Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-17
Bishops Urge
Moral. Value in
Entertainment
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and prudence. This is particu-
larry true in the area of the
press. For here an unbridled
power to curb and repress can
make a tyrant of government.
and can wrest from the people
one by one their most cher
ished liberties.
Traditional Bulwark
Prudence will always de-
mand, as is true under our
governmental system, that the
courts be in a position to pro-
tect the people against arbi-
trary repressive action. While
they uphold the authority of
government to suppress that
which not only has no social
value, but is actually harmful,
as Is the case with the obscene.
the courts will be the tradition
al bulwark of the peoples lib
critics.
Within the bounds essential
to the preservation of a free
press, human action and hu-
man expression may fall short
of what is legally punishable
and may still defy the moral
standards of notable number
in the community. Between
the legally punishable and the
morally good there exists a
wide gap. If we are content
to accept as morally inoffensive
all that is legally unpunish-
able, we have lowered greatly
our moral standards. 1t must
be recognized that civil legis-
llation by itself does not con-
'stitute an adequate standard of
morality.
An understanding of this
truth together with the knowl-
edge that offensive materials
on the stage and screen and in
publications have a harmful eff
feet moved the bishops of the
United States to set up agen-
cies n work in the field-for
DION pictures. the National
Legion of Decency; for printed
publications. the National Of
flee for Decent Literature.
The function of these agen-
Icies is related in character.
Each evaluates and offers the
evaluation to those interested.
Each seeks to enlist in a proper
and lawful manner the Coop
Grafton of those who can curb
the evil. Each invites the help
OF all people in the support of
its objectiyes. Each endeavors
through positive action to form
! habits of artistic taste which
will move people to seek out
and patronize the good. In
their work they reflect the
moral teaching of the church.
Neither agency exercises CEN
sorShlp in any true sense of
the word.
Divine Commission
The competence of the
church in this field comes
from her divine commission as
teacher of morals. Moral val
ues are here clearly involved.
Her standards of evaluation
are drawn from revelation.
reason and Christian tradition
and from the basic norms of
the moral law. These are the
standards on which our Ma
ton was founded and their
preservation will be safe
guard to national integrity. A
judgment of moral values in
these areas is of prime impor-
lance to the whole Nation.
Although the church is pri-
marily concerned with morals
and not aesthetics, the two are
clearly related. Art that is false
to morality is not true art.
While good taste cannot supply
the norm for moral judgment
on literature or art, yet it must
be admitted that good taste
will inevitably narrow the field
of what is morally objection
able.
Who can deny that in
modern American life there are
many grave moral problems?
This is not the judgment solely
of the Catholic Church. When
the Select Committee of the
U. S. House of Representatives
calls pornography big business.
a national disgrace and men
ace to our civic welfare; when
the National Council of Juve-
nile Court Judges attacks
vicious and evil publications as
a major cause of the change
of juvenile delinquency from
the thoughtless and mischivous
acts of children into crimes of
violence, armed robbery, rape,
torture and even homicide:
when the New York State Joint
Legislative Committee at the
end of its five-year survey as
sures us that by actual count
trash and smut on the news
stands have the advantage of
numbers and that those same
stands reflect an acceptance of
and growing concentration on
lewdness-in the face of all this
We can only say that we are
confronted with conditions
which are fraught with peril.
Through the National Legion
of Decency and the National
Office for Decent Literature, we
Catholics give public expression
to our opinion on this subject.
Through these agencies we
voice our concern over condi-
tions. which, tolerated. merit
expression of public indicna-
ton. But we assert that our
activities as carried out by
these organizations cannot
justly be termed an attempt to
exercise censorship.
A.