The Nation, October 1st, 1990
From Comstockery To Helmsmanship
The morals of the nation's youth are threatened by "obscene, lewd and indecent" photographs "commonly, but mistakenly, called art." So-called artists, under the cloak of free expression, are producing material that "fans the flames of secret desires." In the past year, such sentiments have become almost unbearably familiar. But this particular salvo was fired at artists more than a century ago by a New York dry-goods-clerk-turned-morality-crusader named Anthony Comstock.
As it happens, Comstock died seventy-five years ago this past September, leaving behind...
HighBeam Research, Free Preview: 'From Comstockery to Helmsmanship. (censorship, Anthony Comstock and Jesse Helms)'... Full Membership required for unlimited access. Free 7-day trial.
Subscribers: HighBeam content is only available to HighBeam subscribers. Click the link above for more information.
