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efforts in extension of education.
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active in Sweden for many years. In 1912 its work gained recognition in a
very comprehensive report issued by a Royal Committee which had been
appointed to investigate "what measures ought to be adopted in order in a more
humane and effective manner to prevent the spread of venereal diseases than
at present". Hitherto no legislation has resulted from the issue of the report.
The Vigilance Association, founded in 1904, makes it its special work to combat
the white slave traffic.
The increasingly prevalent symptoms of moral degeneracy, which have appeared
during recent years, have led to attempts to combat immorality in literature,
theatrical representations, biograph entertainments, etc. In the fight against
bad literature, which, under the name of "Nick Carter literature" (corresponding
to the English "penny bloods"), used to circulate over the whole country, good
results have been attained by the issue by a number of publishing houses of
extremely cheap, but readable and interesting, literature ("25-öre books").
The State authorities have also made a grant for the scrutinizing of reading
matter intended especially for young people, and a catalogue of the literature
that has been scrutinized in this way has been issued. Protection against the
showing of immoral pictures has been secured by the establishment of the
biograph censorship (from 1911), but there is no theatre censorship.
Among the enterprises which have the exclusive object of combating
immorality of every description may be noticed the National Union for Moral Culture,
founded by Director Theodor Holmberg and his wife, which works by means of
public meetings and by the issue of literature on the subject.
Efforts in Extension of Education.
Side by side with the activity exercised by schools of various kinds, a
work for the extension of education exists and is in rapid growth. It is
almost exclusively the edifice erected by individual enthusiasm, although
the State and Communes render grants in aid. A review has been
given in another section of the wide-spread activities of popular lecturing,
and libraries, as well as summer courses at the Universities, and similarly
of the central institutions which chiefly conduct this work. We shall
now merely name some of the measures taken for the provision of
cultivating recreations and some enterprises intended to bring together various
classes of society, and to spread social enlightenment.
Interest in popularizing music has of låte years been growing more and more
lively. Workmen’s institutes in Gothenburg and Stockholm regularly arrange
people’s concerts at a very low price. A grant is made in Gothenburg towards
the purchase of tickets for concerts given by the Orchestral Union, and the
Philharmonic Society. In Stockholm, the Concert Society, and the People’s
Concert Union arrange performances intended for the artisan public and subsidized
by the State. In the provinces, associations get up musical evenings, in addition
to which choral societies and orchestras, often numbering in their ranks members
of different grades in society, give lecture performances. Free Music in parks
is rendered in many towns, and in Stockholm a contribution of 18 500 kr. was
made for this purpose in 1913. The Riksdag of 1911 voted 28 000 kr. for the
support of orchestral music.
Likewise in respect of art exhibitions intended for the artisan populations
something has been done. By co-operation between the artists’ union and the
students’ association, Verdandi, such exhibitions have been held in Uppsala. In
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