,transcriber's ,notes3      ,every     
effort has been made to replicate this  
text as faithfully     as possible1     
including inconsistencies in spelling   
and hyphenation4     ,some corrections  
of spelling and punctuation have been   
made4 ,they     are listed at the end of
 the text4      ,italic text has been   
marked with underscores4          ,,is  
,,the ,,bible ,,indictable8    ,,by     
,,annie ,,besant4    ,,being ,,an       
,,enquiry ,,whether ,,the ,,bible       
,,comes   ,,within ,,the ,,ruling ,,of  
,,the ,,lord ,,chief   ,,justice ,,as   
,,to ,,obscene ,,literature4            
,,london3   ,,freethought ,,publishing  
,,company1   #bh1 ,stonecutter ,street1 
,e4,c4    ,,price ,,twopence4           
,,london3   ,,printed ,,by ,,annie      
,,besant ,,and ,,charles ,,bradlaugh1   
#bh1 ,,stonecutter ,,street1 ,e4,c4     
,,is ,,the ,,bible ,,indictable8  ,,an  
,,enquiry ,,whether ,,the ,,bible       
,,comes ,,within ,,the ,,ruling ,,of    
,,the ,,lord ,,chief ,,justice ,,as ,,to

 ,,obscene ,,literature4   ,the ruling  
of ,sir ,alexander ,cockburn in the late
 trial1 the ,queen against ,bradlaugh   
and ,besant1 seems to involve wider     
issues than the ,lord ,chief ,justice   
intended1 or than the legal ally of     
,nature and ,providence can desire4 ,the
 question of motive is entirely set on  
one side2 the purest motives are        
valueless if the information conveyed is
 such as is capable of being turned to  
bad purposes by the evil-minded and the 
corrupt4 ,this view of the law would not
 be enforced against expensive medical  
works2 provided that the price set on a 
book be such as shall keep it out of    
reach of the common people1 its teaching
 may be thoroughly immoral but it is not
 obscene4 ,dr4 ,fleetwood ,churchill1   
for instance1 is not committing an      
indictable offence by giving directions 
as to the simplest and easiest way of   
procuring abortion2 he is not committing
 a misdemeanour1 although he points out 
means which any woman could obtain and  

use for herself2 he does not place      
himself within reach of the law1        
although he recommends the practice of  
abortion in all cases where previous    
experience proves that the birth of a   
living child is impossible4 ,a check to 
population which destroys life is thus  
passed over as legal1 perhaps because   
the destruction of life is the check so 
largely employed by ,nature and         
,providence1 and would thus ensure the  
approval of the ,solicitor-,general4    
,but the real reason why ,dr4 ,churchill
 is left unmolested and ,dr4 ,knowlton  
is assailed1 lies in the difference of  
the price at which the two are severally
 published4 ,if ,dr4 ,knowlton was sold 
at #ajs4 #f;d4 and ,dr4 ,churchill at   
#f;d41 then the vials of legal wrath    
would have descended on the advocate of 
abortion and not on the teacher of      
prevention4 ,the obscenity lies1 to a   
great extent1 in the price of the book  
sold4 ,a vulgar little sixpence is      
obscene1 a dainty half-sovereign is     

respectable4 ,poor people must be       
content to remain ignorant1 or to buy   
the injurious quack treatises circulated
 in secret2 wealthier people1 who want  
knowledge less1 are to be protected by  
the law in their purchases of medical   
works1 but if poor people1 in sore need1
 finding an undoubted physician ready to
 aid them1 venture to ask for his work1 
written especially for them1 the law    
strikes down those who sell them health 
and happiness4 ,they must not complain2 
,nature and ,providence have placed them
 in a state of poverty1 and have        
mercifully provided for them effectual1 
if painful1 checks to population4 ,the  
same element of price rules the decency 
or the indecency of pictures4 ,a picture
 painted in oils1 life size1 of the     
naked human figure1 such as ,venus      
disrobed for the bath1 or ,phryne before
 her judges1 or ,perseus and ,andromeda1
 exhibited to the upper classes1 in a   
gallery1 with a shilling admission      
charge1 is a perfectly decent and       

