[1] “James Branch Cabell is making a clean getaway with _Jurgen_, quite
the naughtiest book since George Moore began ogling maidservants in
Mayo. How come? Dreiser had the law hot after him for _The Genius_
and _Hager Revelly_ came close to landing Daniel Carson Goodman in
Leavenworth, yet these volumes are innocent compared with _Jurgen_,
which deftly and knowingly treats in thinly veiled episodes of all the
perversities, abnormalities and damn-foolishness of sex. There is an
undercurrent of extreme sensuality throughout the book, and once the
trick of transposing the key is mastered one can dip into this tepid
stream on every page. Cabell has cleansed his bosom of much perilous
stuff--a little too much, in fact, for _Jurgen_ grows tiresome toward
the end--but he has said everything about the mechanics of passion and
said it prettily. He has a gift of dulcet English prose, but I like
better the men who say things straight out and use gruff Anglo-Saxon
monosyllables for the big facts of nature that we are supposed to
ignore.
“It is curious how the non-reading public discovered _Jurgen_. A few
days after it appeared on the newsstands a male vampire of the films
who once bought Stevenson’s _Underwoods_ in the belief that it was a
book of verses hymning a typewriter, began saying up and down Broadway:
‘Say, kid, get a book called _Jurgen_. It gets away with murder.’
“This sold the first edition quickly. How do they discover these
things?”
+Walter J. Kingsley.+
[2] See page 77.
[3] “John S. Sumner, Agent New York Society for the Suppression of
Vice, being duly sworn, says: That on the 6th day of January, 1920,
and prior, and sworn thereto at the city and county aforesaid Robert
M. McBride & Company, a corporation, and Guy Holt, manager of said
corporation, Book Department, did at No. 31 East 17th Street in
the city and county aforesaid, unlawfully print, utter, publish,
manufacture and prepare, and did unlawfully sell and offer to sell
and have in their possession with intent to sell a certain offensive,
lewd, lascivious and indecent book, in violation of Section 1141 of
Penal Code of the State of New York. At the time and place aforesaid,
the said Robert M. McBride & Company by and through its officers,
agents and employees did print, publish, sell and distribute and on
information and belief the said Guy Holt did prepare for publication
and cause to be printed, published, sold and distributed a certain
book entitled _Jurgen_ by one James Branch Cabell, which said book
represents and is descriptive of scenes of lewdness and obscenity, and
particularly upon pages 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64, 67, 80, 84, 86,
89, 92, 93, 98, 99, 100, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 114, 120, 124,
125, 127, 128, 134, 135, 142, 144, 148, 149, 150, 152, 153, 154, 155,
156, 157, 158, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 170, 171, 174,
175, 176, 177, 186, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 203, 206, 207, 211, 228,
229, 236, 237, 238, 239, 241, 242, 271, 272, 275, 286, 321, 340, 342,
343, thereof, and which said book is so obscene, lewd, lascivious and
indecent that a minute description of the same would be offensive to
the Court and improper to be placed upon the records thereof. Wherefore
a fuller description of the same is not set forth in this complaint....”
[4] COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS OF THE PEACE IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF NEW
YORK
+People of the State of New York+:
+vs+
+Guy Holt, Robert M. McBride & Co.,
and Robert M. McBride+:
THE GRAND JURY OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK by this indictment, accuse
Guy Holt, Robert M. McBride & Co. and Robert M. McBride of the crime
of UNLAWFULLY POSSESSING AN INDECENT BOOK, committed as follows:
The said Guy Holt, Robert M. McBride & Co., a corporation at all
times herein mentioned existing under the laws of the State of New
York, and Robert M. McBride, acting together and in concert, in the
County of New York aforesaid, on the 14th day of January, 1920,
and for a considerable time prior thereto, with intent to sell and
show, unlawfully possessed a lewd, lascivious, indecent, obscene and
disgusting book entitled JURGEN, a more particular description of
which said book would be offensive to this Court and improper to be
spread upon the records thereof, wherefore such description is not
here given; against the form of the statute in such case made and
provided, and against the peace of the people of the State of New
York, and their dignity.
+Edward Swann+,
District Attorney.
[5] The numerals in parentheses refer to the pages.
[6] (Cf. the old Scottish Border legend, “The Eve of St. John”, to
be found in Scott’s “Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border”; and Compton
Mackenzie’s latest novel, “Altar Steps”.)
[7] It would be impossible to go further except by quoting all
(290-308). It should be read.