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| Formation | 1879 (1879) |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1975 (1975) |
| Type | morality activist |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
Region served | New England |
TheNew England Watch and Ward Society (founded as theNew England Society for the Suppression of Vice) was aBoston, Massachusetts, organization involved in thecensorship 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 ofgambling. In 1957 the organization's name was changed to theNew England Citizens Crime Commission, and in 1967 it became theMassachusetts Council on Crime and Correction. In 1975 it was merged with another organization to formCommunity Resources for Justice, a group that promotesprison reform and rights for formerly incarcerated persons.
At the height of the society's power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, theBoston Public Library 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 abowdlerized "Boston Version". The society's activities contributed to the popularization of the phrase "Banned in Boston", which became a target of parody and a marketing slogan.
The New England Society for the Suppression of Vice was founded in 1878 by a meeting of Boston residents following a speech given byAnthony Comstock. Comstock had founded theNew York Society for the Suppression of Vice 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 matter), elected a committee of eight men to run the organization.[1] Its first agent was Henry Chase, hired in 1882; he served the society for more than 20 years,[2] and the president of the society for many of its early years wasFrederick Baylies Allen, anEpiscopal minister.[3] The society's membership was open to anyone making contributions of $5 or more;[4] according to historian Paul Boyer, the membership was "almost a roll call of[Boston] Brahmin aristocracy".[3] The society held its first annual meeting in Boston'sPark Street Church 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 onSchool Street, circa 1890s-1900s.[5][6]
At the height of the society's power, theBoston Public Library 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 abowdlerized "Boston Version". Elsewhere, the phrase, "Banned in Boston," became a target of parody and a marketing slogan.
In 1882, the society played a role in instigating obscenity charges againstWalt Whitman'sLeaves of Grass. In 1903 they went to court to prevent booksellers from advertisingBoccaccio'sThe Decameron andRabelais'Gargantua and Pantagruel, but lost the case. In 1907, they successfully backed obscenity charges againstElinor Glyn'sThree Weeks.
In 1922, the society hadRobert Keable'sSimon Called Peter removed from a library, and in 1923, used its influence to suppress distribution ofFloyd Dell'sJanet March.
In 1926, the society challenged aHerbert Asbury story calledHatrack, published inH.L. Mencken'sAmerican Mercury. 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,[7] and the society's influence began to decline.
In 1928, the society blacklistedAldous Huxley'sPoint Counter Point andVoltaire'sCandide. In 1929, it went afterErich Maria Remarque'sAll Quiet on the Western Front on the grounds of offensive language. That same year, in a decisive case, it failed to banTheodore Dreiser'sAn American Tragedy. In 1933 the society moved its headquarters to no.41Mount Vernon Street.[8] In 1934, the society suppressedJohn O'Hara'sAppointment in Samarra. In 1935, it bannedLillian Hellman's playThe Children's Hour. In one of its final acts of censorship, in 1950, the society took aim atErskine Caldwell'sGod's Little Acre.
Dwight Spaulding Strong (1906–2004) became director of the society in 1948, and redirected its focus, choosing to emphasize action ongambling and othervices, the rehabilitation of criminals, and the study of social issues that lead to crime.[9] 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 becameCommunity Resources for Justice, a group that promotesprison reform and rights for ex-convicts.[10] The remnants of the Watch and Ward Society's endowments were propagated through all of these organizations.[11]
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