respectable work of art4 ,photographs of
 those pictures1 uncoloured1 and reduced
 in size1 are obscene publications1 and 
are seized as such by the police4       
,cheapness is1 therefore1 an essential  
part of obscenity4  ,if a book be cheap1
 what constitutes it an obscene book8   
,lord ,campbell1 advocating in          
,parliament the ,act against obscene    
literature which bears his name1 laid   
down very clearly his view of what      
should1 legally1 be an obscene work4 ,it
 must be a work written for the single  
purpose of corrupting the morals of     
youth1 and of a nature calculated to    
shock the feelings of decency in any    
well-regulated mind 7,hansard1 vol4     
#adf1 ,no4 #b1 p4 #cbi74 ,the law1      
according to him1 was never to be       
levelled even against works which might 
be considered immoral and indecent1 such
 as some of those of ,dryden1 ,congreve1
 or ,rochester4 ,the keeping1 or the    
reading1 or the delighting in such      
things must be left to taste1 and was   

not a subject for legal interference2   
the law was only to interpose where the 
motive of the seller was bad2 when there
 were people who designedly and         
industriously manufactured books and    
prints with the intention of corrupting 
the public morals1 and when they        
succeeded in their infamous purpose1 he 
thought it was necessary for the        
legislature to interpose 7,hansard1 vol4
 #adf1 ,no4 #d1 p4 #hfe74  ,the ruling  
of the present ,lord ,chief ,justice in 
the late trial is in direct opposition  
to the view taken by ,lord ,campbell4   
,the chief says3 ,knowlton goes into    
physiological details connected with the
 functions of the generation and        
procreation of children4 ,the principles
 of this pamphlet1 with its details1 are
 to be found in greater abundance and   
distinctness in numerous works to which 
your attention has been directed1 and1  
having these details before you1 you    
must judge for yourselves whether there 
is anything in them which is calculated 

to excite the passions of man and debase
 the public morals4 ,if so1 every       
medical work is open to the same        
imputation 7,trial1 p4 #bfa74 ,the ,lord
 ,chief ,justice then refers to the very
 species of book against which ,lord    
,campbell said that he directed his     
,act4 ,there are books1 the chief says1 
which have for their purpose the        
exciting of libidinous thoughts1 and are
 intended to give to persons who take   
pleasure in that sort of thing the      
impure gratification which the          
contemplation of such thoughts is       
calculated to give4 ,if the book were of
 that character it would be condemnable1
 and so far all are agreed as to the    
law4 ,but ,sir ,alexander ,cockburn goes
 further1 and here is the danger of his 
interpretation of the law3 ,though the  
intention is not unduly to convey this  
knowledge1 and gratify prurient and     
libidinous thoughts1 still1 if its      
effect is to excite and create thoughts 
of so demoralising a character to the   

mind of the reader1 the work is open to 
the condemnation asked for at your hands
 7,trial1 p4 #bfa74 ,its effect on what 
reader8 ,suppose a person of prurient   
mind buys ,dr4 ,carpenter's ,human      
,physiology1 and reads the long chapter1
 containing over #ajj pages1 wholly     
devoted to a minute description of      
generation2 the effect of the reading   
will be to excite and create thoughts of
 the demoralising character spoken of4  
,according to the ,lord ,chief          
,justice's ruling1 ,dr4 ,carpenter's    
would then become an obscene book4 ,the 
evil motive is transferred from the     
buyer to the seller1 and then the seller
 is punished for the buyer's bad intent2
 vicarious punishment seems to have     
passed from the church into the law     
court4 ,there can be no doubt that every
 medical book now comes under the head  
of obscene literature1 for they may all 
be read by impure people1 and will      
infallibly have the effect of arousing  
prurient thoughts2 that they are written

 for a good purpose1 that they are      
written to cure disease1 is no excuse2  
the motive of the writer must not be    
considered2 the law has decided that    
books whose intention is to convey      
physiological knowledge1 and that not   
unduly1 are obscene1 if the reader's    
passions chance to be aroused by them2  
we must not listen to arguments upon    
moral obligations arising out of any    
motive1 or out of any desire to benefit 
humanity1 or to do good to your species 
7,trial1 p4 #bcg74 ,the only protection 
of these1 otherwise obscene1 books lies 
in their price2 they are generally      
highly-priced1 and they do thus lack one
 essential element of obscenity4 ,for   
the useful book that bad people make    
harmful must be cheap in order to be    
practically obscene2 it must be within  
reach of the poor1 and be capable of    
being sold at the corners of the        
streets1 and at bookstalls1 to every one
 who has sixpence to spare 7,trial1 p4  
#bfa74  ,the new ruling touches all the 

