The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (NYSSV or SSV) was an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public, founded in 1873. Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and district attorneys in bringing offenders to justice. It and its members also pushed for additional laws against perceived immoral conduct. While the NYSSV is better remembered for its opposition to literary works, it also closely monitored the newsstands, commonly found on city sidewalks and in transportation terminals, which sold the popular newspapers and periodicals of the day.
Later that year, The New York Times said that the Society's efforts would be in vain because "widely read newspapers can flaunt criminal advertisements, or prurient or sensuous descriptions and accounts of the proceedings of the divorce courts, and other nastiness, before their readers, not only unpunished, but with the moral support of the oftentimes respectable and religious families that patronize them."[4]The New York Daily Herald complimented the Society for suppressing obscene literature that causes "destruction of the corner stone of our societal system" and has "tainted and poisoned" the minds of children.[5]
After Comstock's death in 1915, he was succeeded by John S. Sumner.[6][7] In 1947, the organization's name was changed to the Society to Maintain Public Decency because the former name no longer described the society's work.[8][9]
After Sumner's retirement in 1950, the organization was dissolved.
Actions pursued
1900: Encouraged authorities to arrest Olga Nethersole and others for "violating public decency" in Clyde Fitch's Broadway play Sapho. All were found innocent at trial.[10]
1920: After the magazine The Little Review serialized a passage of the book Ulysses dealing with the main character masturbating, the NYSSV, who objected to the book's content, took action to attempt to keep the book out of the United States. At a trial in 1921 the magazine was declared obscene and as a result Ulysses was banned in the United States.
1922: Encouraged the arrest of bookstore employee Raymond D. Halsey for selling the "obscene" novel Mademoiselle de Maupin by Théophile Gautier, which depicted adultery and homosexuality. Halsey was acquitted, and successfully sued the Society for false arrest and malicious prosecution. This case established that literary experts could offer testimony in support of a book to guide the judge's opinion.[16]
1922: Unsuccessful lawsuit against the publishing house Thomas Seltzer for publishing Casanova’s Homecoming by Arthur Schnitzler and A Young Girl‘s Diary (with foreword by Sigmund Freud) by Hermine Hug-Hellmuth.
1920s and '30s: Prosecuted a long war against the so-called "girlie pulps," which featured titillating fiction, sometimes accompanied with nude photography.[17]
1925: Attacked as indecent the magazines Artists and Models and Art Lovers' Magazine.[18]
1930: Forced pulp publisher Harold Hersey to suppress the depiction of violence and lawlessness in his new line of gang pulps, which included Gangster Stories and Racketeer Stories.[21]
1932: Falsely arrested a bookseller for displaying a book on nudism in his store's window. John S. Sumner, secretary of the society, was ordered to pay the bookseller $500 in restitution.[22]
1933: Wins conviction resulting in a $200 fine over distribution of the book "The Man In The Monkey Suit" by Frances W. King.[23]
1934: Raided magazine "back-number" shops to confiscate four new magazines with the titles Real Boudoir Tales, Real Temptation Tales, Real Forbidden Sweets, and Real French Capers.[25]
1935: Charged that Jim Tully's novel Ladies in the Parlor was indecent and emphasized "dirt in the raw."[26]
1937: Attempted to block circulation of James T. Farrell's novel A World I Never Made for using obscene language.[27]
The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice is not to be confused with its namesake, the earlier, 19th-century Society for the Suppression of Vice.
^"Bills Passed". Buffalo Morning Express. May 7, 1873. p. 1.
^"Legislative Record". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York). May 13, 1873. p. 4.
^Encyclopedia of Censorship. New York: Facts on File, 2005. Page 522.
^"A Hint to Preachers". The New York Times. December 28, 1873. p. 4.
^"Obscene Literature". New York Daily Herald. November 1, 1874. p. 10.
^"John Summer to Continue Anthony Comstock's Work". Buffalo Evening News. October 4, 1915. p. 15.
^Kreymborg, Alfred, Troubador, 1925, chapter 12, page 79 of the 1957, Sagamore Press paperback.
^"Vice Suppression Society Tones Down Its Name". United Press International. Dunkirk Evening Observer (Dunkirk, New York). July 28, 1947. p. 2.
^"New Name Chosen by Sumner Group". The New York Times. July 3, 1947.
^"The Sapho Affair". American Experience. Retrieved 2011-03-19. During one performance, Olga Nethersole was placed under arrest for "violating public decency." Her trial transfixed the city for weeks. Instructed by the trial judge that they were "not the guardians of the morals of this community," the jury took only 15 minutes to find Nethersole innocent. No sooner had the judge laid down his gavel, than the curtain rose again on Sapho. This time, the crowds were even bigger.
^Dawn B. Sova (August 2006). Literature suppressed on sexual grounds. Infobase Publishing. pp. 108–109. ISBN978-0-8160-6272-0. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
^"Vice Society Assails Book," New York Times, August 21, 1916.
