Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/46

34 Mr. O'Conner of the Bantam Books, Inc., was pinned down to this statement; "As a personal opinion, I will say I wouldn't want to give them (the pocket books named) to an adolescent. No, I wouldn't give them to my daughter, for example."

Mr, Dayid Cook of the Cook Publishing Co, suid in 1951 that he personally Knew of over 50 million comics per month sold. He stuted: "Since most children have difficulty in their earlier years, the visual presentation makes it easy for them to understand what is going on. To my mind, the potential damage to impressionable young minds done hy this kind of thing is shucking, This naked appeal to sadism, horror and cruelty does a harm which is incalculable."

The independent agency which tabulates comic book distribution points out that in Jannary (1954) there were 412 different comic tirles on the stands. Since a publisher cannot afford to print less than 200,000 of a title, you can see that the monthly distribntion is close ta 106 million.

To insure the 68 percent sale which a comics publisher needs to break even, covers must be progressively lurid. And since profit depends on sales in excess of 68 percent, cover and contents must be tuned to an eyen lowering degree of the depraved taste which su many of these comics develop.

As funny as any comic is the Report of the Mayor's Cammittec on Indecent Literature of the City of Minneapolis, The report informs us that Minneapolis does not have the same low-type publications on its newsstands as are found in other cities. And then the report goes on: "There are some bad pocket books on the stands, but the Bible is displayed too, and you wouldn't want to prohibit the sale of the Bible!"

It continnes: "There are some objectionable comics but comics are such a stimulant to reading, we believe the good effect outdoes the had." or a refort to that ridiculous siatement, read the article "What Parents Don't Know About Comics," in the Ladies Home Journal, Novemher 1953.

Yonr attention is drawn to this particular report on Minneapolis because of its faiture to he true and informalive. Such reports are nol uncommon.

Erle Stanley Gardner, the great mystery writer, speaking before the Natianal Librarians' Convention at Los Angeles, June 22, 1953, called attention to the flood of pornographi¢ literature upon the newsstands. "It must be controlled or it will be necessary to resort to legal censorship." Mr. Gardner went on to say: "Pornographic literature is pouring from the presses of unscrupulous publishers. Young people are developing false ideas of life from the millions of copies of smut publications sold at magazine stands.

"Certain unscrupulous publishers began deliberately to cater to the inflammable and uninformed sex urges of the adolescent," said Gardner. He added: "If libraries were made more attractive to youngsters and teen-agers it would be a constructive force in combating juvenile delinquency."

George E. Sokolsky, noted columnist, stated: "I must say it would cause little damage to our civilization if the pornographic miseries that are being sold to our children on newsstands and in candy stores were burned. Also, some of the mystery stories which substitute filthy expressions for skillful narrative could be burned with little loss to anyone."

The American Legion at its 1943 St. Louis Convention, condemned the obseanity sold on newssiands and placed the restriction of such sale as a point in its welfare program.

"We heartily concur with your appraisal of the danger to the morals of our youth which exists through the sale of indecent literature," states a letter from Legion headquarters at Indianapolis.

The Legion realizes that the leaders of tomurraw cannot be raised on, nor infiltrated with, the pornographic miseries of today if we wish to remain a great Nation, Once a culture begins to rot from within, the scavengers gather for the spoils.

As Lincoln put it "America will never be conquered from without. If it perishes, it will do so from within."

It was the American Civil Liberties Union and the Twin City newspapers which led the fight against the stronger indecent publications bill as introduced into the house and senate committees of the Minnesota Legislature. (February 1953.)