dramatists and writers that ,lord       
,campbell had no idea of attacking2 no  
one can doubt that many of ,congreve's  
dramas are calculated to arouse sexual  
passion2 these are sold at a very low   
price1 and they have not even the       
defence of conveying any useful         
information2 they come most distinctly  
within the ruling of the ,lord ,chief   
,justice2 why are they to be permitted  
free circulation8 ,sterne1 ,fielding1   
,smollett1 ,swift1 must all be flung    
into the dusthole after ,congreve1      
,wycherley1 ,jonson2 ,dryden1 of course1
 follows these without delay1 and       
,spencer1 with his ,faerie ,queene1 is  
the next victim4 ,shakespeare can have  
no quarter shown him2 not only are most 
gross passages scattered through his    
works1 but the motive of some of them is
 directly calculated to arouse the      
passions2 for how many youthful love    
fevers is not ,romeo and ,juliet        
answerable2 what of ,cymbeline1         
,pericles1 or ,titus ,andronicus8 ,can  

,venus and ,adonis tend to anything     
except to the rousing of passion8 is    
,lucrece not obscene8 ,yet ,macmillan's 
,globe ,edition of ,shakespeare is      
regarded as one of the most admirable   
publishing efforts made by that eminent 
firm to put ,english masterpieces in the
 hands of the poor4 ,coming to our time1
 what is to be done with ,byron8 ,don   
,juan is surely calculated to corrupt1  
not to speak of other poems1 such as    
,parisina4 ,what of ,shelley1 with his  
,cenci8 ,swinburne1 must of course1 be  
burned at once4 ,every one of these     
great names is now branded as obscene1  
and1 under the ruling of the ,lord      
,chief ,justice every one of them must  
be condemned4 ,suppose some one should  
follow ,hetherington's example8 ,suppose
 that we should become the prosecutors  
instead of the prosecuted8 ,suppose that
 we should drag others to share our     
prison1 and should bring the most       
honoured names of authors into the same 
condemnation that has struck us8 ,why   

should we show to others a consideration
 that has not been shown to us8 ,if it  
is said that we should not strike1 we   
answer2 ,then leave us alone1 and       
calculate the consequences before you   
touch us again4 ,the law has been       
declared by the ,lord ,chief ,justice of
 ,england2 why is not that law as       
binding on ,macmillan as on us8 ,the law
 has been narrowed in order to enmesh   
,freethought3 its net will catch other  
fishes as well1 or else break under the 
strain and let all go free4 ,the        
,christians desire to make two laws1 and
 show their hands too plainly3 one law  
is to be strict1 and is to apply wholly 
to ,freethinkers2 cheating ,christians1 
who sell even ,knowlton1 are to be      
winked at by the authorities1 and are to
 be let off scot free2 but this is not  
all4 ,ritualists circulate a book beside
 which ,knowlton is said to be purity   
itself1 and the law does not touch them2
 no warrants are issued for their       
apprehension2 no prosecution is paid for

 by a hidden enemy2 no law-officer of   
the ,crown is briefed against them4 ,why
 is this8 because to attack ,christians 
is to draw attention to the foundation  
of ,christianity2 because to attack the 
,priest in ,absolution is to attack     
,moses4 ,the ,christian walls are made  
out of ,bible-glass1 and they fear to   
throw stones lest they should break     
their own house4 ,listen to ,mr4        
,ridsdale1 a brother of the ,holy       
,cross3 ,i wonder1 he says1 why some one
 does not stand up in the ,house of     
,lords and bring a charge against the   
,bible 7especially ,leviticus7 as an    
immoral book4 ,the ,church ,times1 the  
organ of the ,ritualists1 has a letter  
which runs thus3 ,suppose a patrician   
and a pontifex in old ,rome had with    
care and deliberation extracted         
sentences from ,holy ,writ1 separated   
them from their context1 suppressed the 
general nature and character of the     
book1 and then accused the bishop and   
his clergy of deliberately preparing an 

obscene book to contaminate the young   
7how readily he might have made such    
extracts671 what should we have said of 
such ruffians8 ,this1 then1 is the      
shield of the clergy2 the ,bible is     
itself so obscene that ,christians fear 
to prosecute priests who circulate      
obscenity4  ,does the ,bible come within
 the ruling of the ,lord ,chief ,justice
 as to obscene literature8 ,most        
decidedly it does1 and if prosecuted as 
an obscene book1 it must necessarily be 
condemned1 if the law is justly         
administered4 ,every ,christian ought   
therefore to range himself on our side1 
and demand a reversal of the present    
rule1 for under it his own sacred book  
is branded as obscene1 and may be       
prosecuted as such by any unbeliever4   
,first1 the book is widely circulated at
 a low price4 ,if the ,bible were       
restricted in its circulation by being  
sold at #ajs4 #f;d4 or a guinea1 it     
might escape being placed in the        
category of obscene literature under the

