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"