Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-01

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Zealand. He varies this
rather tedious indignation
tour with side excursions to
worship at the feet of his
free-spirited heroes, from
Milton, whose "Areopagitica"
sounded an early tocsin sum-
moning to the barbados all
opponents Of censorship, to
United States District Judge
John M. Woolsey, who adj
mitted ulysses" into the
United States in 1888.
Legal Landmark
The latter's opinion in the
case of United States VS..
One Book Called Ulysses"
is landmark in liberal legal
action to distinguish between
pornography and literature.
The judge, in this opinion,
defined Topographic" as
written for the purpose of
exploiting obScenity"; stated
that he held ulysses" to be
mot Topographic be-
cause I do not detect any,
where the leer Of the sensu-
alist"; and went on to his
famous conclusion: "a.
whilst in many places the
effect of Ulysses on the
reader is undoubtedly some
what emetic, nowhere does
it tend to be an aphrodisiac."
I found it heartening that
Mr.. Craig printed this great
opinion in full, and also that
Of another United States
district judge. Frederick van
Pelt Ryan, who, in his 1859
decision permanently re-
straining" the United States
Postmaster General from
denying the mails" to Lady
Chatterley's Lover" wrote
lucidly and reasonably that
"A work Of literature pub
lished and distributed through
normal channels by a repu-
table publisher stands on
quite a different footing from
hard-core pornography fur
lively sold for the purpose Of
profiting by the Utilization Of
the dirty-minded."
I found it disheartening,
however-after noting Mr..
Craig's statement that ut Is
the purpose Of this book to
further the cause Of
intellectual and artistic free
dom" to learn that his
incorporating overall posi-
ton is that of favoring "the
complete abolition Of all
literary obscenity laws"
InadvlsedIy Drastic
This, 1t strikes me, would
be inadvisedly drastic sur
gerry. I am neither pro- Com
stock, pro-Sumner, nor pro-
Emperor Chi Huang II. On
the other hand, and possibly
because I have a teen-age
son, I am not pro-"Memoirs
Of a Woman of Pleasure"
pro-Henry Miller, or pro-
filthy books generally. When,
midway of Suppressed
Books" Mr.. Craig refers APP
provingly to "a reputable
body of opinion which holds
that Topographic books may
do more good than harm by
acting as a safety valve for
antisocial behavior" I am
moved to evaluate that body
of opinion as Ito borrow
some words H. L. Mencken
found usefuD mumbo- Jumbo,
razzle-dazzle, and palpable
tosh.
In a foreword as fiery as
the book itself, Morris L.
Ernst, the noted American
lawyer and indefatigable
crusader. provides his Brit
ish colleague with a har-
monious Greek chorus. OF
Millions "Areopagitica," Mr..
Craig says: ut exposed for
all time the anomalies, alb
surdities, and tyrannies in
herent in literary censor
ship" OF Mr.. Craig's Sup
pressed Books" Mr.. Ernst
says: This documented his
tory of attacks on literature
in England and the United
States tells a more persuasive
story even than the great
eXhortation Of Millions
'Areopagitica.' Seems a pity
Milton couldn't have Joined
them, to turn this dulcet duet
into a togetherness trio.
Mr.. Ernst's foreword is
also replete with roundhouse
sideswipes at fear: the
mad fear Of the obscene"
1.-The absurdity of mans fear
with respect to sexual it'll
lation in print or picture"
the fear of blasphemy,"
1.-The fear Of seditious ut
terances," and so on. I hate
to say this about Mr.. Ernst,
who was such a passionate
New Dealer and admirer OF
FDR, but devil take me II I
didn't gather the impression,
from his foreword TO Mr..
Craig's book, that what he
fears is fear itself.
rWEAnwEG ~DnUr