The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-19
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Nssp York's Anti Vice Society

their responsibility is fixed an
their authority carefully defined
Yet here was a group of -prfyai.
individuals, almost all of vho.
were officers, directors, or ill.,
members Of the Y. NJ. c. A. of Me-
York. who were empowered TO an.
force certain laws and the police-
the usual law-enforcing official
were directed to assist them. Non.
Of them and none of their agent,
was required to furnish bond :,
otherwise establish his respcus.
bility and no control whatever Ase,
the officers and agents OF the "a
ciety was reserved to the state.
|, Received Half the Fines.
The original act even went ca
far as to provide that "one.hali a,
the fines collected through the n.
strumentality of this society or Ina :
agent. for the violation of the laws
in this act specified, shall, accru.
to its benefit This clause Wa
speedily repealed and provision
was made for the division Of thp
fines between the Female Guardian
Society and the Prison AssoCiatioo
of New York. but the fact that 4
was in the law as it was first passed
ia illustrative OF the confidence i'm.
posed by the legislature in the 1.
ciety at the time it was formed.
| However, it was many years b.
fore the general public accorded Il
similar recognition. II was some.
thing entirely new to the courts,
prosecuting attorneys. the police,
and the newspapers and it was an
object of suspicion and sometimes
of active animosity, as it now ad.
mits in its publications. Anthony
Ccmstcck, who was the executive
secretary and director Of its &C.
tivities from the date Of its found.
ing until his death in 1915, was sub.
jected to all manner of criticism.
He was lampooned and caricaturel
in the press and burlesqued on the
stage, and most people had the ide.
that he was either a joke or an Of
ficious old busybody who sought
constantly to stick his nose in
other peoples business
! Those who violated the laws
which his society was commission
ed to enforce learned in time that
Saint Anthony, as he was dubbed,
was not a joke Whether he under
took to suppress books and plays
that were no Objectionable save to
prudes, and whether he sought to
establish standards OF morality
that were not acceptable to a great
majority of the people, may be de-
batable questions. However, it is
not of record that anything he OF
| his society has ever done has harm.
ed-any one save those who sought
profit in transactions against which
the laws might be invoked. Anthony
, Comstock may have been derided
| as gloom" and in some quarters
; it may be argued that he took 4
J great deal of the sunshine out o.
life, but the data compiled by the
society, the figures of which have
been quoted, indicate that there
must have been some need for TIE
work which he undertook TO do
, John S. Sumner, who now carried
on the work started by Comstock
. describes the society as "a 'law-en'
forcing agency acting as proxy fo'
the ordinary citizen in seeing.thl
specific laws, aside from the usua
duties Of the police, are respected
| and enforced" He also says IN hi
report that any feeling of antason
' ism toward the society heret0or'
existing has disappeared and tn
society now enjoys the respect all
v has the willing cooperation OF al
S the established agencies of the la'
:. both local and national, as well a
the aid of other organizations =
r gagged in related work.
| THE children of any countf
Y are its greatest asset says nj
: Summer. "Ohe of the chief dute
5 of government is 10 protect IN
child, and others mentally lmma
= ture, from mercenary vicious ln1n
: enves. A branch of that specih
i. duty has been delegated TO this 50
. ciety. We oppose those who for
: price, or to satisfy some Vlcioa
= impulse, would place in the way
l. the susceptible unnecessary tsml
8 tations to do wrone-those VIZ
d would debauch the mind and boo
e of youth. the thoughtlessly curio'
e. and the mentally unstable