Vile Literature

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 28, 1883

In some of the ancient heathen civilizations it was a very serious crime to corrupt the morals of the youth. Socrates, the great philosopher, was condemned to death on charges of not worshiping the gods of the city, of introducing new divinities and corrupting the young. But for the last charge, it is not likely his enemies would have clamored for his death. It was well known that he instructed the young in his philosophy, and if that was erroneous he was clearly guilty of the latter charge, and for it he suffered death.

If it were not for the danger of an unjust decision as to what is really corruptive of moral, it might be well to have at this day a death penalty for the awful crime of corrupting youth—teaching boys and young men to be intemperate, dishonest and brutal, and luring young girls to shame and ruin.

If we had such a law the authors and sellers of such books as "Jesse James" would be liable to trial for their lives, and as there is no necessity for the publication of such vile literature, the existence of a stringent penalty would put a stop to their production.

The biographies of such men as Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, John Wesley, Wm. E. Dodge, Peter Cooper, create in the minds of the young who read them an admiration and veneration for patriotism, true heroism, industry, economy, energy, honesty, Christianity, philanthropy; they inspire them with an ambition to emulate the virtues and noble qualities of the heroes who are set before them as models and studies.

On the contrary, when the unformed youthful imagination is presented with a picture of heroism engaged in robbing a bank safe—of courage in sailing with rifle and pistol a passenger train, rifling the express and postal cars, and picking the pockets of unarmed travelers—the boy is apt to be just as much encouraged to long for the heroism of a criminal desperado as he would have been to follow the example of a worthy patriotic hero.

It would be well for teachers and parents to use their kindly persuasive powers to counsel the young folks who look to them for advice to avoid all such noxious garbage as the trashy literature which makes heroes of unworthy characters. Moral poisons are quite as dangerous and contagious as those found in the drug stores, and they should be as carefully labeled and guarded against. —Rescue.