SUPPRESSED AMERICAN PUBLISHERS
“Our moral censors are just as crazy and fanatic as the moral censors of the Spanish Inquisition—or of the monstrous priesthoods of Babylon and Egypt.”
SUPPRESSED AMERICAN PUBLISHERS
“The House of Gowrie” was the name of a Chicago publishing company, which, among other books, imported and sold a volume, entitled “The Love Affairs of the Vatican.”
The Jeffersonian, April 22, 1915.
Post Office Department Helping the Pope to Suppress
American Publishers?
THE following letters explain themselves:
The House of Gowrie and Thurland & Thurland: The Devil's Book Agents
Lawrenceville, Ga., April 12, 1915.
Dear Sir: I enclose reply to my order for a certain book 1 had ordered. You see, since President Tumulty took charge, we are deprived of spending our money for such books as we may desire to peruse.
If we live in the country, and do not have access to the big libraries, where we may indulge our inquiring minds, we must be content with Grier’s Almanac, and a few Holy Scriptures, catechisms and such rot as turned out by such men as Billy Sunday.
Anything to keep people in ignorance, suits Tumulty; but not We, Us & Co.
J. A. SMITH.
The enclosure to which Mr. Smith refers:
“The House of Gowrie has gone out of existence, under pressure of its powerful religious enemies.
“Also, the Postal Department thinks it would be very wicked for you to read that book. It is, accordingly, suppressed and can’t be mailed.
“For all these good reasons, your money order is herewith handed back to you.
“Our moral censors are just as crazy and fanatic as the moral censors of the Spanish Inquisition—or of the monstrous priesthoods of Babylon and Egypt.”
“The House of Gowrie” was the name of a Chicago publishing company, which, among other books, imported and sold a volume, entitled “The Love Affairs of the Vatican.”
It is the book which I bought from them, and used freely in the preparation of our booklet, “The Horrible Vices of Convents and Monasteries.”
The author of the book is an Italian scholar living in Rome, Italy.
The book freely circulated in Rome, Paris and London.
But it seems that the Pope’s Knights of Columbus can do in this country what the Pope can not do in Europe—they can put an American publisher out of business for selling a book which “reflects on” popery.
There is nothing obscene in Dr. Rappoporto’s volume, “Love Affairs of the Vatican.”
It is simply a history of the vices of popes. Every student of history knows that one pope murdered another, one was made pope by his concubine, one committed incest, one was a woman who had a child during a “procession,” one secured the succession for his own bastard son. one sold the office to his successor for 1,500 livres, one died of a venereal disease, one was killed by an enraged husband with whose wife the Pope was then in bed, and one kidnapped the sister of the illustrious poet, Petrarch, and raped her, in the same manner that Cardinal O’Connell’s priest, Petrarca, raped that Catholic woman in Massachusetts, not long ago.
The only difference was that Petrarca raped his victim inside the church, while the Pope raped his inside his palace.
Suppressed—Radical Books For or Against ANYTHING!
Sir Richard Thurland Presents THE IRON LAW OF SALVATION "The Lion's Paw."
The Jeffersonian, June 29, 1916.
The Borgias, Books About Them. Love Affairs of the Popes.
Atlanta, Ga., June 11, 1916.
Gentlemen: Kindly advise whether you publish any book or books dealing with the history of Roderigo Borgia and his daughter Lucretia Borgia. If not, please tell me where I could secure literature dealing with this subject.
Do you know whether there are any modern editions of the writings of Gustave Borchard who I think was a German writer about the fifteenth or sixteenth century. I am not sure whether I have this name right or not, but you probably know to whom I have reference.
Thanking you in anticipation, I am
Yours truly,
RICHARD A. BELSHAM.
1408 Candler Bldg.
P. S. Alexander Dumas in his “Crimes Celebres’’ quotes from the above author in connection with the story of the “Cenci.”
(Answer.)
The Chronicles of the Borgias, by Baron Corvo.
The Life of Cresare Borgia, by Rafael-Sabatini.
Renaissance in Italy: Age of the Despots, by A. J. Symonds.
Life and Times of Savonarola, by Villari.
DeCormenin’s History of the Popes.
Ranke’s ditto.
Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Astor’s Valentino.
Dr. J. R. Parke’s Human Sexuality.
These works present both sides, and with the exception of Machiavelli’s, they are the result of the most recent and thorough studies.
Machiavelli knew Cresare Borgia, personally, and therefore his delineation of the character (most terribly fascinating) is from life.
There was no Gustav Borchard: the name is Richard Burchard. He was Secretary to Pope Alexander VI. (Roderigo Borgia) and his diary is a fearful revelation of the inner life at the Vatican, the palace of 11000 rooms wherein criminals have lived and plotted crime, ever since the little hut was built.
The Love Affairs of the Vatican, by Dr. Angelo Rappoport, deals exclusively with the amorous crimes of the Papas; and the book is so injurious to Pappy’s footkissers that the United States Postal Department issued an order closing the mails to it.
The House of Gowrie, Chicago, was importing and selling the volume, but had to quit.
Nevertheless, no order has closed the mails to the smutty Heptameron, of the Queen of Navarre; nor to the Decameron of Bocaccio; nor to the Burton translation of The Arabian Nights.
In fact, our Government itself publishes and mails the most innocently unclean and undressed books that ever came from a printshop, but they don’t hurt the Italian Papa.
It’s only when you annoy Papa, that Uncle Sam exhibits peevishness.
I might have re-published all the filth of the early English Comedies, and all-the raw obscenity of DeFoe and DeMaupassant and Henry Fielding, and the Rev. Laurence Stern, without ever attracting the attention of the Best Government the World ever saw; but the moment I hopped on Papa, Uncle Sam hopped on me.
Well, it was five years ago when the fight started, and Papa and I are still at it.
In my book, The Roman Catholic Hierarchy, I myself say quite a lot about the Love affairs of the Vatican, and we sell far more of the work than is pleasing to Papa.
In the booklet, “The Inevitable Vices and Crimes of Celibacy”, I also mention things that aggravate Popper.
If I live and nothing happens, I will leave behind me a complete literature against Romanism, which will long be a thorn in the side of successive Poppers. For the information and benefit of Mr. Belsham and other readers. I will state that there are numerous dealers who will hunt up and supply all books, new and old.
The address of one of these dealers is Wilson J. Gillam, 38 Lexington Ave., New York, City.
The Jeffersonian, Januari 08, 1914.
Read more in the book "The House of Gowrie and Thurland & Thurland: The Devil's Book Agents."
The Menace 1911-1920
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