 present ruling4 ,but no such defence   
can be pleaded for it4 ,it is sold at   
#h;d4 a copy1 printed on cheap paper1   
and strongly bound1 for use in schools2 
it is given away by thousands among the 
common people1 whose morals are now so  
carefully looked after in the matter of 
books2 it is presented to little        
children of both sexes1 and they are    
told to read it carefully4 ,to such an  
extent is this carried1 that some       
thousands of children assembled together
 were actually told by ,lord ,sandon1   
the ,vice-,president of the ,committee  
of ,council on ,education1 to read the  
,bible right through from beginning to  
end1 and were bidden not to pick and    
choose4 ,the element of price is clearly
 against the ,bible if it be proved to  
have in it anything which is of a nature
 calculated to suggest impure thoughts4 
,as to the motives of the writers1 we   
need not trouble about them4 ,the law   
now says that intention is nothing1 and 
no desire to do good is any excuse for  

obscenity 7,trial1 p4 #beg74  ,there    
remains the vital question3 is the      
effect of some of its passages to excite
 and create demoralising thoughts8      
7,trial1 p4 #bfa74  ,the difficulty of  
dealing with this question is that many 
of the quotations necessary to prove    
that the ,bible comes under the ruling  
of the ,lord ,chief ,justice are of such
 an extremely coarse and disgusting     
character1 that it is really impossible 
to reproduce them without intensifying  
the evil which they are calculated to   
do4 ,while ,i see no indecency in a     
plain statement of physiological facts1 
written for people's instruction1 ,i do 
see indecency in coarse and indelicate  
stories1 the reading of which can do no 
good to any human being1 and can have no
 effect save that of corrupting the mind
 and suggesting unclean ideas4 ,i       
therefore refuse to soil my pages with  
quotations1 and content myself with     
giving the references1 so that anyone   
who desires to use the ruling of the    

,lord ,chief ,justice to suppress the   
,bible may see what certainty of success
 awaits him if justice be done4 ,i shall
 not trouble about simple coarseness1   
such as ,gen4 iv4 #a1 #ag1 #be2 ,gen4   
vi4 #d2 or ,matt4 i4 #ah-bj1 #be4 ,if   
mere coarseness of expression were to be
 noted1 my task would be endless4 ,but  
let the intending prosecutor read the   
following passages4 ,a little boy of #h 
or #aj would scarcely be improved by    
reading ,gen4 ix4 #bj-be2 the           
drunkenness1 indecency1 and swearing in 
these six verses is surely calculated to
 corrupt the boy's mind4 ,the teaching  
of ,gen4 xvi4 #a-e is scarcely elevating
 for the common people1 seeing the      
example set by the friend of ,god4 ,gen4
 xvii4 #aj-ad and #bc-bg is very coarse4
 ,would ,gen4 xix4 #d-i improve a young 
maiden1 or would it not suggest the most
 impure thoughts1 verse #e dealing with 
an idea that should surely never be put 
into a girl's mind8 ,the same chapter1  
#cj-ch1 is revolting2 and ,deut4 ii4 #i 

and #ai implies ,god's approval of the  
unnatural crime4 ,the ignorance of      
physiology which is thought best for    
girls would receive a shock1 when in    
reading the ,bible straight through1 the
 day's portion comprised ,gen4 xxv41    
#ba-bf4 ,gen4 xxvi41 #h is not nice1 nor
 is ,gen4 xxix41 #ba-ce1 and ,gen4 xxx4 
,the story of ,dinah1 ,gen4 xxxiv42 of  
,reuben1 ,gen4 xxxv41 #bb2 of ,onan1    
,gen4 xxxviii41 #h-aj2 of ,judah and    
,tamar1 xxxviii41 #ac-bf2 of the birth  
of ,tamar's children1 xxxviii41 #bg-cj1 
are all revolting in their foulness of  
phraseology4 ,why the ,bible should be  
allowed to tell the story of ,onan seems
 very strange1 and the righteousness of 
,tamar 7v4 #bf7 wins approval4 ,is this 
thought purifying teaching for the      
common people8 ,the story of ,joseph and
 ,potiphar's wife1 ,gen4 xxxix41 #g-ah1 
,i have heard read in church to the     
manifest discomfort of some of the      
congregation1 and the amusement of      
others1 while ,joseph flying from       

