US MODERNS

Alcohol is no longer the only commodity whose entry into the United States is forbidden by the customs office. A shipment of "Candide" has been banned by the collector of the port of Boston. Not because of the radical opinions expressed therein, but because the official found that certain portions of the volume were "dirty."

Local option has been hitherto the only means of keeping filthy literature from invasion of a certain district. The local watch and ward society bring the matter to the attention of police, who, after due deliberation, decide on the merits of the case. But now, silently, without amendment, national prohibition has arrived. Perhaps a law may follow, declaring a book legitimate of which not more than one half of one per cent, by pages, may be classed as filthy or obscene.

It is extremely doubtful, if the event will precipitate a Franco-American war, but it is certain to cause worry in the breasts of students of literature who take their duties seriously. Will they resort to readeasies and readhouses for glances at the illicit pages of Voltaire? It is doubtful, for although the book, like alcohol, has been banned from entry into the United States, the book, like alcohol is still on sale in Boston.