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Show aesssasaaaaessaaaaaaasaaaaaaaaaw CHRONIGLE AND I COMMENT " By ARTHUR BARTLETT MAURICE. WHAT Is an "Immoral" book I There are many angles ot that question that call tor discussion at the present time; a certain startling start-ling frankness in a number of tbs novels that have been published In the past aiz months; the general tendency ot parents of tculay to let their children have their own way In the selection of their reading, , and tha renewed activities all over the country ot societies that exist avowedly for the purpose ot Von-serving Von-serving the literary morals ot the repabltc. A reply In a recent Issue of the book section to a somswhst excited correspondent who professed pro-fessed hot Indignation over the senure of copies of the works of Boccaccio and Rabelaia offered the suggestion that the contents of the book did not matter nearly to much at the Ataest or unfitness of the person who read It In other words, that there la all the difference In the world between the man of 40 baying the "Decameron" for his library, li-brary, at Scrlbner's or Dutton's or Putnam's, and the schoolboy of 14 who purchases It furtively from the leering peddler who points out the "choice" bits. Yet that suggestion doea not quite cover the whole question. . , THE fundamental question ot censorship It the old question of the absolute monarch. Once upon a time no one'challenged the "divine right" ot a king. If all kings had been wise and Just, republics re-publics would havs been much slower In coming. But ons day some one thought about the "right divine of kings to govern" wrong." That waa Just the point The perfect, per-fect, all wlae censor of books would be, at any rate, considered In the abstract, an admirable Institution. Great tolerance, broad judgment, a profound knowledge of all literature litera-ture and of the human heart, would be among the requiaitea for each an Ideal. Unfortunately, the peraoa per-aoa possessing such qualifications Is usually too busy doing something creative In this world to find time for regulating the affairs of others. There la no thought ot questioning the sincerity or good intentions of the people who make up these societies so-cieties for "Improvement" But too frequently the moving mindt In these organisations ' are about -as Immature aa the mlntTof the school- -boy of 14 who should not read the "Decameron," Too often It la moron Seems!, its. ar The Mew Terk Heme. Intelligence, unhealthily curlout and excitable about the "fleshly" la Action, that sits In Judgment -e e e OF the books that were teixed when the offices of a New 'York publisher, were raided two weeks or to ago we ahall say nothing, noth-ing, for we have not read them, and had little cariosity about them until they were made glaringly conspicuous conspic-uous -(and, Incidentally probably highly attractive to tho Immature) by the newa of tho seixure. Whether or not the seixure was Justified we do not know. But to exercise repression re-pression not tempered by judgment would be to exclude from circulation circula-tion at least two-thirds ot the really Important novels of the world. To Illustrate: . Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" would ot coarse have to be banned on account ot the doubtful' relations between the Marquis of Steyne and Mrs Rawdon Crawley: the episode ot Fanny Bolton would bar "Pendtnnla"; certain irregularities irregular-ities in the life of filr Barnes New-come New-come would dispose ot "The New-comes"; New-comes"; and the reputed bar sinister sinis-ter ot the hero would exclude "The History of Henry Esmond." That disposes of the bases of ths quadrilateral quad-rilateral upon which Thackeray's fame la established, and aimtlar reasons could easily be found on which to dismiss the rest ot hla wort with the possible exception ot a ballad or two. e a e DICKENS'8 "David Copperneld" could not be read unless a new edition removing Steerforth from the story were printed. Certain Cer-tain allusions to the privileges and habits of tbs old noblesse of France before the Revolution would bar "A Tale of Two Cltlee." "Bleak House" would be out df the question on account ac-count of Lady Dedlock. Mrs. Dom-bey't Dom-bey't pretended elopement with the smiling Carker would keep "Dom-bey "Dom-bey Son" from the tables of. thoae exacting In their demands for . literary parity. Oliver's Illegitimate Illegiti-mate birth.woe.ld consign "Oliver Twist" to ths forbidden "Index": and Smike's Illegitimate birth and the lauentlona of Sir Mulberry Hawk would do tha asms for "Nlcholaa Nkkleby." Charlotte Broate't . "Jane Eyre" would certainly cer-tainly be taboo, for did not Edward Rochester attempt to force amoroass attentions apon the heroine when he had, a wife still 11 ring? Bulwsr- |
