Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-07-29
THE MOVING PICTURE
A Primary School For Criminals
So Says WA. McKeever
WORK OF SCHOOLS UNDONE
A Campaign OF Opposition Good
Housekeeping Magazine" Has To

z ~ SdWpdiRH VI UppOSlitOn mat uOOu
Housekeeping Magazine" Has To
Say
eff the situation | am describing
I is true-if it is true that these shows
are depicting scenes such as | have
named the moving picture is the
crown and summit of all the influ-
ences demoralizing the youth of the
country today, not even the saloon
being an exception. Now, be-
lieve it to be a sound principle of
procedure that all public education
\ should be under the direct charge
and control of the public, and
/ should be conducted in its moral
aspects by the dictates of the public
conscience and in the interest of
the public welfare. These moving
picture shows constitute a school.
/ They are offering a course of direct
and specif', instruction. They exert
powerful influence ON the young.
The boy and girls of the l.n1 are
learning daily, or rather nigh ~, les
sons in wrongdoing, but no one in a
position of responsibility kno vs. any
thing about or has anything of au-
thority to say about the course of
study in these schools.
What cry would go up, and what
/ a scandal there would be, indeed, if
one of the teachers in our public
schools should follow the methods Of
the picture Snowman. Suppose this
teacher should say, Now, boys and
girls, the lesson for today is on the
question of a holdup. want to show
you how false the average policeman
is; how he will agree, secretly, with
robbers to meet them on some dark
street at night, and protect them
while they strike down and rob some
innocent person; and how they will
pretend the next day to be looking
for the robbers, and will keep the
public in ignorance of their real mo-
tives and methods.
Then, after this isl presented by
means of the pictures, the teacher
will announce that for tomorrow the
subject will be the family brawl. Il
want to show you,' she will say, just
how the man goes to the saloon and
gets drunk on whiskey, and then goes
back and mistreats his wife; and how,
while he is out in the night he gets
into the company of Others of Grim
inal minds and does unnamable things.
You boys will be men yourselves
some day, and you will want to know
just how to do these things. Then,
there will be lesson for you girls,
too. want to show you just how
girls learn to flirt and take up with
vulgar men; how they meet them out
at night and 60 with them to ques
tionable places, where they are under
the glare of the lights, and receive
all sorts of questionable treatment.
want to show you how enticing it
IS, so that when you girls grow up
you will know just how these things
are done, and how you can easily take
up with them. will also give you
few lessons showing you just how
to deceive your mother and make her
think you have gone to the young
/ peoples prayer meeting, while at the
same time you slip out into this
company. There will be pictures to
show every scene and every move
ment, so that you can remember it as
long as you live, and think about it
as you go about your daily affairs
1t is clear to anyone who will
make a study of the matter that the
moving picture is one of the great
est means of direct instruction in
use today. / am not condemning
this picture business as a whole, but
| am condemning with all my
might the use to which the thing is
put. And yet how easily it could
all be turned into good! There is
an endless number of views and
movements to be shown that will
contribute to the building of char
acter.
'Now, what ought to be done to
utilize the splendid possibilities of
the moving picture as an instructive
and moralizing agency? 1t is much
to be regretted that the public school
and church officials cannot find a
practicable way to use it in their
work, for logically it should come
into their hands. However, the cost
of equipment. the added fire risk and
the possible injury to the eyes stand
in the way. But the desired results
can certainly be obtained in more
than one indirect way, provided all
who are interested take hold of the
matter and seek 10 restrict the
manufacture of Objectionable films
and 20 restrain the local manager
from using such films
I'm our attempt to bring about re.
. form in the moving picture business,
we must bear stictly in mind the
purpose for which this business is al
present conducted namely, to make
money. If we can bring or force the
manufacturer aud local manager Il
. the conclusion that cleaner bushes:
; will also be profitable. then they
will readily fall into line with ms