temptation and leaving his garment with 
,potiphar's wife is a picture often seen
 in ,sunday schools4 ,thus twelve out of
 the fifty chapters of ,genesis are     
undeniably obscene1 and if there is any 
justice in ,england1 ,genesis ought to  
be suppressed4 ,we pass to ,exodus4 ,ex4
 i41 #ae-ai is surely indecent4 ,i am   
not dealing with immoral teaching1 or   
,god's blessing on the falsehood of the 
midwives 7#bj1 #ba7 would need comment4 
,ex4 iv41 #bd-bf1 is very coarse2 so    
also ,ex4 xxii41 #af1 #ag1 #ai4         
,leviticus is coarse throughout1 but is 
especially so in chaps4 v41 #c2 xii42   
xv42 xviii41 #f-bc2 xx41 #aj-ba2 xxii41 
#c-e4 ,the trial of jealousy is most    
revolting in ,numb4 v41 #ab-bi4 ,numb4  
xxv41 #f-h is hardly a nice story for a 
child1 nor is that of ,numb4 xxxi41 #ag1
 #ah4 ,deut4 xxi41 #aj-ad is not pure   
teaching for soldiers4 ,deut4 xxii41    
#ac-ba is extremely coarse2 the         
remainder of the chapter comes also     
within the ,chief's ruling1 as do also  

chaps4 xxiii41 #a1 #aj1 #aa2 xxv41 #aa1 
#ab2 xxvii41 #bj1 #bb1 #bc2 xxviii41    
#eg4 ,the fault of the book of ,joshua  
lies chiefly in its exceeding brutality 
and bloodthirstiness1 but it1 also1 does
 not quite escape the charge of         
obscenity1 as may be seen by referring  
to the following passage3 chap4 v41     
#b-h4 ,judges is occasionally very foul1
 and is utterly unfit for general       
reading1 according to the late          
definition2 ,ehud and ,eglon1 ,judges1  
iii41 #ae-be1 would not bear reading    
aloud1 and the story might have been    
told equally well in decent language4   
,or take the horribly disgusting tale of
 the ,levite and his concubine 7,judges 
xix471 and then judge whether a book    
containing such stories is fit for use  
in schools4 ,dr4 ,carpenter's book may  
do good there1 because1 with all its    
plain speaking1 it conveys useful       
information2 but what good--mental1     
physical1 or moral--can be done to a    
young girl by reading ,judges xix48 ,and

 the harm done is intensified by the    
fact that the ignorance in which girls  
are kept surrounds such a story with    
unwholesome interest1 as giving a       
glimpse into what is1 to them1 the great
 mystery of sex4 ,the story of ,ruth    
iii4 #c-ad is one which we should not   
like to see repeated by our daughters2  
for the virtue of a woman who should    
wait until a man was drunk1 and then go 
alone at night and lie down at his feet1
 would1 in our days1 be regarded as     
problematical4 #a ,sam4 ii4 #bb1 and v4 
#i are both obscene2 so are #a ,sam4    
xviii4 #be-bg and xxi4 #d1 #e4 #a ,sam4 
xxv4 #bb1 #cd are disgustingly coarse1  
and there are many similar coarse       
passages to be found in holy writ4 #b   
,sam4 vi4 #ad1 #af1 #bj1 is a little    
over-suggestive1 as is also #b ,sam4 x4 
#d4 ,the story of ,david dancing is told
 in #a ,chron4 xv4 #bg-bi without       
anything offensive in its tone4 ,the    
story of ,david and ,bathsheba is only  
too well known1 and as told in #b ,sam4 

xi4 #b-ac is far more calculated to     
arouse the passions than is anything in 
,knowlton4 ,the prophecy in #b ,sam4    
xii4 #aa1 #ab1 fulfilled in xvi4 #ba1   
#bb1 is repulsive in the extreme1 more  
especially when we are told that the    
shameful counsel was given by           
,ahithophel1 whose counsel1 which he    
counselled in those days1 was as if a   
man had inquired at the oracle of ,god4 
,if ,god's oracles give such counsel1   
the less they are resorted to the better
 for the welfare of the state4 ,we are  
next given the odious story of ,amnon   
and ,tamar 7#b ,sam4 xiii4 #a-bb71      
instructive for ,lord ,sandon's boys and
 girls to read together1 as they go     
through the ,bible from beginning to    
end4 #a ,kings i4 #a-d conveys an idea  
more worthy of ,george ,,iv4 than of the
 man after ,god's own heart4 ,in #a     
,kings xiv4 #aj1 the coarseness is      
inexcusable1 and verse #bd is only too  
intelligible after ,judges xix4 #b      
,kings ix4 #h1 xviii4 #bg1 are          

