1889-06-26 to William Thomas Stead

Type transcript signed, Churchill Archives Centre, 530 words

[Edited for paragraph breaks, capitalization, spelling and punctuation.]

8 Kings Bench Walk, Temple

[Wednesday, 26 June 1889]

Dear Mr. Stead

I send you the circular. I do not mean it for an attack on you, and I'm sure it is not an attack on you, and in that opinion I shall continue.

I speak of "The Maiden Tribute" in my article and I say: "I will not pretend to hold in doubt, for I do not, and never did, hold in doubt the purity of Mr. Stead's motives; he acted very bravely if he acted unwisely" etc.

I have noticed that since the publication that child prostitution has ceased. On this point you have no warmer sympathiser than myself and I shall not be afraid to express my opinion in public when the opportunity comes to me.

But I do not believe that immoral literature affects the conduct of our lives. But the Association does, and if it does, I say “The Maiden Tribute” must have done more harm than all the novels Zola ever wrote. The Association, notwithstanding its belief, protected your publication and I attack the Association on this point. It owes its existence to a deliberately obscene publication.

You see I do not mince words, but of course you will not misunderstand them. I hate the Association, I believe its influence is pernicious and I hate all interference in private life. To protect unfortunate children is one thing, to bring a man into contempt because he has a mistress is another. So long as people are healthily immoral no one has a right to interfere.

If the Association applied itself to preventing early marriages and the hordes of children consequent upon such marriages, I'd become a vigilant tomorrow. It is infinitely preferable that a man and woman should live in illicit union and produce no children than that their union should be legitimate and they should bring ten unfortunate creatures into the world, the poor little half-starved mites that we meet in streets and alleys. The Association thinks it is much more important to prevent shopboys from speaking to young women whom they have not been introduced to! What nonsense is this! What nonsense! Why does the Association not strive to interdict marriages between the consumptive, the scrofulous and the syphilitic?

It thinks it is more important to prevent Vizetelly from selling Madame Bovary. Comment is impossible. I have laughed at philanthropy because philanthropists, as understood by nine-tenths of those who apply themselves to its administration, are idiots and do far more harm than good.

Regarding La Terre I may say I used my best endeavour to prevent Vizetelly from publishing it. It is a horrible book, but I very much doubt it has any effect at all on the minds of young people. Young people would not read it; if they are influenced at all by a book it is by romantic sentimental novels.

If you comment on my article and if you will print a letter, I will say what I think about “The Maiden Tribute” etc.

Very truly yours

George Moore