Indecent News Papers

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 10, 1868

Indecent News Papers.

In an article on this subject, the Methodist says:—But while we note the growing demoralization of the stage, and the increased allurements to evil which it presents, it nevertheless has this in its favor—that it obtrudes its disgusting representations upon none. Shut up within the walls of a theatre, licentiousness can be suggested to those only who voluntarily subject themselves to its exhibitions. Another evil, however, has obtruded itself upon society, which admits not even of this poor palliation. The outbreak of indecency upon the stage has been followed by the invasion of literature, and the promoters of licentiousness have stepped beyond their hitherto limited sphere, and are using the press—especially the pictorial press—for the diffusion of impurity.

This new enemy does not wait to be sought out; it refuses to be avoided. It meets us on the street-cars, in the boats, is before us as we purchase our morning newspapers, and stares at the passer-by from every news-stall, around which groups of young men and boys may hourly be seen, eagerly feasting their fancies on scenes of debauchery. We may keep our children from the theatre, and so train them that they shall never desire to frequent it; but there is now an educator presented within their reach which soon may undermine all the home lessons of purity, and by easy steps, lead them to perdition.

The teachings of our schools and our churches must be to a great extent in vain while these wretched panders to depravity are undoing the work of the school and the church. One such periodical may do more evil than many pulpits can correct. If this raid of license remains unchecked, preaching, teaching, and warning, will be alike in vain. There is a way in which it may be checked—and but one way. The law is explicit in its prohibition of indecent literature and in the penalties affixed to its publication and sale. But in a city where the grossest violations of public decency pass daily unrebuked, some more than ordinary force must be brought to urge and aid the arm of justice. This aid should be given readily by the many Christian men who desire to stem the torrent of corruption which threatens to engulf the land, and from which no family can be certain it is safe.

—Newman Hall says of American preaching: The sermons are too precise, too elaborate, too argumentative, too essay-like, too much like books, and too little like earnest talk. Moreover, they are too often read with strict adherence to the prepared manuscript, and thus, though if reported verbatim, they would be read as finished treatises, as heard, they are frequently unimpressive.

—Tobacco chewers are not always aware of the character of what they may put in their mouths. It is reported that in the city of New York over two hundred persons manage to earn a livelihood these hard times by picking up the ends of cigars that have been thrown away and are found lying in the muddy streets and gutters. These again are sold to the penny dealers in tobacco “bits,” and afterwards are manufactured into fine cut chewing tobacco, or are turned into the best imported Scotch and other snuffs.

—In bringing his 10th course of geological lectures to a close the other day, Prof. Sedgwick, who now numbers 82 years, warned his pupils against the heterodox character of modern science. Pointing his discourse with quotations from Holy Writ, ad libitum, he proved that “the Heavens declare the glory of God.”

—Rev. Henry B. Smith, of the Union Theological Seminary, presented to the General Conference of the Evangelical Alliance, recently in session at Amsterdam, the following statistics of the various churches in America:

	Churches.	Communicants.
Roman Catholics,	3,800	4,000,000
Methodists,	10,460	2,000,000
Baptists,	17,220	1,690,000
Presbyterians,	6,000	700,000
Lutherans,	2,900	328,800
Congregationalists,	2,780	267,400
Protestant Episcopalians,	2,300	161,200
German Reformed,	1,169	110,000
Dutch Reformed,	440	60,000

The Tax on Distilled Spirits.—From the following returns we can judge of the amount of ardent spirits consumed in this country. Over twenty-eight millions of dollars simply as a tax, besides the vast amount on which the tax is fraudulently withheld. The figures are appalling.

The following statement of the collection returns on distilled spirits during the fiscal year ending June 30, has been sent to the House by the Secretary of the Treasury, in compliance with a resolution of that body:

State	Amount	State	Amount
Alabama,	$158,201.61	Missouri,	$1,153,205.89
Arkansas,	484,150.00	Montana,	80.00
California,	1,789,559.24	Nebraska,	6,915.37
Colorado,	15,525.88	N. Hampshire,	1,234.00
Connecticut,	185,462.58	New Mexico,	5,736.04
Delaware,	4,423.73	N. Carolina,	73,326.42
D. Columbia,	9,260.27	Ohio,	5,651,056.93
Florida,	802.00	Oregon,	11,161.34
Georgia,	284,846.87	Pennsylvania,	2,864,993.36
Illinois,	3,788,985.34	Rhode Island,	69,067.00
Indiana,	1,452,689.31	S. Carolina,	18,778.70
Iowa,	777,477.25	Tennessee,	425,442.87
Kansas,	14,624.78	Texas,	21,812.00
Kentucky,	1,928,?00.09	Utah,	18,101.67
Louisiana,	456,?00.08	Virginia,	450,425.54
Maryland,	1,056,?00.84	Wash. T.,	14,365.87
Massachusetts,	602,110.00	W. Virginia,	73,619.30
Michigan,	88,?74.94	Wisconsin,	475,379.58
Minnesota,	60,750.55	New Jersey,	227,997.39
Mississippi,	240.00	New York,	4,313,626.21

Grand total, $28,296,264.31

From the above statement it will be seen that Ohio returns nearly one-fifth of the entire revenue on distilled spirits, giving $1,888,380.72 more than New York. The following States show the largest returns, and are set down in the order in which they relatively stand: Ohio, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, Missouri, Indiana, Maryland and Kentucky. New York, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania give as much as all the other States together. Arizona, Dakota, Idaho, Maine, Nevada and Vermont give no returns.

Congressional Temperance.—The Congressional Temperance meeting held last night in Representative Hall was a great success. Every body must have noticed the fact that the Senator who made the most brilliant speech at a similar meeting a year ago was not present. I allude to Mr. Yates, of Illinois. All understood why he was not present, and one of the orators alluded to it sadly when he remarked that some who started out nobly in the good cause could not endure unto the end.

There never was a greater need of reform of this kind in Washington than now. I do not speak in the interest of any “cause” or as the result of a belief of the overwhelming importance of any “theory,” but some of the living facts of the social life of Washington convince me that our public men must learn sobriety and temperance. Saulsbury came here from Delaware the other day and remained sober for a few days and then had “a terrible drunk,” and has gone home probably never to return. And why shall I stop with Saulsbury? There are other Senators I might name who are not always sober, and there are still higher men than Senators who get tipsy at receptions. Mr. Seward was so exhilarated at Senator Morgan’s reception the other night, that he grossly insulted a member of Congress who was present. If Gen. Grant had been in a similar condition, every Copperhead in the city would now be busy retailing stories of his “beastly drunkenness.” Yet he was not drunk—only visibly affected by something he had been taking. Every honest lover of his country, Republican or Democrat, is deeply interested in this matter. Our public men must be sober, and it is very dangerous to look lightly upon such offences as I have alluded to.