The New Republic has re-published a 1930 interview with a government censor, and it provides an interesting look into the mindset of the man charged with keeping “pollution” out of the hands of “innocent” New Englanders:
Why, sometimes it’s the contact of innocence with this filthy stuff that sinks a boy into foul habits for a lifetime. Naturally the government steps in here; and that’s my job. I don’t let anything get by me if I can help it. I act in my official capacity and there’s an end to it. But I just wanted you to know I’m a human being.
