The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1910. POISONOUS LITERATURE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 715, 14 January 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1910. POISONOUS LITERATURE.

■'• THB'aotionvof" tho ißritish' Circulating/Libraries' Association in refusing to place .111 circulation any. Book.; which . they ..think, likely ' to prove .oifensivo to any considerable. section of their, subscribers has provoked a good deal of controversy .in the. press of England. There has, of. course, been the usual.' 'outcry from a Bection .of writers and publishers at the'■; oensorship . implied,! but those who control' the circulating libraries ; have Had the best, of> the .argument; '. ! Their : .contention 'is that it. is their business to supply .'the public-with what' they want. : 1 If tho public do - not want the' indeoent, ; and .occasionally .;obscene, class of book; that has- bcen;-increas-jing in. numbers 1 in 'i - e'ccnt,times,' the; libraries' iio, riot; wish'-io'. offend their. patrons by keeping theso books.. The most plfmsingi- feature of; tho situation is the. 'evidence,,; it affords that thepublic not only do not want tho offensive class of ,' publications reforredto, 'but have bo strong an objection 'to .them that, they y protest against them being .'kept in the .libraries which they; • patronise/ - This attitude is no doubt to be accounted for in part by: the. fact; that parents, who, subsoribe to the libraries do not wish to! run -the risk; of their children haying- these", objectionable books placed before them. It 1 is stated . that v ; the : : protests :■ iof their patron's have already, in many cases, beeh so strong that those controlling the libraries have often' had to withdraw, particular volumes from - circulation. ;';/.Now''the-Asso-ciation have notified, publishers that tljey intend to. judge for themselves whethor books submitted .aro. likely ■to-give. offence or not., Tho ,test' which they , propose to apply is a reasonably broad' one if proper caro and . judgment' aro ; exercised. 1 ■ No book, will- be issued which, ;,in the judgment,.of the, }Association',-^'is likoly.to give offenco to a considerable body- of subscribers "by reason' of tho personally scandalous, libolI'lous, immoral, or otherwise disI agreeable nature of its contents."

• Tho/London .Kmea, in giving its. endorsement to the censorship proposed, points out that it is ; safe-i guarded by- the fact thdt tho spirit behind it will bo inspired not by the libraries* :but; by the' customers, of the libraries; that is' the people who: actually pay for the books.

' ;As these, persons pay tlie piper, it Con-. tinuKi, • they ;hove j a right, in their,mnregeneratebotirgeois world to call the 1 tune. r : They .have.;their taste- in the. matter. - It is ,on'.tie whole 'a'wide' arid liberal, taste,, but it'is not 'wide' enough to tolerate the "extravagances :and ; the iridecerieies, >/ta>t,'.to; say' ; tho; obsctoities, which some youthful writers mistake, for probfs_ of; originality, and to which some older; writers resort in a ; desporate, attempt ~ to season, matter which they shrewdly . Suspectto be, essentially : insipid. . ... . ■ •

'Apart, however, from tho. Circulating Libraries' Association, there is a further movement in favour of the suppression of objectionable literature. An endeavour is being made to establish a fund "to punish' those, who are responsible! for tho salo. of moral poison, whether as author,.: publisher, or : distributor." It is contended that if tho fact were generally known'' that such a fund! existed it would act as a wholesomo deterrent. The S-pectator regards this idea with ■ approval and makes suggestions, as to the best means of giving it practical effect. In its opinion the .body most likely, to do most good in such a matter, would be an informal committee, small in number, and able to act without too much red tape. This body must undertake the difficult and responsible work of deciding whether a work docs or does not'contain moral poison, and whether those responsible for its production, and distribution should be prosecuted. It is considered that, tho .present/law ' is qiiite sufficient to 6t6p really corrupt and corrupting books without sotting up too strait-laced and Puritanical > standard. The movement that; is taking pldcc in England is 'a. healthy, Sign and. the 'controversy which, is proceeding must have good results in focussing public attention on 'an evil which, while generally recognised, has not been . seriously faced. Censorship in literature mfty :be a dangerous tiling and may develop into a serioiis evil itself, but no one who is at all •familiar with a certain class: of. literature which has been placed before tho public in increasing quantities in" recent years can say that there is not. an urgent call for •some means of stopping the circulation of such poisonous stuff. , '