^"Vice Society Head Hissed By Women," New York Times, November 18, 1916.
^Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940 by George Chauncey Basic Books (May 18, 1995) ISBN0-465-02621-4
^"Banning Jurgen". James Branch Cabell: Literary Life and Legacy. September 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
^Bill Morgan and Nancy Joyce Peters, (2006). Howl on trial: the battle for free expression. City Lights Books, ISBN0-87286-479-0 (p. 9).
^Ellis, Douglas. Uncovered: The Hidden Art of the Girlie Pulps. Adventure House, 2003. ISBN1-886937-74-5.
^"Magazine Sales Attacked in Court," New York Times, May 30, 1925.
^"Graphic Publisher Is Haled to Court," New York Times, February 5, 1927.
^"Seize 3,000 Books as 'Indecent' Writing," New York Times, October 5, 1929.
^"Sumner Must Pay $500 for False Arrest Of Bookseller Over Pictures on Nudism", The New York Times. April 16, 1936. Page 6.
^"Bookseller Fined $200". The New York Times. May 13, 1933.
^"Sumner Defeated in Fight on a Book," New York Times, May 24, 1933.
^"11,744 New Magazines Seized as Indecent," New York Times, October 10, 1934.
^"Tully Book 'Indecent,' " New York Times, August 17, 1935.
^"Suit Seeks to Ban Novel by Farrell" New York Times, January 15, 1937.
^"Many Shops Halt Seized Book Sale" New York Times, July 10, 1946.
^" 'Hecate' Obscene; Publisher Is Fined" New York Times, November 28, 1946.
Further reading
Gertzman, Jay A. Bookleggers and Smuthounds: The Trade in Erotica, 1920–1940, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. ISBN0-8122-1798-5
August 22, 2023
york, society, suppression, vice, nyssv, institution, dedicated, supervising, morality, public, founded, 1873, specific, mission, monitor, compliance, with, state, laws, work, with, courts, district, attorneys, bringing, offenders, justice, members, also, push. The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice NYSSV or SSV was an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public founded in 1873 Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and district attorneys in bringing offenders to justice It and its members also pushed for additional laws against perceived immoral conduct While the NYSSV is better remembered for its opposition to literary works it also closely monitored the newsstands commonly found on city sidewalks and in transportation terminals which sold the popular newspapers and periodicals of the day New York Society for the Suppression of ViceAbbreviationNYSSV or SSVFoundedMay 1873 1873 05 FounderAnthony ComstockDissolved1950 1950 Contents 1 History 1 1 Actions pursued 2 Note 3 See also 4 References 5 Further readingHistory EditThe NYSSV was founded by Anthony Comstock and his supporters in the Young Men s Christian Association In May 1873 the NYSSV was chartered by the New York state legislature 1 2 which granted its agents the powers of search seizure and arrest and awarded the society half of all fines levied in resulting cases 3 Later that year The New York Times said that the Society s efforts would be in vain because widely read newspapers can flaunt criminal advertisements or prurient or sensuous descriptions and accounts of the proceedings of the divorce courts and other nastiness before their readers not only unpunished but with the moral support of the oftentimes respectable and religious families that patronize them 4 The New York Daily Herald complimented the Society for suppressing obscene literature that causes destruction of the corner stone of our societal system and has tainted and poisoned the minds of children 5 After Comstock s death in 1915 he was succeeded by John S Sumner 6 7 In 1947 the organization s name was changed to the Society to Maintain Public Decency because the former name no longer described the society s work 8 9 After Sumner s retirement in 1950 the organization was dissolved Actions pursued Edit 1900 Encouraged authorities to arrest Olga Nethersole and others for violating public decency in Clyde Fitch s Broadway play Sapho All were found innocent at trial 10 1915 Forced off the market Stanislaw Przybyszewski s Homo sapiens 11 1916 Forced off the market Theodore Dreiser s The Genius 12 1916 Opposed Margaret Sanger and publishers of birth control books 13 1919 At its urging a police raid at the Everard Baths resulted in nine arrests 14 1920 Seized the printing plates and all pages to Jurgen A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell Charges were dismissed two years later but banning the book boosted its sales 15 1920 After the magazine The Little Review serialized a passage of the book Ulysses dealing with the main character masturbating the NYSSV who objected to the book s content took action to attempt to keep the book out of the United States At a trial in 1921 the magazine was declared obscene and as a result Ulysses was banned in the United States 1922 Encouraged the arrest of bookstore employee Raymond D Halsey for selling the obscene novel Mademoiselle de Maupin by Theophile Gautier which depicted adultery and homosexuality Halsey was acquitted and successfully sued the Society for false arrest and malicious prosecution This case established that literary experts could offer testimony in