287:. In Boston, with police, press, and a large crowd in attendance, Mencken sold a copy of the magazine to society secretary J. Frank Chase. Mencken was arrested. In the ensuing trial, the magazine was found not to be obscene, and Mencken was acquitted. Mencken proceeded to successfully sue the Watch and Ward Society for illegal restraint of trade. Chase died later that year, and the society's influence began to decline.
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383:, the rehabilitation of criminals, and the study of social issues that lead to crime. In 1957, the organization's name was changed to the New England Citizens Crime Commission, and in 1975 it was merged with the Massachusetts Correctional Association to form the Crime and Justice Foundation, which later became
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in 1873 as a vehicle for a crusade against numerous perceived ills of society, and sought to establish chapters of the organization in other cities. The New
England Society was to be the first such chapter. The meeting, attended by more than 400 men (women were denied admittance due to the subject
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matter), elected a committee of eight men to run the organization. Its first agent was Henry Chase, hired in 1882; he served the society for more than 20 years, and the president of the society for many of its early years was
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kept books that had been deemed objectionable in a locked room, publishers and booksellers held back publications for fear of the organization's influence with prosecutors and judges, and plays were performed in a
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kept books that had been deemed objectionable in a locked room, publishers and booksellers held back publications for fear of the organization's influence with prosecutors and judges, and plays were performed in a
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New
England Society for the Suppression of Vice and Watch and Ward Society annual reports from 1878-1951 are available at the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department
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in 1879. In 1891, it was renamed the Watch and Ward
Society after an old volunteer police force, adopting the mission to "watch and ward off evildoers." It was headquartered on
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minister. The society's membership was open to anyone making contributions of $ 5 or more; according to historian Paul Boyer, the membership was "almost a roll call of
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of books and the performing arts from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. After the 1920s, its emphasis changed to combating the spread of
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and rights for ex-convicts. The remnants of the Watch and Ward
Society's endowments were propagated through all of these organizations.
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The New
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375:(1906–2004) became director of the society in 1948, and redirected its focus, choosing to emphasize action on
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Banned in Boston: The Watch and Ward
Society's Crusade against Books, Burlesque, and the Social Evil
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140:"Boston Version". The society's activities contributed to the popularization of the phrase "
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on the grounds of offensive language. That same year, in a decisive case, it failed to ban
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removed from a library, and in 1923, used its influence to suppress distribution of
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At the height of the society's power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the
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Purity in Print: Book
Censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age
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In 1882, the society played a role in instigating obscenity charges against
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aristocracy". The society held its first annual meeting in Boston's
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Directory of the
Charitable and Beneficent Organizations of Boston
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542:"Community Resources For Justice organizational history chart"
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144:", which became a target of parody and a marketing slogan.
120:. In 1975 it was merged with another organization to form
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330:. In 1933 the society moved its headquarters to no.41
112:. In 1957 the organization's name was changed to the
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512:"Photograph of 41 Mt. Vernon Street, April 6, 1947"
689:Dwight Strong, Watch and Ward Society leader, dies
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628:New England Society for the Suppression of Vice,
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714:Political advocacy groups in the United States
671:Digitized records of the society, through 1957
128:and rights for formerly incarcerated persons.
118:Massachusetts Council on Crime and Correction
158:New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
462:New England Watch and Ward Society (1903),
478:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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193:"Boston Version". Elsewhere, the phrase, "
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616:"H.L. Mencken Arrested in Boston"
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544:. Community Resources for Justice
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156:. Comstock had founded the
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373:Dwight Spaulding Strong
368:End of the organization
163:Frederick Baylies Allen
341:Appointment in Samarra
597:Miller, Neil (2010).
344:. In 1935, it banned
186:Boston Public Library
181:, circa 1890s-1900s.
133:Boston Public Library
102:Boston, Massachusetts
73:Boston, Massachusetts
574:Boyer, Paul (2002).
312:Erich Maria Remarque
351:The Children's Hour
332:Mount Vernon Street
327:An American Tragedy
297:Point Counter Point
148:Founding and naming
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255:Simon Called Peter
175:Park Street Church
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673:(hosted by
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336:John O'Hara
264:Janet March
244:1920s-1930s
237:Three Weeks
232:Elinor Glyn
191:bowdlerized
138:bowdlerized
85:New England
703:Categories
568:References
548:2010-11-16
379:and other
260:Floyd Dell
106:censorship
657:1905-1920
637:1885-1890
498:Telegraph
212:Boccaccio
167:Episcopal
46:Dissolved
31:Formation
648:, Boston
632:, Boston
474:citation
468:, Boston
377:gambling
348:'s play
302:Voltaire
222:Rabelais
110:gambling
100:) was a
307:Candide
275:Hatrack
171:Brahmin
51: (
36: (
605:
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517:1 July
395:Notes
381:vices
165:, an
653:1903
603:ISBN
584:ISBN
519:2014
480:link
300:and
220:and
92:The
61:Type
53:1975
49:1975
38:1879
34:1879
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
