Sentence:  The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing <WSD>moral</WSD> effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed. They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Conforming to a standard of right behaviour; sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment.