THE CENSORSHIP OF FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 342, 31 October 1908, Page 12

THE CENSORSHIP OF FICTION.

111 ono of the essays in his now volumo, Mr Chesterton observes: "The Puritans arc always denouncihgrbooks that inflame lust; what shall we say iof books that inflame the viler passions of laVflrico and prido?" This leads Mr. R. A. Scptt-Jlines to take eicop-

tion in tho "Daily News" to Mr. Bram Stoker's ajjpeal in tho "Nineteenth Century" for a censorship of fiction. Mr. Bram Stoker says: "Now, as to tho possible evils of imagination. Wherein or of what kinds are or may such bo ? Wo shall, I think, on considering tho matter, find that they are entirely limited to evil cffects produced on tho senses." Upon this Mr. Scott-James remarks: — "Mr. Bram Stoker is advocating a censor; ship of fiction, and as ho must find some standard by reference to which books are to be passed or rejected, ho insists on regarding a particular sort of unpleasant book as tho only sort which has evil cffects on the imagination. As a matter of fact, if you rlo propose to condemn books you ought also to condemn thoso which, in Mr. Chesterton's words, 'inflame tho viler passions of avarice and pride.' You ought to condemn the 'penny horribles,' which are known to conduce to hooliganism; you ought to condemn books which conduce to a lower idea of citizenship ; and still more ought you to condemn those which propagate lies about religion. "But if you do begin to submit books to a censor it is perfectly obvious that you submit yourself to tho capricious standards of one or more probably well-meaning but certainly not omniscient individuals. Thai is to say, you institute a new kind of persecution. All-dccent people detest a certain sort of unpleasant and harmful book; but if you leavo it to a censor to dot-ermine what is unpleasant and harmful you restrict the possibilities of ,a progressive morality, of the expression of ideas which may militate against popular errors and immoralities.' The only way to put down indecent books is to encourage the public to like decent ones. "It seems to me that Mr. Bram Stoker could not say anything moro morbid or more untrue than that 'a close analysis'will show that the only emotions which in the long run harm are those arising from sex impulses.' Fortunately, the freedom of the press is not likely to bo endangered by Mr. Stoker's Early Victorian views."