The Irish standard., 1906-11-10
WHAT THEY SUGGEST.

vital THEY SUGGEST.
The careiessness or neglect of many
American parents is most deplorable
thing. A very large number of them
fail to realize the danger thai so otter
threatens their children through soma
Of the inventions of the time and from
various other causes as we'll. The
penny arcade and the electric theater
are coming in for more or Tess arten.
tion in many parts of the country,
where they have been established and
few cities with less than thirty thou
sand inhabitants are without them at
the present period. Here in this city,
as elsewhere. children of various ages
throng these places with full knowI-
edge of their parents and yet there
parents seem to far as appearances
go, to be entirely oblivious of the re.
suit. 1t is plainly evident that many
parents are unaware Of the Immorali-
ty taught by the scenes depicted in
these gilded resorts. Surely they
would not allow their children to pat
ronize them with a full and perfect
knowledge OF conditions. A recent Is
sue Of the Chicago Daily Tribune says
Of them:
Train robberies, the pursuit of es.
Gaping criminals. prize fights, lynch.
ings, police raids, escapades in: which
a guilty wife or husband is surprised
by a suspicious spouse, and as many
other criminal or disreputable scenes
as the Imagination of the kinetoscope
artist can suggest are presented with
lifelike distinctness for young chill
dren to gloat over. The pictures in the
father would wish his young son or
daughter to look upon. When not &C.
tually indecent they are often sus-
gestive Of indecency. Some of the
worst Of these may be found in places
where signs invite the presence Of Ia
dies and children. These places, which
are open until a late hour, are meet
ing places for boys and girls, among
whom are certain to be some too ex-
perienced in the wickedness of the
world to be fit companions for the In.
nocent. They invite each other to look
at pictures of doubtful propriety, and
take their first steps on the down
ward way. The glorification OF crime
in the moving pictures suggests to
many n weak mind the ease with
which one may gain wealth or fame
IL he "has the nerve. The fact that
the train rohber, or the safe blower,
or the counterfeiter is caught at last
makes no impression upon the youth
full spectator. That is laid to bad
luck or bad Judgment, and the incipl-
emit criminal is sure he would be more
fortunate. 1t is true that these shows
are no more depraved than some OF
the plays produced on the stages of
certain theaters, but they are more dan
gerous to the children because they are
brought near to the children's schools
and homes, and the price is SO low
that children who never have been to
the theater in their lives are f,abitual
patrons of the penny or nickel shows.
There is enough legal warrant for
closing all exhibitions tending to en-
courage or glorify crime. The streets
must be made safe for the children"
After reading the above there can
be little doubt about the character OF
the inventions referred to-, 1t has
been put in plain, forcible language.
so that everyone can understand it. II
it is fact that fathers and mothers
do not know that the evils called at
tention to Turk in the penny arcade
it is time they should be told that