Evening star., 1922-08-14
Fiction Censorship Reaches Limit
of the Ridiculous.


The proposal to submit fiction man
uscript to a trial by Judge and jury
to insure their being. like certain
we'll advertised commodity. 99.44 per
cent pure, has reached the limit Of the
ridiculous in the movement toward
editors.
Some writer's, to be sure. discuss
seriously the effort Of John S. Sumner
Of the Society for the Suppression OF
Vice to establish tribunal selected
by the authors, the publishers, the read
ing public and the public authorities"
which would pass upon all matter sub
mitted They feel with the Manchester
Cnion that we are faced with, situa-
ton with respect to tendencies In mod
ern literature which demands pretty
radical measures" Any reader OF cur
rent fiction, the Union maintains, can
recall readily enough books in which
indecency ranges from frank to the rank.
Some of these books have sold largely,
and the temptation to further violation
Of the decencies in print is manifest
enough"
It is we'll known. the Petersburg Prog
ress and Index Appeal asserts, that
things are now being written and pub
lished which could not have appeared
in print few years back except IN
books intended for private circulation
Since the same thing is true in every
that writers take advantage of this
trend. hoping. by appealing to the
prurient, to stimulate sales of their
work and thereby put coin in their
purses and the paper adds. IT
must be confessed that it seems to work
nj
Because Of this undeniable trend
toward the improper in literature.
distracted publishers, according to
the New York Post, want a boss no
less than the movie producers, the
atrical men and base ball magnates.
troll, not only because unprincipled pub
fishers have them at q disadvantage IN
4 market where salaciousness is in de-
mand, but also because they know that
official censorship might go further and
cost them more.
1t is possible the Springfield Re-
publican believes, that such q sys-
tenn as Sumner proposes. which Ger
tain publishers are reported TO be
considering, "if we'll administered,
might promote a reasonably liberal
view on ethical questions. 1t may
be that the cumulative effect ct the
reasoned opinions OF an Intelligent
build up little by little a rational
and generally accepted standard OF
what 10 permissible"
But granting all that can be said
in condemnation of present-day tend
all editorial writer's unreservedly do,
are censorship and diotation after
all the solution to the problem? Are
we, for example, the Philadelphia
Bulletin asks, ito license the pub.
fishers to print books with one,ha!f
has proved so difficult for chemists
and physicians to determine pre-
cisely what percentage OF alcohol
content is Intoxicating, where is the
men who will undertake to tell us
with the voice Of authority Just what
should be the sex content in a thrill
ing love romance?"
A to the practicability Of a
manuscript jury" composed OF
authors. publishers, public author
tiles and reading public. while it
form Of voluntary censorship" be
tween the first. two groups. the
Baltimore American sees chaos in
any attempt to extend supervision
beyond those groups Public au-
thoritiea 1t is not anarchy to FAY,
snce or eternal justice." while SO far
as the reading public is concerned.
the American comments that "it is
difieult enough to obtain a deci-
sion in q presidential electioA in
which two historic parties. both
highly organized. marshal their fol-
lowers. The reading public oon-
sists Of millions Of unorganized and
unorganisable reople Of the widest
variety Of taste and 'knowledge, for
whom there Is no known present de-
vice Of choosing representatives"
Further, the New York Tribune in
sists, censorship could never lbe
voluntary. 1t would always have to
be exercised by some person appoint
ed for that purpose. and upon ths
personal point of view Of such q per-
son would depend the reading matter
given to the public" It would go
even deeper than that, as the Boston
Globe analyses 1t. 1t is not only that
censorship prevents sincere work
from being published" 1t prevents
great art from being 80 much ~
born. because, the Globe arguess
"the effort necessary for the produce
ton Of irst-rate work II 90 great
that II you SOW IN the artists or
thinkers mind the doubt Of his being