support of a book to guide the judge s opinion 16 1922 Unsuccessful lawsuit against the publishing house Thomas Seltzer for publishing Casanova s Homecoming by Arthur Schnitzler and A Young Girl s Diary with foreword by Sigmund Freud by Hermine Hug Hellmuth 1920s and 30s Prosecuted a long war against the so called girlie pulps which featured titillating fiction sometimes accompanied with nude photography 17 1925 Attacked as indecent the magazines Artists and Models and Art Lovers Magazine 18 1927 Attacked publisher Bernarr Macfadden s newspaper the New York Graphic 19 1927 Shut down Mae West s first starring role on Broadway the play Sex West spent ten days in jail 1929 Seized 3 000 books from three book dealers titles included Ulysses Lady Chatterley s Lover and novels by Oscar Wilde Frank Harris and Clement Wood 20 1930 Forced pulp publisher Harold Hersey to suppress the depiction of violence and lawlessness in his new line of gang pulps which included Gangster Stories and Racketeer Stories 21 1932 Falsely arrested a bookseller for displaying a book on nudism in his store s window John S Sumner secretary of the society was ordered to pay the bookseller 500 in restitution 22 1933 Wins conviction resulting in a 200 fine over distribution of the book The Man In The Monkey Suit by Frances W King 23 1933 Lost fight to have Erskine Caldwell s novel God s Little Acre declared obscene 24 1934 Raided magazine back number shops to confiscate four new magazines with the titles Real Boudoir Tales Real Temptation Tales Real Forbidden Sweets and Real French Capers 25 1935 Charged that Jim Tully s novel Ladies in the Parlor was indecent and emphasized dirt in the raw 26 1937 Attempted to block circulation of James T Farrell s novel A World I Never Made for using obscene language 27 1946 Charged Edmund Wilson s Memoirs of Hecate County with obscenity 28 29 Note EditThe New York Society for the Suppression of Vice is not to be confused with its namesake the earlier 19th century Society for the Suppression of Vice See also Edit New York state portalComstock laws Vice Censorship Jurgen A Comedy of Justice Book burningReferences Edit Bills Passed Buffalo Morning Express May 7 1873 p 1 Legislative Record The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Brooklyn New York May 13 1873 p 4 Encyclopedia of Censorship New York Facts on File 2005 Page 522 A Hint to Preachers The New York Times December 28 1873 p 4 Obscene Literature New York Daily Herald November 1 1874 p 10 John Summer to Continue Anthony Comstock s Work Buffalo Evening News October 4 1915 p 15 Kreymborg Alfred Troubador 1925 chapter 12 page 79 of the 1957 Sagamore Press paperback Vice Suppression Society Tones Down Its Name United Press International Dunkirk Evening Observer Dunkirk New York July 28 1947 p 2 New Name Chosen by Sumner Group The New York Times July 3 1947 The Sapho Affair American Experience Retrieved 2011 03 19 During one performance Olga Nethersole was placed under arrest for violating public decency Her trial transfixed the city for weeks Instructed by the trial judge that they were not the guardians of the morals of this community the jury took only 15 minutes to find Nethersole innocent No sooner had the judge laid down his gavel than the curtain rose again on Sapho This time the crowds were even bigger Dawn B Sova August 2006 Literature suppressed on sexual grounds Infobase Publishing pp 108 109 ISBN 978 0 8160 6272 0 Retrieved 12 July 2011 Vice Society Assails Book New York Times August 21 1916 Vice Society Head Hissed By Women New York Times November 18 1916 Gay New York Gender Urban Culture and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890 1940 by George Chauncey Basic Books May 18 1995 ISBN 0 465 02621 4 Banning Jurgen James Branch Cabell Literary Life and Legacy September 2021 Retrieved September 11 2021 Bill Morgan and Nancy Joyce Peters 2006 Howl on trial the battle for free expression City Lights Books ISBN 0 87286 479 0 p 9 Ellis Douglas Uncovered The Hidden Art of the Girlie Pulps Adventure House 2003 ISBN 1 886937 74 5 Magazine Sales Attacked in Court New York Times May 30 1925 Graphic Publisher Is Haled to Court New York Times February 5 1927 Seize 3 000 Books as Indecent Writing New York Times October 5 1929 Locke John editor Gang Pulp Off Trail Publications 2008 ISBN 978 1 935031 00 0 Sumner Must Pay 500 for False Arrest Of Bookseller Over Pictures on Nudism The New York Times April 16 1936 Page 6 Bookseller Fined 200 The New York Times May 13 1933 Sumner Defeated in Fight on a Book New York Times May 24 1933 11 744 New Magazines Seized as Indecent New York Times October 10 1934 Tully Book Indecent New York Times August 17 1935 Suit Seeks to Ban Novel by Farrell New York Times January 15 1937 Many Shops Halt Seized Book Sale New York Times July 10 1946 Hecate Obscene Publisher Is Fined New York Times November 28 1946 Further reading EditGertzman Jay A Bookleggers and Smuthounds The Trade in Erotica 1920 1940 University of Pennsylvania Press 1999 ISBN 0 8122 1798 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title New York Society for the Suppression of Vice amp oldid 1167531197, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
