Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-06
URGED TO GET CURB
FOR EVILS OF STAGE
New York Society Asks Numbers to
Appeal toaLegislators for Law
Forbiding Immoral Plays

NEW YORK, Mar. 5.--Attacks were
made upon many of the existing places
of public amusement at a meeting OF
the American Society of the Sanitary
and Moral Prophylaxis last night at the
New York Academy OF Medicine In
West Forty-third street. The members
were urged to appeal to their represen-
tatives in the legislature to support a
bill prepared by Assemblyman Charles
Murphy of Brooklyn, making 1t mis-
demeanor to produce any impure or
oemoralizing play or to exhibit posters
of a suggestive or vulgar character or
representing revolving crime.
illness prevented Frank Moss. one
police commissioner from attending the
meeting, and a paper he had prepared
was read by the secretary. Mr.. Moss
declared vice is increasing and that
many currents of the vicious tide are
fed by licensed places of amusement
He referred to the exhibition OF lewd
pictures In penny arcades and TO the
praiseworthy efforts made by Mayor
Mcclellan under inadequate laws III
fighting Objectionable moving picture
shows calculated to pollute the minds
of children.
MI Moss insisted that the greatest
corruption in the theaters was not to
be found in the purlieus, but In the
main thoroughfare of the city, where
the nastiest exhibitions bring back to
the doors frantic mobs of men and
women, and where the greatest sue
cesses are often the plays that came
nearest to depicting those things that
children are taught not to mention.
He said women in the audience ap-
plauded gross indecencies, young men
and women nod at each other after
suggestive lines and laughter and APP
plause greet improprieties. In his opin-
ion the overwhelming operate success
of the day is indecent and it is aston
ishing that so vile an act should re-
ceive plaudits from crowds.
He attributed the evils in part to the
influence of politicians, and he COM
mended the attitude taken by Mr..
Burnham, manager of Wallack's the
alter. While he believes 1t is useless
to discuss censorship he thinks law is
required to improve existing conditions.
He said his society viii submit bill
to the present legislature.
DR.. o. Edward Janney of Baltimore,
president of the National Vigilance
committee, discussed the white slave
traffic. He said the body of a young
woman found in the lake at Chicago
had been examined by relatives Of near
ly five hundred missing girls. and he
produced a photograph of western
cemetery with posts marking the
names of 450 nameless girls.
He asserted that much of the capt.
tai for the slave pens for women In
the "Barbary coast of reconstructed
San Francisco has been furnished by
Christian business men. He believed
the efforts of the vigilance committee,
acting in concert with similar organi-
cations in Europe, was having a de-
terrent effect upon international slave
traffic.
James B. Reynolds, member of the
vigilance committee, expressed the
opinion that the United States district
attorney of Chicago had been conser-
vative in his recent estimate that not
fewer than 5000 white slaves" are
imported each year.
Mrs Charles II. Israels spoke of a
bill to be introduced to license dance
halls and to prevent the sale OF liquor
in them.