Jurgen and the law : $b A statement, with exhibits, of the Court's opinion, and the brief for the defendants on motion to direct an acquittal — John Shaqi
Jurgen and the law : $b A statement, with exhibits, of the Court's opinion, and the brief for the defendants on motion to direct an acquittal
General
Jurgen and the law : $b A statement, with exhibits, of the Court's opinion, and the brief for the defendants on motion to direct an acquittal
Cabell, James Branch, 1879-1958. Jurgen; Pornography -- Law and legislation
At that moment the mood of the author changes. Jurgen ascends to Heaven
leaving irreverence behind, and the pictures now uncovered are of
different tone and motive. The first person whom he sees is a little
boy who was once Jurgen himself. When Jurgen meets God he says, “Once
very long ago I had faith in you”; to which the reply is, “No, for
that boy is here with me as you yourself have seen, and today there
is nothing remaining of him anywhere in the man that is Jurgen”
(297).[7] Heaven contains children, mothers and grandmothers. Logic
cannot lead one to it, because logic does not exist there. Therefore,
children, mothers and grandmothers can ascend to Heaven where people
like Jurgen cannot. Taking Heaven as an illusion, Jurgen finds none of
his own illusions there, and hence he must “return to such illusions
as are congenial, for one must believe in something” (306). And yet he
has stood motionless for thirty-seven days in that place, “forgetful
of everything save that the God of his grandmother was love” (306-7).
Nobody else, he is told, has willingly turned away so soon, and it is
supposed that this is due to some evil wrought in the Nessus shirt he
was wearing, the like of which was never seen in Heaven (307). And
finally this wayfarer, this man of modern philosophy, says that he
turned away from Heaven because he seeks for justice and he cannot find
it in the eyes of God, “but only love and such forgiveness as troubled
him” (307). To which archangels reply that because of that very fact he
should rejoice (307).
If that is obscene, then “The Little Flowers” of St. Francis D’Assisi
should at once be suppressed by Mr. Sumner. If it is lewd to teach that
none of us would go to Heaven if we had justice done us, Christianity
once more should betake itself to the catacombs.
We are let down from these heights by way of an interview between
Jurgen and St. Peter. The Saint has something to say about prohibition
(311-313) with which, theoretically speaking, many might disagree. But
as the defendants are not indicted under the prohibition laws, it is
needless to go into this discussion. The Saint also represents Heaven
as pacifistic (312-313); but Mr. Cabell wrote after the Armistice, and
pacifism is not, legally speaking, obscene or lewd, whatever else it
undoubtedly is.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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