thoroughly ,biblical in their delicacy4 
#a ,chron4 xix4 #d repeats the          
unpleasant story of #b ,sam4 x4 #d2 but 
both #a and #b ,chronicles are1 for the 
,bible1 remarkably free from coarseness1
 and are a great improvement on the     
books of ,kings and ,samuel4 ,the same  
praise is deserved by ,ezra and         
,nehemiah4 ,the tone of the story of    
,esther is somewhat sensual throughout3 
the drunken king commanding ,vashti to  
come in and show her beauty1 ,esther i4 
#aa2 the search for the young virgins1  
,esther ii4 #b-d2 the trial and choice1 
,esther ii4 #ab-ag1 these are scarcely  
elevating reading2 ,esther vii4 #h is   
also coarse4 ,to a girl whose safety is 
in her ignorance1 ,job iii4 #aa is very 
plain4 ,psalm xxxviii4 #e-g gives a     
description of a certain class of       
disease in exact terms4 ,proverbs v4    
#ag-bj is good advice1 but would be     
condemned by the ,lord ,chief ,justice2 
,proverbs vi4 #bd-cb is of the same     
character1 as is also ,proverbs vii4    

#e-bc4 ,the allusion in ,ecclesiastes   
xi4 #e would be objected to as improper 
by the ,solicitor-,general4  ,the ,song 
of ,solomon is a marriage-song of the   
sensual and luxuriant character3 put    
,knowlton side by side with it1 and then
 judge which is most calculated to      
arouse the passions4 ,it is almost      
impossible to select1 where all is of so
 extreme a character1 but take i4 #b1   
#ac2 ii4 #d-f1 #ag2 iii4 #a1 #d2 iv4 #e1
 #f1 #aa2 v4 #b-d1 #h1 #ad-af2 vii4 #b1 
#c1 #f-aj1 #ab2 viii4 #a-c1 #h-aj4      
,could any language be more alluring1   
more seductive1 more passion-rousing1   
than the languid1 uxorious1 linked      
sweetness long drawn out of this        
,eastern marriage-ode8 ,it is not       
vulgarly coarse and offensive as is so  
much of the ,bible1 but it is1 according
 to the ruling of the ,lord ,chief      
,justice1 a very obscene poem4 ,one may 
add that1 in addition to the allusions  
and descriptions that lie on the        
surface1 there is a multitude of        

suggestions not so apparent1 but which  
are thoroughly open to all who know     
anything of ,eastern imagery4  ,after   
the ,song of ,solomon1 it is a shock to 
come to the prophets2 it is like        
plunging into cold water after being in 
a hothouse4 ,unfortunately1 with the    
more bracing atmosphere1 we find the old
 brutality coming again to repel us1 and
 coarse denunciation shocks us1 as in   
,isaiah iii4 #ag4 ,how would the ,lord  
,chief ,justice have dealt with ,isaiah 
if he had lived in his day1 and acted as
 is recorded in ,isaiah xx41 #b-d8 ,he  
clearly would have put him in a lunatic 
asylum 7,trial1 p4 #afh74 ,if it were   
not that there are so many worse        
passages1 one might complain of the     
taste shown in the comparison of ,isaiah
 xxvi4 #ag1 #ah2 the same may be said of
 ,isaiah xxxii4 #aa1 #ab4 ,in ,isaiah   
xxxvi4 #ab we have a repetition of #b   
,kings xviii4 #bg1 which we could well  
have spared4 ,in ,isaiah lvii4 #h1 #i1  
we meet a favourite simile of the       

,jewish prophets1 wherein ,god is       
compared to a husband1 and the people to
 an unfaithful wife1 and the relations  
between them are described with a       
minuteness which can only be fitly      
designated by the ,solicitor-,general's 
favourite word4 ,isaiah lxvi4 #g-ab     
would be regarded as somewhat coarse in 
an ordinary book4 ,the prophets get     
worse as they go on4 ,jeremiah i4 #e is 
the first verse we meet in ,jeremiah    
which the ,solicitor-,general would take
 exception to4 ,we next meet the simile 
of marriage1 in ,jeremiah ii41 #bj1 iii4
 #a-c1 #f-i1 verse #i being especially  
offensive4 ,jer4 v4 #g1 #h1 is coarse1  
as are also ,jer4 xi4 #ae and xiii4 #bf1
 #bg4 ,ought the girls' schools to read 
,jer4 xx4 #ag1 #ah8 ,but1 perhaps1 as   
,ezekiel is coming1 it is hypercritical 
to object to ,jeremiah4 ,lamentations i4
 #h1 #i1 is revolting1 and verse #ag of 
the same chapter uses an extremely      
coarse simile4 ,ezekiel is the prophet  
who ate a little book and found it      

