COMICS AND CRIME
SIR,— The revolting story culled by Mr. John Betjcman from a children's book of strip cartoons, and outlined by him in the ' Spectator's Notebook ' of September 3. has also been retold, along with others like it, by Mr. T. E. Murphy of the Hartford, Connecticut, Courant, in the Reader's Digest Wf July, 1954. Mr. Murphy describes how he and his newspaper conducted a vigorous publicity campaign which drove such hooks off the news-stands of Hartford, without, it seems, any need for State legislation, but simply through the force of public opinion,
One would think that some of our national newspapers could do on a large scale what the Hartford Courant. did for a town, and thereby earn the gratitude of everyone.
Also, might not quite a number of copies of ' comics' of this quality be bought and sent to legislators, editors and other respon- sible persons witha view to adjusting the law to this corrosive innovation ? Surely not a few of us would be glad to contribute to the expenses of such an enterprise if we were to read what Mr. Betjentan reports.- -Yours faithfully,
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