INTEGRIT - Vol.4 - No.2 - Editorial - Morals and Publishing

Oct 13, 2026

Integrity (Vol.4, No.2, November 1949) focuses on how the closing era of secularism reshapes publishing and public morality. The editorial argues that publishers and writers, influenced by liberalism and driven by profit or aesthetic detachment, enable degrading trends. It describes sensationalism, pornography, violence, and escapist entertainment as recurring consequences of abandoning moral standards. The piece urges Catholics involved in the field to examine conscience, read the included article on “Morals and Publishing,” and correct course before it is too late.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages52

Reading Time2 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Editorial

Morals and Publishing

The Dream (A Poem)

The Facts of Life

Treacherous Teachers (A Poem)

Book Barrows

The Apostolic Bookstore

Book Reviews

INTEGRIT 25 Cents a Copy November,1949Vol.4.,No.2Apostolate In Prínt CONTENTS 1 EDITORIAL - MORALS AND PUBLISHING 5 By VERY REV.FRANCIS J.CONNELL- THE DREAM(A Poem) By GABRIEL STATILE-14 THE FACTS OF LIFE 15 By ED WILLOCK TREACHEROUS TEACHERS(A Poem) By JAMES ST.GEORGE LYNCH·28BOOK BARROWS By GERALDINE CARRIGAN·29 THE APOSTOLIC BOOKSTORE By Lois SCHUMACHER34 42 BOOK REVIEWS - INTEGBITY is publlahed by lay Catholics anddedlcated to the tcak of dlacovoring the newsynthesis of REJGION cmd LIFE for our times, Vol.4,No.2November 1949 Published Monthly by Integrity Publishing Co,346 East 86th Street,NewYork 28,N.Y,TR 9-5176.Edited by Edward Willock and CarolJackson.Entered as Second Class Matter October 14,1946 atthe Post Office at New York,N.Y.under the Act of March 3,1897.All single copies 25 cents each;yearly sub-scriptions:domestic $3.00,Canadian $3.50,Foreign $4.00 INTEGRITY Is INDEXED IN THB CATHOLIC PERIODICAL INDEX. E DIT ORI A L E CHRISTIANS must beware ofthe Devil's change of strategy asthe great era of secularism drawsto a close.For it is finishing—thatlong,superficial,materialistic eraof pseudo-neutrality in respect toGod.Religion is no longer theforbidden subject and presentlyeveryone will have a spiritual life, even if it is a phony mystical one.We would be naive to supposethat the Devil is not going to adjust himself. Take the particular case of publishing.This field has beengoing downhill for centuries,since editors and writers necessarilyfounder if they don't have contact with essential truths.Withinthe last several generations and under the debilitating influenceof liberalism there has even been a notable absence of editors withgreat personal convictions,however erroneous.The more sensi-tive writers and publishers,therefore,have tried recurrently andunsuccessfully to revitalize the highest good they know,literaryexcellence as such.They have praised poetry that was beautifulbut said nothing,published decadent novels that were well written,and tried to adapt themselves to the role of poverty-strickenliterati who are too aesthetically sensitive to live in a crude age. Those in the profession who were less sensitive or more fondof eating realized one by one that publishing could be made intoa business and a profitable one.They went after money.It isstill not quite respectable to admit you sell books and magazinesas though they were sides of ham or nylon stockings,but it isalmost universally done. Now the Devil's advantage under such circumstances is easyto see.The aesthetes,having been encouraged to waste theirtalents worrying about the beautiful in disregard of the true,easilycast loose entirely from moral standards,or are consumed withpride. The entrepreneurs found,as the Devil already knew,that ifmoney is your first object,almost everything you do will degradethe public.Some men got rich through sensationalism,and havedeveloped a fearful appetite for violence,blood and nasty crimesamong the people.Others found that sexy stuff was the dynamic ingredient of books,magazines and papers,and that if you fol-lowed a program of two steps forward,then one back,thenanother two forward,you could gradually break down all barriersof modesty and purity.In an escapist age there were also hugefortunes to be made by diverting people;as in crossword puzzles,so in comic strips.The Devil reaped his harvest. All the evils of secularism in publishing are now havingtheir last great flowering.To some it may seem like triumphantsuccess.They may suppose that the Sunday edition of the NewYork Times,which must already be too heavy for a child to carry,can go on getting bigger,that the Daily News can add a few moremillions to its circulation.One wonders if there are enough foreststo be cut down to supply these advertising catalogues which stillcamouflage themselves as newspapers. Or again,one wonders how long publishers can pretend torespectability when they are merely purvey

FAQs

What does the editorial say about secularism and its ending impact on publishing?

It claims secularism is reaching a final “flowering” in publishing, and that a new age of belief, religion, spirituality, and absolutism is beginning.

Why does the editorial criticize publishing practices?

It argues that without contact with essential truths and moral standards, publishing declines—often becoming profit-driven sensationalism and degrading content.

What action does the editorial urge readers to take?

It urges Catholics involved in publishing to read Father Connell’s article on “Morals and Publishing” in this issue and extricate themselves before it is too late.

Oct 13, 2026

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