LITERARY CENSORSHIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20306, 13 July 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

LITERARY CENSORSHIP.

A RECENT INSTANCE,

D? GEAHAM HAY.

Now that the tumult and tho shouting havo died, it may bo worth while to dovolo somo thought to the subject of literary censorship, especially as it concerns tho book "All Quiot on tho Western Front." On tho main question thoro aro two parties, those who beliove in a liter ary consorship and those who do not Theoretically, tho lattor class i 3 very small, for it is almost impossiblo to find anyone who would advocate straight out that there should bo no sort of censor ship Such few as there aro may be dis regarded, because they hold opinions that aro intemperate and fanatical. In practice there is a noisy minority which, professing to believo in tho neces sity for a literary • censorship, yet sets its standard at a point which allows every disputed book to pass. When it takes up tho cudgels for book after book, and states its reasons, often amazingly ingenious, it is difficult to imagine a book at which it woulu draw tho line. i'his class, boing more eloquent than any other, and having greater access to print, creates more noise than its weight warrants. It must bo con sidered as a disguised faction of tho class already described. On tho other sido is tho great bulk ol thoughttul opinion which recognises that in a world consisting of such varied and such imperfect types there must bo some form ot censorship of literature, just as there must bo laws torbidding license in every other form of social activity. Man is frail, imperfect, evil, and it is tody to hold that everything that 110 writes is suitable to bo published abroad for all his fellows to read. Part is bound to bo valueless, part objectionable, part harmful The great questions, the only questions, should be, where shall tho dividing lino bo fixed, and by who in ? A Very Big Question.

It is at onco obvious that tho former of theso is a very big question. Minds aro as varied as faces; henco no two people would draw tho lino in exactly tho same place. Recognising this, pe'ople of discernment will bo slow to wave aside tho opinions of their fellows; they will inchno rather to allow a margin on each sido of their own dividing line and bo chary of making watertight rules. Nevertheless, there aro certain broad principles which may bo laid down.

Of doubtful books, tho worst aro those which, under a slushy, glamorous air of falso sentiment, work up a passionate excitement in tho reader, cast a heady spell over him (for quite normal people are sensitive to atmosphere), and then put upon him insidious scenes under an oxotic air of romance. There are hundreds of theso in freo circulation in every land—false, sloppy, without any redeeming feature Perhaps equally objectionable are books which impart information of practices of porversion in somo of its forms, needlessly enlightening people who would bo better without tho information. Not everyone's brain is equally sound on all sides; there may bo times of nervous strain when temptations can make inroads which at normal times are easily resisted.

For tho most part, however, little objection can bo taken to books which say what they have lo say straight out, without coating or disguise. There are few facts, given simply in simple language, which are disgusting or obscene. It- is tho clothing that brings the taint. The coarseness of Fielding, Smollett, Boccaccio, would havo an ill effect on very few mjnds Somo peoplo might bo offended, others be bored and cease to read. Few, if any, would be evilly influenced. There is, however, in somo books a coarseness which ono would hesitate to offer to peoplo of very sensitive mind or tencei years Ono does not wantonly brush the dewdrop from tho rose. The roso may bo a more perfect bloom at midday, but it is a thing of beauty in the early morning. Wo lot nature take its own time. This brings us to " All Quiet on the Western Front." and it should be noted at once that no ono has tried to keep this book out of New Zealand. Nor has the quality of tho writing been questioned. Tho only objection has been to its being placed on (he shelves of public libraries, where it might fall into (lie hands of peoplo quito unready for its strong language. Needlessly Coarso.

To tho English car, it is needlessly coarso on nearly every page. Becauso a thing is true, we do not necessarily shout it aloud Art does not give a photograph of every detail; it interprets life by lean ing on essentials. Art would have shown all tho forbidding detail which . " All Quiet" wallows in, by merely lighting up a littlo corner of reality and quickening tho imagination to do tho rest. It is doing tho book no injustice to say that, admitting its excellences, it has been overpraised by its zealots Hie most stupid claim that has been ma do for it is the catchword that dubs it " tho book that will stop war." It only shows the absurd lengths to which catchwords will sometimes betray quite clever people The obvious answer is that thcro are thousands of soldiers returned from the Great Wat who would unhesitatingly join up again if the call came. Tluiy have seen the brutality of war, havo shared the horror of tho trenches. If the actual experience of war has not stopped it for theso men, how absurd to say that reading about its brutality will stop it for others. If any books will stop war, it will be translations of such books as Mottram's " Spanish Farm Trilogy" and Rlunden's "Undertones" read by Germans, and German books such as "'llie Case of Sergeant Grisrha" read bv Englishmen, for it would show both races how much they have in common. Who is to bo Censor? Who is to exercise tho censorship is almost as vexed a question as what books are to bo censored. For our City Library, the proper people are surely tho library committeo or whomsoever it anpoints. In the meantime, tho city librarian can rest assured that his action in banning " AH Quiet" from the public shelves is appreciated by a large proportion of responsible people, who believe it to bo a book suitable for tlioso whoso minds and judg merits aro mature, but not a book which should drift into people's hands by chance. It, must bo admitted that the banning of a book almost always brings it a publicity which increases the demand for it. Not so much harm is dono thereby as at. first appears. Peoplo who go to tho trouble to obtain it are, with few exceptions, of two kinds—firstly those of inquiring or determined mind, who demand to settle all controversies for themselves: serondlv. tho rlv Inrire class of neurotically inclined whose minds feed on unwlinlesomt-ness. Tho former class havo minds strong enough to bo unaffected by any uncleanness in a book; the latter havo minds already steeped in perversion.

It is tho "drifters." whoso empty minds nro ready to bo taken up by any now interest, and thoso young people on tho vergo of knowledge, for whom it is important that knowledgo should bo imparted in tho proper manner, who constitute the danger Tn refusing to take the responsibility of allowing these peoplo to ncquiro knowledgo or doubtful fond for tho mind haphazard, the city authorities liavo acted with a discretion which will be comrnendod by tho thoughtful majority of citizens,