On this day in Yorkshire

February 26, 1940

An attack on literature which, he said, was doing incalculable harm by polluting the minds of young people, was made by Canon J. St Leger Blakeney (Rector of Wombwell) at Wombwell Parish Church yesterday.

He was by no means a bigot but he had been absolutely horrified by some of the books he had picked up for examination.

“Some of these books,” he said. “are blatantly suggestive and obviously are intended to be suggestive. It amazes me that there are intelligent people who will write the stuff.

“One can only conclude that they are willing to prostitute literature for the sake of pecuniary gain.”

Speaking of the books as the devil’s snare for young people, he added: “I feel ought to warn parents. Some of these books are in the most innocent looking covers.

“They inevitably do incalculable harm to young people whose minds are not sufficiently mature to distinguish between what clean and wholesome and what is wicked and spurious.”