disagree with him3 it seems a pity that 
he did not eat a large part of his own1 
and so prevent it from poisoning other  
people4 ,what can be more disgusting    
than ,ez4 iv4 #ab-ae8 the whole chapter 
is absurd1 but these verses are         
abominable4 ,the prophet seems1 like the
 drawers of the indictment against us1  
to take pleasure in piling up           
uncomfortable terms1 as in ,ez4 vi4 #i4 
,we now come to a chapter that is       
obscene from beginning to end1 and may1 
,i think1 almost claim the palm of      
foulness4 ,let any one read through ,ez4
 xvi41 marking especially verses #d-i1  
#ae-ag1 #be1 #bf1 #cc1 #cd1 #cg1 #ci1   
and then think of the absurdity of      
prosecuting ,knowlton for corrupting the
 morals of the young1 who have this book
 of ,ezekiel put into their hand4 ,after
 this1 ,ez4 xviii4 #f1 #aa1 and #ae seem
 quite chaste and delicate2 and no one  
could object to ,ez4 xxii4 #i-aa4 ,ez4  
xxiii4 is almost as bad as chapter xvi41
 especially verses #f-i1 #ad-ba1 #bi1   

#da-dd4 ,surely if any book be          
indictable for obscenity1 the ,bible    
should be the first to be prosecuted4 ,i
 know of no other book in which is to be
 found such utterly unredeemed          
coarseness4 ,the rest of ,ezekiel is    
only bloodthirsty and brutal1 so may1   
fortunately1 be passed over without     
further comment4 ,daniel may be left    
unnoticed2 and we now come to ,hosea1 a 
prophet whose morals were1 to speak     
gently1 peculiar4 ,the beginning of the 
word of the ,lord by ,hosea1 was the    
,lord's command as to his marriage1     
related in ,hosea i4 #b2 we then hear of
 his children by the said wife in the   
remainder of the chapter1 and in the    
next chapter we are told1 ,hosea ii4 #b1
 that the woman is not his wife1 and    
from verse #b-ac we have an extremely   
indecent speech of ,hosea on the        
misdeeds of the unfortunate creature he 
married1 wherein1 verse #d1 he complains
 of the very fact that ,god commanded in
 chap4 i4 #b4 ,hosea iii4 #a-c relates  

another indecent proceeding on ,hosea's 
part1 and his purchase of another       
mistress2 whether girls' morals are     
improved by the contemplation of such   
divine commands1 is a question that     
might fairly be urged on ,lord ,sandon  
before he next distributes ,bibles to   
little children of both sexes4 ,the said
 girls must surely1 as they study ,hosea
 iv4 #aj-ah1 wonder that ,god expresses 
his intention not to punish impurity in 
verse #ad4 ,it is impossible1 in reading
 ,hosea1 to escape from the prevailing  
tone of obscenity2 chaps4 v4 #c1 #d1 #g2
 vi4 #i1 #aj2 vii4 #d2 viii4 #i2 ix4 #a1
 #aj1 #aa1 #ad1 #af2 xii4 #c2 xiii4 #ac1
 every one of these has a thought in it 
that all must regard as coarse1 and     
which comes distinctly within the ruling
 of the ,lord ,chief ,justice as to     
obscenity2 there is scarcely one chapter
 in ,hosea that does not1 with offensive
 reiteration1 dwell on the coarsest form
 of wrongdoing of which women are       
capable4 ,joel iii4 #c is objectionable 

