Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/296

284 tunity to grab hold of the Newark News and claim that the picture of a Woman wearing a brassicre in an advertisement is obscene and that if a sule is made to a child under 16 there may be an infracbion of the law.

I had that on good authority. My hometown editer tells me that he has been ealled on the telephone, that un ad that appeared in one of the big department stores advocating the sale of a brassiere was inmoral to this particular individual,

Se we do fear zealots, and we ask for reasonable interpretation of this law.

But i do feel that once a dealer who is not cooperative, Senator, and who say—and I know there is at least 1 in my town out of the 11 who have tokl me so—that “This is my bread and butter, and F will sell what TP please.’ there should be an example made of him and once he knows that he is going to be fined $5 he is going to cooperate. Tle is going to be sending back this stuff that is Junk, as Mr. Fitzpatrick suys. Once he does that it will be a long time before that distributor will ttke a chance sending other stuff of similar nature to him.

Mr. . Will your statute get at the crime and herror comies, or is it aimed at 2 brceader thing?

Mr. Karton. The work that we have been working on has not been on crime and horror. I started off 8 months ago when I wrote a letter wind I fee) I would like to say, as in this letter to the Elizabeth Daily Journal, October 8, it suys here:

{{smaller block|Let us assist in the great work to be done by the recently appointed Senate Cenmmittee To Investigate Juvenile Delinquency whose counsel ts Herhert J, llannoch, Msq., of Newark. We needs your sugeestion and help in a hearing shortly to commence, Perbaps a way ean be found through legislation te centrol {he incnbation of juvenile delinquency which feeds on the rotting of the seal of the weakened mind and spirit stimulated by an indiscriminate cirenlation of questionable amd easily accessible books.}}

They printed that letter. I lave other matters in here that might prove interesting, but we feel, our committee has felt, and I think T can speak on their behalf, that the type of Itterature that is coming through in torrents in the form of mental aplrrodisiag, just as a ciga- rette will spoil and harm the physical well-being of a child under i6, under the police power we have a right to have such a law passed.

We feel that the constant bombardment of the young mind by this type of literature can disturb the moral fiber of the child.

i read yery carefully Dr. Weriham’s book, extractions from. it. T was here at the time this committee hewd him on it, and I feel confident in my own mind that while comie baoks, books that are sex stimulators, girlie boaks, are not the sole cause of juvenile delinquency ; they at least area contributing factor.

T have always felt in accordance with a biblical expression if you ‘an save the life of only one person, you are considered as if you had saved the whole world.

Let us make some progress at least, a small percentage. If we can just cet this constant torrent of filth brought «<lown to a point where it does not pay a man to spend $30.000 to eet 300.000 copies out. then we will have accomplished something, They will think twice before they will go into a venture which might run afoul of the law in our State.