Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-12

Senator Cutting Of New Mexico, in a
vigorous speech in the Senate, de-
nounces the censorship of imported
literature by clerks" of the Customs
Bureau. Clerks cannot be safe critics
of obscene literature, or they would not
be clerks. was the trend Of the argu--
ment. BY the same token, critics OF
literature seldom become statesmen.
And Senator's may not have covered
all the range Of differentiation between
vigorous but unobjectionable literature
and raw Nth In books.
Three or four Senators interrupted
the grafton to express their high APP
probation Of the "best seller" on the
market tdoay, IAN Quiet on the West
ern Front" by German private with
a French name. Erich Maria Remarque.
Senator Cutting said that he under
stood that 80 or more pages OF the
English translation had been eliminated.
which, of course, aroused curiosity, and
Senator Dill at once asked what had
been omitted, for he considered even
what he had found, "the most striking
book that had come out of the war"
Whether anything has been omitted
or not, the copy easily purchased by
one reader contained more filthiness
than any book he had ever discovered
obscenity and coarse beastlineSs such
as could not be read aloud in any group
of self-respecting men-roughnecks or
sissies-and certainly cannot be accept
ed as q fair croSS-Section or the SOL
diers who fought the war in any army
There Is not in all the story one indi-
cation Of patriotic self-sacrifice or
nobility of character. There is no more
heroism displayed by the character tell
mongrel cur at bay. Grant that War
Is he'll" this story no more depicts
the real drama of the front than the
Aegean stables typifled Olympus. -
While its characterization of the one
who tells the story, doubtless, is strong
in realism, 1t is SANDER not only
upon soldiers in general, but upon the
average standards Of German soldiers,
the compatriots of the author. How 1t
can be accepted in the mails under
existing domestic law is beyond COM
prehension. Many Of its scenes are
unquotable in any newspaper, and GER
tainly could not be read in any family
circle.
That this mass of rottenness can be
taken as has been suggested, as an
argument" against national defense in
war, Is too absurd to discuss.
But the point which Senator Cutting
set out to present to the Senate was
that our tariff law, giving the re-
sponsibility Of censorship Of foreign
literature imported into this country,
puts that duty upon incompetent CEN
sors Maybe so, but that is not IL
lustrated by the "AH Quiet on the
Western Front" for that mass Of
realistic NTH, in its English transla-
and is published in Boston, the center
Of most of the agitation for censor
ship. The Customs Bureau clerks"
had nothing to do with 1t. Let Amer
leans be as frank with themselves as
It's author was In writing his own char
acter Censorship, like charity, should
begin at home.
The Federal law forbids the issuance
publication. Yet Communistic litera-
ture of the most obscene nature bears
United States copyright. and enthusi-
aStic appeals to read 1t find their way
into every locker in Washington City
high schools. Notable Is q pamphlet
described in a subtitle, IAN Explana-
ton for Young People," entering into
sex details and illustrated with pic
lures. Copyrightedl Mailed?
A leaflet issued by THE American
Association for the Advancement of
Atheism" Is headed, Abolish Belief
in God" and it urges, Don't let the
Bible make fool of you"
Keep this spurious book out Of our
public schools" 'Free our children from
ignorance, bigotry, hypoc-
risy and the mental disease of so-called
Christianity Read the inelosed
Bible references for the filthiest I'M
extant."
Last April red-ink circular was put |
into every high school locker in the city, |
inviting the boys and girls to attend the |
May / Communist celebration and to |
support the revolution. 1t Is stated that |
the school authorities referred the mat |
ter to the police, and the police referred |
1t back to the school officials. What |
law has Congress made to protect our |
school children from subversion and cor
ruption? Who Is the press censor for |
such Q matter? Not even a Customs |
House clerk
There is book entitled "The Heaven
" Discourse" copyrighted in 1927. 1t
portrays scenes In Heaven In which God
becomes an obscene character, and st. /
Peter and the Prophets and noted men I
md amman of AuAafica hRr0Aa Ar nt1araA