Mankind in the MakingWells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Philosophy
Mankind in the Making
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Social problems; Social sciences
There is in this matter a conceivable way, and as it is the principal
business of these papers to point out and discuss such ways, it may be
given here. It will be put, as for the sake of compact suggestion so
much of these papers is put, in the form of a concrete suggestion, a
sample suggestion as it were. This way, then, is to make a definition
of what is undesirable matter for the minds of young people, and to make
that cover as much suggestive indecency and coarseness as possible, to
cover everything, indeed, that is not _virginibus puerisque_, and to
call this matter by some reasonably inoffensive adjective, “adult,” for
example. One might speak of “adult” art, “adult” literature, and “adult”
science, and the report of all proceedings under certain specified
laws could be declared “adult” matter. In the old times there was an
excellent system of putting “adult” matter into Latin, and for
many reasons one regrets that Latin. But there is a rough practical
equivalent to putting “adult” matter into Latin even now. It depends
upon the fact that very few young people of the age we wish to protect,
unless they are the children of the imbecile rich, have the spending of
large sums of money. Consequently, it is only necessary to state a high
minimum price for periodicals and books containing “adult” matter or
“adult” illustrations, and to prosecute everything below that limit, in
order to shut the flood-gates upon any torrent of over-stimulating and
debasing suggestions there may be flowing now. It should be more clearly
recognized in our prosecutions for obscenity, for example, that the
gravity of the offence is entirely dependent upon the accessibility of
the offensive matter to the young. The application of the same method
to the music-hall, the lecture-theatre, and the shelves of the public
library, and to several other sources of suggestion would not be
impossible. If the manager of a theatre saw fit to produce “adult”
matter without excluding people under the age of eighteen, let us say,
he would have to take his chance, and it would be a good one, of a
prosecution. This latter expedient is less novel than the former, and it
finds a sort of precedent in the legislative restriction of the sale of
drink to children and the protection of children’s morals under specific
unfavourable circumstances.
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