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  • 

    LORD ABERDEEN ON PERNICIOUS

  • 

    SOUTHEY AND COLERIDGE AT THE

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    *3oo& % And L^Umou^ Of

    Bristol of a list of the books which he and Sou T . ^^ they read at -- the - ~ - library of that _____ _ city — __ as far

    fc J # Tap" 41 P ^^ » ^~— — ' — — — — — — — — — w - _ back ^ as the year 1795 is interesting ^^ - and significant .

    # * Coleridge and Southey just then were full of golden dreams about that model republic

    which ^ " * — -. th -. a ey were going -B to -.. found -A * M in pa South i ~ pj ¦ _ . « America , and the list of books which they

    borrowed from the shelves of the Bristol Library pj ^ p ^ —™ ¦ " contains —— - ¦ - —— ¦—™ - several —¦— —¦ " works of travel ---- in the

    ^ r ^_ r m ^ w — — — — — — — — — ~ .- — - - — — new world on which their hopes were fixed . Southey's life was one of noble toil and

    cheerful self-sacrifice . But never , surely , was a more glorious mind associated with such a

    total lack of moral strength as in the case of Samuel Taylor Coleridge , the folly of whose

    life , with its pitiful irresolution and miserable makeshifts , furnished a bitter commentary on

    the wisdom of his lips . ? # _ mm ¦ _ _ _ * a _ _ r

    About the ^ time that he ^ was poring over ' Wadstrom on Colonisation ' and * Edwards '

    ¦ ¦ ¦ West Indies *^^ ^ m _ , ' Colerid _ - * . _ ^ __ __ ge was described 4 B m . A ¦ ^ by «_ Miss —__ _¦_ - « Poolethe sister of his friend at Nether

    , Stowey , as * a young man of brilliant understanding O 3 , great O eloquence X . , desperate X — ~ fortune . , . _ .

    democratic principles , who was entirely led away by the feelings of the moment . ' When

    youth vanished and democratic aspirations fadedthe rest of the picture still held good .

    Colerid , ge remained a man of ' brilliant understanding — - _ , _ , great __ , eloquence — a _ _ , desperate x

    fortune , ' who was entirely at the mercy of the caprice of the momenttill death surprised

    him ^ ~~ — B ^^^ , ^^ ^^ amidst ^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ a ^^ ^^^^ li ^^^ tter ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ of ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ p ^^^ , ^ B lans ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ and ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ proposals ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ B ^ ^^^^ , ^^ ^^ on ^^ ^^

    High gate Hill in 1834 .

    Ar00701

    May 15 , 1889 Th & Publishers' Circular si 7 .

    Lord Aberdeen On Pernicious

    LORD ABERDEEN ON PERNICIOUS

    LITERATURE . To the Editor of the Publishers' Circular .

    ture ture Sir which whiiVh , —The is is vast set ftflfc supp forth forth ly m in of vour first-rate admirable adm litera irable - your

    journal suggests reflections concerning the immense 4 h advantages enj «• oyed —~ in that respect

    ¦ ^ p . ^ h p ^ a . « v ^ p ^ F J ^ rfp > t ^ p * ^ m ^ ^^^ ^ p *» w mr ^ m ^^^ m ^ p ^ ' ^ pm jupfc ^^ . ~ "p ^ ¦ - ^ p ^ ^ " ¦ - ~ - ' " — ' — ' ^ ' — ¦— — — — at the present day by those who have time and ^ inclination « ^ ^^^ ^^ ^ ^ k ia _ ^_ ry ^^ ^^ ^^^ 4 ^ ^ b . for ^ ^^^ ^^ reading ^^ ^ i ^^ ^ fc' ^^ n ^^^ ^^^ " ^» ^^^ 1 . Yet ¦ ¦ ^^ ^ the ^^ ~ ^^^ ¦ p ^ leasing — ^~^ — — .--- ^ B __ and — ^ . — — — —

    satisfactory aspect of the matter suggested by ¦ a » r « perusal — ^ ^^ . ^ m ^^ + r ^ j ^ rtr ^* of ^ - ^ •>¦ your w ^^ **» ¦ " pages m- * Cm ^^ onl — y m \ I hei — — g htens — the

    contrast supplied by the circulation of books of ture # a — totall thoug y h different it is unworth »•» character y of ¦ that ; such desi litera gn a - -

    ^ * a ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^ A ^^ ^^^ Mfc . ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^*^*» ^^ » » ^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ w ^^ —^ ' — ^ " — -- ^ — „ _ — , — tion—as can ^ by no stretch of imagination or sophistry of argument be described as

    otherwise A . than v pernicious < —' . It is mere quibbling to make out that those

    who oppose such publications would , if their efforts were successful ¦ ¦ prevent the collector of

    books ^* m * a v **» p ^ ^ p # P ^ p , V W or ^** ^** ^*^ the ^ . ** ^^ ^ b ^ ' ^^ scholar ^» p ^ r ^ pr v ^>* p ^ «¦¦ 1 , , * " from — ^ p ^ » - ^ ^ ' —^ ^ acquiring — — — - ^ — - ^— such — — work wnrlfs s as as p e . . n . . a a TSoncaccio JhSoccaccio or or a a Rabelais Kabelais tor for

    g library To purposes this . p ^ p » kind of proceeding ¦ to the

    evil I— of _ ^^ J compare ^^ which v / ^^* r , 0 b Jp » J ^ BtpT ^ ' < p ^« i I ^^ am ^ p * * ¦ " ^ »^ p speaking ^ ^ •¦• ^* *¦ ^ ^^^ ¦ - ^ p * - - ^ , would — — —* — - - ^ ' -- - be as — — un — — — ' - reasonable as to identify the P ~ conduct of a

