IMMORAL LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 27, 25 February 1909, Page 4

IMMORAL LITERATURE.

LICENTIOUS AND OBSCENE. SOME STRAIGHT TALK BY BISHOP GRIMES. "CROWD OP SHAMELESS WRITERS." By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, February 22. Bishop Grimes, in his Pastoral for 1000, which lias just been published leads a powerful attack on the immoral literature of the day. "Is it not deplorable," lie says, "to see society flooded with licentious and obscene productions consecrated to the idolising of the grossest passions and doctrines of the most degrading? Who can behold unmoved the crowd of shameless writers who seem to have no other mission in life than to sully whilst attacking all that is pure and noble and holy? Sworn foes of every idea ofj order, duty and justice, they prostitute their talent or their pen to the service, nay, to the very justifying of the unclean vice which they would fain make attractive by the expounding of guilty theories or the depicting of morals more guilty and more dangerous still. Writers of little or no talent often make capital out of the evil passions and corrupt inclinations of fallen nature to draw readers by the bait of immorality. A few days ago a well-known citizen of Christciiureh brought under our notice some of the novels eagerly devoured by thousands in our Dominion. A nobleminded lay-man, he assured us that it was with a sense of disgust and loathing that he ventured to bring them before us. He did so solely in the interests of morality. He says, speaking of one of these: ' It is one of a series in which the sacredness of marriage is held in contempt and opprobrium.' In it the sin of adultery is held to be a necessity, ana indulging of the passions to be a' fullilment of the demands of Nature. The whole tendency of the volume is a degradation of Clod's highest creature to the level of the brute. As to another—written, too, by a woman—there is not a clean thought or expression in the whole of its pages. Another by the same author is one of the filthiest productions of the age. From a cursory perusal of its polluted pages we ourselves must pronounce it a horrid blasphemous parody on the sinless life of our blessed Redeemer. Speaking of another novel of a similar kind, the above-mentioned gentleman says: ' The author displays a prurient mind wallowing in filth and uncleanness.'" WHAT TO AVOID.

The Bishop goes on to enumerate works that should be avoided. " Beside," he says, " those filthy productions, the mere title of which brings a blush to a Christian cheek, those licentious pamphlets which stain the very hands of those that touch them, works which everyone with the least semblance of self-respect spurns with the disdain they deserve and tile indignation they inspire, one should turn away from—- " (1) Most of the current literature, whether it be what is known as 'yellow backs,' teeming with licentiousness, the gilt-leaved sensuatioual novels, the bulky reviews of the flippant monthlies, weeklies, or dailies, which carp at the holiest and most lawful on earth. '■ (2) Newspapers and pamphlets whose anti-Christian and sickly pages either feed the cold polished pride of the intellect, inculcate a wretchedly empty sentimentality, and openly or secretly unfold the most wicked irreligious principles. " (3) Books which stupidly pretend to foretell the future and explain signs or dreams or any such-like superstitious fooleries. " (i) Those false or far-fetched interpretations of the inspired writings of their holiest dogmas. " (o) Pages which to-day belch forth some horrid calumnies against persons consecrated to the service of the Most High-scandalous deeds sprung only from the wicked brain of the writer. Some historical lies a thousand times refuted, yet a thousand times repeated with the same boldness and bitterness. " (0) Those illustrations which have become to us what the amphitheatre was to the Romans of old—slaughter houses for men and dras of infamy for woinc-.i, whilst Christians were Hung to the lions to pander to the passions of the lilooil-thirsty Romans; pages wherein the engravers' Satanic skill is used at one time to caricature the rites and ceremonies of our holy religion, at another to display the grossest forms of vice or the most painful and loathsome scenes of wretchedness and crime. '" (7) Poems or fables which under the name of histories arc penned, to enkindle the most inflammable passions in our nature. '■ (8) Books which, under pretence of 'encouraging virtue deify vice, foment and strengthen that passion which is the chief spring of every other. '• (9) Most of the cheap trash called novels, which to catch the young and thoughtless are filled with scenes of love and blood and thunder, amidst which , the greatest monsters arc held up as heroes of humanity. '• (1(1) Most of the prurient literature of the day, the perusal whereof is meant to heat the blood, iallame the senses, and throw a halo of false sickly sentimentality around the day dreams of youth, " (11) Books and pamphlets which, while professing to treat of necessary domestic relations, covertly pander to the worst instincts and defile with the slime of an infernal fancy. " (12) Books which talk in a faschating manner of nought but the maxims of a corrupt world, the artifices of tho devil and the llesh.

" (13) Novels which so vividly describe the weaknesses and extravagant transports of love and cloak for brutal lust, on the altars whereof the readers are led as willing victims ready to sacrifice to this degrading vice every dearest interest, every noblest affection of their soul. Honour aad ambition are shown prostrate at its feet, and the noblest of tlod's creatures represented grovelling in the lowest state of infatuation, till this passion becomes their only thought, day and night, the only object of their worship, the chief aim, the sole end, of their veiy existence. "(14) Novels urging the imitation of ideals which our reason rad common sense assuiv us never had nor could have any foundation in fact. " (15) Works which under the plea of informing the mind and developing Die imagination blunt the powers of genius and spoil the purest sympathies | of Nature, substituting in thciv s teniJ unresisting slavish propensities called sensibility, which would have us excuse affections or vices alike hateful to' God, to Ills angels, and to upright men. " (1(J) Hooks or papers relating words and deeds that no true Christian would for the world ever wish to hew or behold or hear the responsibility of publishing the same. '" (17) Tn line, whatever arc as ea"erlv sought and cherished by the depraved as they are despised and condemned by the good. Their name is legion,"

A WORD roil THK PliKss. After dealing tvcttcfevntly will, tilepretexts assigned, a, mi excuse for immoral and duvigerou.s reading, Die Hishop saysj '\\F«y wo not avail ourselves of tl\is occasion to recognise Die excellence of our local press. Though 'their policy •on the education question is strongly opposed to ours, we gladly proelniiii that as a true type of journalism th,,,,' will compare most favourably witr\ U,' ( . whole I'ress of the Umpire, ami. 0 f u ( v Knglish-spcaking lands. AVly edited and generally impartial, Uleir eo|| U »,-„' are invariahly closed to Whateveruiiol'it please iiruvient minds or make. ns fe ilr to see them in tho liaiids of even tie youngest of oar flock." j