in a comparatively slight degree4 ,amos1
 although occasionally coarse1 keeps    
clear of the gross obscenity of ,hosea1 
as do also ,obadiah and ,jonah4 ,micah  
i4 #g1 #h1 #aa1 would scarcely be passed
 by ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard1 nor would  
he approve ,micah iv4 #i1 #aj4 ,nahum   
iii4 #d-f is almost ,hoseatic1 and      
,habakkuk ii4 #e1 #af runs it close4    
,the remaining four prophets are        
sometimes coarse1 but have nothing in   
them approaching the abominations of the
 others1 and we close the ,old          
,testament with a sigh of relief4  ,the 
,new ,testament has in it nothing at all
 approaching the obscenity of the ,old1 
save two passages in ,revelation4 ,the  
story of ,mary and ,joseph is somewhat  
coarse1 especially as told in ,matt4 i4 
#ah-be4 ,rom4 i4 #bd-bg is distinctly   
obscene1 and #a ,cor4 v4 #a1 vi4 #i1    
#ae1 #af1 #ah1 would all be judged      
indelicate by ,her ,majesty's           
,solicitor-,general1 who objected to the
 warnings given by ,knowlton against    

sexual sin4 ,the whole of #a ,cor4 vii4 
might be thought calculated to arouse   
the passions1 but the rest of ,paul's   
,epistles may pass1 in spite of many    
coarse passages1 such as #a ,thess4 iv4 
#c-g4 ,heb4 xiii4 #d and #b ,peter ii4  
#aj-ah both come into the same category1
 but it is useless to delay on simple   
coarseness4 ,revelation slips into the  
old prophetic indecency2 ,rev4 ii4      
#bj-bb and xvii4 #a-d are almost worthy 
of ,ezekiel4  ,can anyone go through all
 these passages and have any doubt that 
the ,bible--supposing it to be          
unprotected by statute--is indictable as
 an obscene book under the ruling of the
 ,lord ,chief ,justice8 ,it is idle to  
plead that the writers do not approve   
the evil deeds they chronicle1 and that 
it is only in two or three cases that   
,god appears to endorse the sin2 no     
purity of motives on the writers' parts 
can be admitted in excuse 7,trial1 p4   
#beg74 ,these sensuous stories and      
obscene parables come directly under the

 censure of the ,lord ,chief ,justice1  
and ,i invite our police authorities to 
show their sense of justice by          
prosecuting the people who circulate    
this indictable book1 thereby doing all 
that in them lies to vitiate and corrupt
 the morals of the young4 ,if they will 
not do this1 in common decency they     
ought to drop the prosecution against us
 for selling the ,fruits of ,philosophy4
  ,the right way would be to prosecute  
none of these books4 ,all that ,i have  
intended to do in drawing attention to  
the obscene passages in the ,bible1 is  
to show that to deal with the sexual    
relations with a good object--as is     
presumably that of the ,bible--should   
not be an indictable misdemeanour4 ,i do
 not urge that the ,bible should be     
prosecuted3 ,i do urge that it is       
indictable under the present ruling2 and
 ,i plead1 further1 that this very fact 
shows how the present ruling is against 
the public weal4 ,nothing could be more 
unfortunate than to have a large crop of

 prosecutions against the standard      
writers of old times and of the present 
day1 and yet this is what is likely to  
happen1 unless some stop is put to the  
stupid and malicious prosecution against
 ourselves4 ,with one voice1 the press  
of the country--omitting the            
,englishman--has condemned the foolish  
verdict and the vindictive sentence4    
,when that sentence is carried out1 the 
real battle will begin1 and the blame of
 the loss and the trouble that will     
ensue must rest on those who started    
this prosecution1 and on those who      
shield the hidden prosecutor4 ,the      
,christians1 at least1 ought to join    
with us in reversing the ruling of the  
,lord ,chief ,justice1 since their own  
sacred book is one of those most easily 
assailable4 ,the purity that depends on 
ignorance is a fragile purity2 the      
chastity that depends on ignorance is a 
fragile chastity2 to buttress up        
ignorance with prison and fine is a     
fatal policy2 and ,i call on those who  

love freedom and desire knowledge1 to   
join with us in over-ruling by statute  
the new judge-made law4                 
,transcriber's ,note3      ,the         
following is a list of corrections made 
to the original4     ,the first line is 
the original line1 the second the       
corrected one4    description of        
generation2 the affect of the reading   
will be to excite   description of      
generation2 the effect of the reading   
will be to excite    ,jer4 xi4 #ae and  
xiii4 #bf1 #bg4 ,ought the girl's       
schools to read ,jer4 xx4   ,jer4 xi4   
#ae and xiii4 #bf1 #bg4 ,ought the      
girls' schools to read ,jer4 xx4    who 
eat a little book and found it disagree 
with him3 it seems a pity   who ate a   
little book and found it disagree with  
him3 it seems a pity    over-ruling by  
statute the new judge-made law          
over-ruling by statute the new          
judge-made law4