THE CENSORSHIP PLOT
SK—As your correspondents have pointed out, Mr. Cary goes too far in failing to dis- tinguish between horror comics for children and erotic literature for adults. Once I become an adult citizen of a democratic state, my religion and my morality are nobody's busi- ness but my own—least of all that of some glorified father-figure called the Home Secre- tary, who tells me that if I want to grow up a nicely. behaved Christian gentleman (and I must want to do so), then 1 must not be allowed to read 'naughty' books.
With children's reading matter the case is different : children are not citizens of a demo- cratic state, and it is their parents' business (who, are, or should be, responsible citizens) to plan their education, though they should not, in my view, prevent them from reading anything that adults read. But adults do not read horror comics, which arc, in any case. not literature; and if the parents of this country decide that horror comics should be banned, there does not seem to me to be anything un- democratic or uncivilised about the parliamen- tary enactment of the appropriate law.
It is not enough that the Home Secretary or Lord Chamberlain, or however we style the dictator in question, allows the book, film or play under consideration. No individual ought to have the power to allow such things, and hence not the power to disallow them.—Yours faithfully,
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