Worse than Chicago Meat

New Zealand Tablet, 6 September 1906, Page 9

Worse than Chicago Meat

Worse things than Chicago embalmed beef amf.tih- ■ - ned anthrax have of late been passing into New Zealand under the noses of our Customs officials. Post--»J card abominations, for - instance. The"^' butt-end iv '.the" ' law ' has been falling heavily upon sundry dealers who" have been convicted <of vending the foul or suggestive ; things. So far, good. James. Jeffrey Roohe sang -in~ one of his volumes of clever bric-a-torac :— The net of the law is spread so wide, __ No sinner from its sweep maj »hide. Its meshes are so fine and strong, They take in every child of wrong. "~~~~ O wondrous web of mystery ! Big /fish alone escape from thee ! / Our ' wondrous web of mystery ' seizes the small-fry— or (to change the metaphor) the mere penny peddlers; and tuppenny-ha'penny hucksters of printed indecency. It lets the old and big offenders escape— the conscienceless booksellers who serve demoralising books to youth from bjeaieath the counter, and the oily-tongued 'blackguards whose coarse ' electric remedy ' literature is carried every day in our mailbags. The law should adjust its meshes^ to ' take in every child of "wrong,' as it regulates the meshes of our fishermen's nets to capture the butter-fish and barracouta that are worth the cooking- '