The
attendant procured the volume, but, before handing it to me, consulted one
of the senior librarians. This official scrutinized me from a distance of
about eight yards and finally nodded his head in acquiescence. The book
was then given to me. On the back of it a little red label was affixed. I
made inquiry and discovered that books with these labels are only given
out to persons of (what shall I say?) good moral appearance."
Nevertheless, we ought to be thankful that we live in Britain. The case
of the United States is in some respects far worse than ours. The
egregious Sir Robert Anderson has just explained in _Blackwood_ how he
established a sort of unofficial censorship of morals at the English Post
Office. In the United States an official censorship of mailed matter
exists, and the United States Post Office can and does regularly examine
the literature entrusted to it, and can and does reject what it deems
inimical to the morals of the native land of Jay Gould, James Gordon
Bennett, J.D. Rockefeller, and the regretted Harriman. Among other matter
which the United States Post Office censorship has recently excluded are
the following items:
An extract from an article in the _Fortnightly Review_.
An extract from "Man and Superman.
Pages:
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169