Books and Publishers, Morality of

BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, Morality of. - The publisher does not exercise merely an industrial activity, because his purpose is the diffusion of thought, carried out by means of the book. The ideas propagated by such means can be good or bad. The publisher, who among his tasks has the most important one of choosing the works to publish, when he does not himself inspire their compilation, is directly responsible for the evil that can be propagated by means of his publications.

There is no possibility of a compensation of a moral order between good or harmless books and pernicious ones published by the same publishing house. The evil done by immoral books is not in the least annulled by the other publications, and this according to a law common to all moral acts. On the other hand, there is not even the possibility of directly repairing the evil done by means of books. In fact, even if by hypothesis one could restore moral integrity to those who have lost it because of bad reading, those who have suffered so much harm remain forever unknown to those who have been the cause of the evil: authors, publishers, booksellers.

The best guide for a publisher who wishes to give his house a direction conforming to the doctrine of the Church is the Index of Prohibited Books (v.).

In it are indicated the works expressly prohibited by the Church, and the categories of books whose reading, even without their being nominally condemned, is likewise forbidden. In the Index are also set forth all the other norms pertaining to this matter, and the penalties are indicated to which anyone who does not adhere to these norms is subject.

The works not to be published, which most frequently form the object of a choice on the part of a publisher in the exercise of his normal activity, are the following: a) those which, from the scientific point of view, combat and contradict the dogmas of the faith; b) those which defend and exalt ideas and programs condemned by the Church; c) those, especially novels, which describe evil in such a way as to exert a pernicious influence on their readers. Even in this field, worse than all are the works that attempt to justify guilt by overturning the very meaning of the terms "good" and "evil."

Note that the description of moral evils and of faults is not in itself to be condemned, also because, within certain limits, knowledge of the danger can serve to avoid it. When narratives of this kind do not involve exciting descriptions, are conducted in such a way as to inspire repulsion for the evil described and contain at least implicitly its condemnation, they can sometimes have the value even of true moral apologies. Exemplary, also in this regard, is Manzoni's masterpiece.

Even the reading of a single perverse book can ruin an existence forever. Young people especially feel the influence of reading, and this because, although all readers are usually in a condition of inferiority before the author, who has at his disposal skillfully elaborated arguments and the art of presenting them in a thousand attractive ways, young people nevertheless possess to a lesser degree than other readers the experience necessary to distinguish the false from the true and the strength to oppose the attraction usually exercised by unhealthy reading.

The claims of art, so often invoked by the defenders of bad reading, even in the very rare cases in which one can speak of true art, must take second place before the far more important claims of the spiritual health of readers, who in those cases are attracted not by the art, which can be presented to them through so many works of literature of every age and every country, but by the pernicious manner in which the artist has made use of his genius.

It is therefore necessary that every publication be accepted by the publisher only after a careful examination, carried out by him personally or at least by someone who, in addition to editorial and literary competence, possesses sufficient moral sensitivity. It is clear that in cases in which ecclesiastical approval is required by the Church, that approval itself removes from publishers all responsibility. When doubts exist about the legitimacy of a publication, the publisher can have recourse, even outside the ambit of the publishing house, to the opinion of experts whose collaboration it is easy to obtain, since there exist today qualified bodies able to give sure judgments of a moral order on the publications submitted to them.

When a work is, from the moral point of view, judged unsuitable to be published and can be modified in such a way as to remove from it every negative element, the publisher can invite the author to make such modifications in it. Classic works, even those expressly condemned by the Church, can be published, provided that with appropriate prefaces and notes the passages are pointed out in which the errors that constitute the reason for the condemnation are manifested or defended, and the reasons for this condemnation are given. Passages condemned for their sensuality will in any case be either suppressed or summarized. The editions of condemned works published in this way must be approved by the Ordinary of the place in which the publishing house has its seat. Of the approval there is no need to give notice in the edition.

Readings that present moral dangers not for all readers, but only for certain ones among them, can be published, provided that they are directed to broad categories of the public. It is necessary, however, that the publishers of them take care, as far as possible, to group them into well-defined collections, specifying in every case, on the books themselves and in the catalogues, for which readers such works are suitable, so that parents, educators, and booksellers themselves may know with certainty their content and destination. Even in religious literature such works are not lacking.

There exist, to be used by publishers, booksellers, readers, and libraries, excellently conducted publications that periodically give every information of a moral order on new books. They constitute a precious collaboration and a sure aid for publishers who, conscious of the importance of their mission, intend to cooperate in the cause of the true good.

Mario Salani