| Show London onon Libraries i rare res Trying to Set SetUp et Up a Censorship Censors kip Say ay Authors London Literary Letter Special Corr Correspondence ONDON Dee Dec circulating LONDON L libraries of oC London have assum assumed assumed ed the attitude of oC dowagers who sit forward close their eyes ces and tuck In their chins Wc Vo will not chap chaperone crone a pernicious novel the they declare to the publishers To their subscribers ers they he say Pay us your money and wo we will give y you u s nice Naturally who batten on the el ci are pouting while those who cherish purity chortle or Of the latter class Morley Roberts sa says I have no sympathy with an any form Corm of Puritanism It Is not purity these people are after All their actions come out of oC their hatred of having their own little creeds dis like to keep things s as they are aro Th censor of theaters Is put iii hI his position for that purpose only Personally Personal I have havo no use fot fOl any writer who is 15 not a revolutionist H HG HG G Wells Veils In Ann Veronica has been the cause of oC the tho present action It Is Isa Isa a fine bravo book I wish I had writ written ten It TITLES ARE A FACTOR It seems that the tho mere title of books bools such as Ann nn Veronica causes all the tho trouble select books from the monthly list often b by the titles only I a parent or clergyman pre preconceives conceives the notion that a certain book Is he sends for fot It t tand and It turns out to be d Of course he feels outraged The library lit Is denounced and the book bool Is with withdrawn withdrawn drawn at a great loss Hence the stand the tho libraries have taken An outspoken criticism of the li librarIes libraries Is offered b by John Lon Long who regards their policy as ver very high highhanded highhanded handed The publisher ho he observed lies has to manufacture the tho book and Incur vel very heavy heay costs and then on the tho eve of publication these libraries which are arc the great channels of cIrculation ma may refuse to circulate It because lt Its stand standard ard aIll of morality does docs not conic come up to their views These men hold an Inquest on a book which alread already has cost the thc pUblishers hundreds of dollars Where Is their title A bookseller would be justified In refusing a book but the tho libraries are arc under contract with wit their subscribers A man pa pays s 10 for fOI a complete servIce service Ice of books and the contract does docs not state that the libraries are to 0 be bethe bethe the censors of oC their customers morals What Long objects to most In tho libraries letter Is 15 the tho suggestion that Immoral books are sent to them b by publishers I do not admit ho he says that Im Immoral moral books have hao been published You cannot apply appl the tho word Immoral to the tho ordinary ordinal novel of illicit love Where Is the novel nowadays that does not con contain contain tain It Really It Is 15 the backbone of the tho book and In the end you ou get the moral of course as In the stage play pla How would you OU classify the opening scene of oC Romeo and Juliet or Venus and Adonis or the tho Passionate Pil Pilgrim grim Some books ma may be classed as sug suggestive gestle but after all suggestiveness Is 1 cm entirely tire a question of oC environment A club man or a society woman would laugh at al the Idea that there was any thing suggestive In II a hook book which I a per per i ison son flon living a secluded life might think FOR Jo ENTENTE TETE CORD CORDIALE To 0 n a cynical American this a may sound preliminary advertis t Ing for a J new circulating library or of eon con books bools its function however f Is to bring together this week the AU timers thors society the tho Publishers l I tine LIon and the Libraries In that there ma nay be an am entente cordiale between ethics and finance In Inthe the hook book world Aft After r representing Coventry for four foure years e rc lit hm the tho house o of commons A 1 H y Mason novelist and playwright has mantle up a p his s mind not to ask his con constituents S to reelect him The truth Is he said I cannot vet et etan an any work done When parliament sat for live or six months In the year el time tho thoman man of oC letters hud had II a chance There was wasat rt at an any rate rute the autumn for him to devote de vote ote to his hooks bools Rut nut now with time the It autumn sessions becoming regular and with this years ears continuous sittings a member of parliament has no time fo foan for an anything else Am AI for working In the tho house J I find that impossible There Is too much disquiet DEFINITION OF TILE THE HOUSE Mason thuds finds there Is a fascination about the due to the perpetual gossip and antl constant expectation Lord Morley who dl disappeared appeared altogether rr fr parliament while he was writing h hl Life of Mr Gladstone once char characterized characterized the dall daily routine of a mem mcm member ber bel of parliament as business without work and idleness cHenes without rest There are man many ways 1 Mason lason says I In the experience I have gone gene through must ho be of oC value to a literary L man An SI L p Is brought Into touch 1 with many man topics he would never neer hc hear r of otherwise Parliament too wIdens ones knowledge e of oC human nature The studies of character which can be made malle among all alJ the thc ambitions the JealousIes the ceaseless struggles seething aroun around one are endless Unfortunately the tho 7 tendency after a 0 time Is to look at k every topic from the political point of 7 1 view As soon Roon as a man does that he i ila la es to be anything but a politician i and politicians after a time nm arc e likely 1 to forget that there Is anything outside I the he walls of parliament It was this ran Illusion which brought the lust last govern goorn i to grief s lef 1 Fo For many reasons J I r ret my re concluded Mason Iaron r I have haya 41 made mad several good friends though by bythe h the wo way the of genii f id l ii t amon among M Jf P Ps jq iq rather like people on board II JS as to i and place I have hav gained an I into great affairs Put But T 1 ho hosit buh I sit In parliament nn 11 r 1 HO CHArLE N e IV m P I S J r rN |
