorships, present and proposed,
will be a bad thing for American
art?" 1 urged.
Censorship is always bad thing
for art" said Mr.. George, land yet
art climbs over censorship. Your
'Jurgen' is selling much better now
than before it was prescribed. In
the same way, law in which many
persons do not believe will be
broken"
"And, after ALL" suggested
wickedly, "the multiplicity Of rules
and regulations also multiplies lies
thrills. Take that matter OF wear
ing stockings with bathing suits: II
there were no ordinance to forbid 1t.
a stockingless woman would step
into the ocean as unconsciously as
she steps into her tub. On the other
hand, if she and the bold PAD men
on the beach have been told that
a leg sans stocking is an immoral
spectacle, they get a real sensation
from the. spectacle"
Mr.. George smiled.
Let us, then, urge the reprobates
all to join as many blue law socie-
ties as possible" he suggested,
land work for more restriction
rather than less. They may as we'll
do so, anyway, for I see no signs of
a let-down in Americas moral code.
More prohibitions rather than
fewer-that's what's ahead of
you for some time to come!
Although I'm afraid I'm rather
cold on the whole question"
he added as we rose from the lunch
con table.
Naturally" 1 said. you can go
home to England and escape refor-
mation-and forget it. We're out of
luck"