    ^^ ^^ P * ~| * lfr I * »¦ , * Jf ^ P ^^**^ V ^^^^ •& ^* P ^ ^^ V ^ V ^ "P" ^ PIP ^^ ^^ P" ^¦ P' ^ " * ^ PHP » P ^ P » P ^ P « " ^^ P ^ P > P ^ PB W ^ PF ^~ " - ^ P » P . ' " ™ " ' ~—* ~ " ^ ^ chemist who , for medical or scientific purnnsfiB j » nrl nnHpir 1 nrnnftr r « Rt ¦ ¦ . fi « tionft ¦— . sells

    W- " * ' p *^ # ^^ p ^ T »_ f ik ^ y ^ P mt . tlpW ^ fcW ^ fc ^ f ^ ^ pk ^ ph ^ pp **» ^^ # * v ^ Mfc ^ 4 * ph ^^ fc * ' > pr ^ p **^ ^ " » " *^ ^ p' ^ " ^ —~ " ^ ^^^ ™ p »^ ^^ ' —¦ ' ' ^^ 'm ' ^^ ^^ ~ * ~ — case poisons can , be with conceived that of ) a would person dispense who ( if such quarts a

    of arsenic or prussic acid to all comers , without inquiry or precautions . Is it too much to

    hope that the members ___ of the great and increasin _ _ — g ^_ p bod ., _ y of ~ — publishers j ^ of — our — day ,

    who are the purveyors of the mental food of this and future generations , and whose

    influence and responsibility in that capacity are necessarily immense and far-reachingwill use

    their power aa far as possible in checking , the unworthy action of quack members of their

    profession in regard to this deplorable condition of affairs ?

    Happily there is great reason to believe that the general feeling of the communitis

    in favour of such efforts ^ 7 as those made y b vigilance societies and others towards the y

    repression of this evil ; and it cannot be too clearly understood that the sort of protest

    which I am supporting has nothing in common with a puritanical frowning on what is gay and

    light-hearted . On the contrary , it is directed simply against that kind of publicationwhether

    book , leaflet , or print , which would be , reprobated aa strongly by the disciples of John

    Stuait Mill as by any minister of Religion . There can be no two opinions that the

    dissemination of such vile books must do harm to the youth of the country into whose

    hands such literature only too readily falls . I am aware that there are persons whothough

    presumably they disapprove of the circul , ation of such books , & c ., yet seem to be of opinion

    that 6 liberty the re in must the be matter no ; interference but surely with the

    application of this principle would logically result in greater licence than exists even in

    other countries which are supposed to be less strict than ourselves in regard to this subject :

    Be that as it may , I contend that there should be liberty on the part of the community to

    exercise the power of suppressing by law , _ especially in the interest of the yoting , books

    which are essentially pernicious . Surely those who are fathers need not apologise for being

    earnest in their efforts to reduce as far as possible the insidious allurements to evil to

    which their own children and the children of others are liable to be subjected .

    I have the honour to remain , Yours faithfully ,

    Aberdeen . - Dollis HillKilburnN . W .

    May , 11 , 1889 . ,

    Southey And Coleridge At The

    SOUTHEY AND COLERIDGE AT THE

    BRISTOL LIBRARY . A recent discoveryat the Bristol Museum

    and Library , of the old , library registers of the Bristol p _ P Library ¦ Society h which waa established

    in ^ pp ^^^^ ^ pp ^ 1773 « P ?^^ ^ p * ^^^ P ^ p , pP ^ PIP ^ has ^^^ >« pP Pi ^ P ) ' ^ T occasioned ^ - H » - ^^ r ^— — w - ^— — a , - ^ m much — w — —^ - — — interest w —— — — — r — . ^— ^ ' — - - They — - — — ' - — — contai ^ p ^ pr ^^ ^ p" p . Pf ^^^ P ^ pf ^^^^ . T n P * p"p * not ^ p * p ^^ ^^^*^ ^ p * onl ^^~ p ^ P" p ^ K ¦ " ™ y W the ^¦ p ^ ¦ ¦ ™ ip ^ names ^ * ¦—~^ ^^^ ^ —» ¦ ¦ ^^ ^^ r ^^ en ~— ^ ^— autograp ^» ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^¦ p ^ ¦ pr ~^ h ^ » he " ^ ^^^ of ^ p ^ ¦ ^

    many illustrious men who were living in Bristol at that timebut they supply a record of the

    literature most , in demand at that period and tiKe ^ m- ^^ m p ^ ^ pp- "books v «^ - ^^ - ^ r p ~ ¦—» ¦ that —^ ^^ —^ " ¦ - — were " ' — — - ¦ read - ^ ^ " ^ ^ ~ - — " . ¦ - ¦ U ^ pon ¦ " ¦¦— ' ' g mppm < lancing — —~ — ' - - —~ 'hpm

    over the long list of names in the first register are noticed ^ he signatures of Bishop Newton , ^|

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), May 15, 1889, page 517, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15051889/page/7/