The new era., 1911-05-04

Anywhere. everywhere. you find them. In the
United States you will have to hunt town Of
less than 1000 inhabitants If you wish to escape
the moving pictures.
Five millions of Americans daily visit these
shows
The exhibitors pay $1s000.000 year for their
films. The public pays $57,500000 year to see
them.
Mr.. Edison has an average weekly royalty
therefrom Of $4,000. W 4.l ,f--4-
So 1t is pretty big business. pretty thor
oughly organized. quite universal in its reach.
soap-bubbly in Its universally.
The child of the poor, with clay pipe and the
suds from the weekly wash, have Just
good time any rich young fellow with an Inn
ported meerschaum and the best CASTLE.
So 1t is with the moving picture shows II re-
Quires little capital to them long room.
easily darkened. ninefeet square patch Of white
cloth, some benches for the spectators oper-
ator at ten dollars a week, and rented film, now
takes the place Of a company Of actors. stage
scenery. properties. lights and a properly
equipped building. And the poor boy gets as
much value for his nickel as the rich boy can get
for any number Of dollars.
Yet. they run into dangers that no soapbubbes
can allure. Fire is Of these the most patent.
OF the moral dangers we will speak later It
is through the moral soap-bubble that we can sec
more clearly the moving pictures gossamer
tinsel
Fire. however. is the first and most vital dan
ger. The Charity Bazaar fire in Paris in which
many women were trampled to death by cow
ardy men, caused by the fall of a spark
upon some celluoid moving-picture films which
had been dropped into basket In Canton 600
men, Cinnamon, were burned to death in a fire
in moving-picture show house In Quito, Ecua-
dor, fifty men and women lost their lives in
similar calamity.
1t speaks well for the widespread and con-
slant vigilance of the fire departments Of the
United States that great catastrophe has yet
come to the moving picture houses of this
country.
Lives have not been lost in the moving picture
shows Lives have been lost through the moving
picture shows
Where the dime and nickel novels sug
gested ways of crime to unbalanced youth the
moving picture has come to make more ready
and more potent appeal. The printed word is
ardent with impressionable mind
the acted word
Several ways have been thought of to lessen
these obvious evils. Charles Sprague Smith, late
chief Of the Peoples Institute in New York.
thought he had solved the problem when he in
duced the manufacturers of the moving pictures
to agree to national board Of censorship.
The manufactures good trade diplomats
readily assented, and then to 1t that the
board Of censorship should be advisory and not
antagonistic The result is that many pictures
that create havoc among youthful minds when
shown on the public screens get by" the
tonal board of censorship.
No. This bubble that Edison has loosed upon
will play itself out just far the instincts
of the whole people of this country will permit;
no farther sooner.
One night went to prize fight. Only
were present. The casual observer might have
said they were all tough men. After the fight
a canvas was erected in the ring and
nouncer said. "An exclusive Aim will be
shown to the members Of this club"
The picture proved to be of French manufac-
ture and portrayed . vile situation in dive.
Instantly hisses and storm of execration burst
from the audience. The running Of the nlm was
stopped and the picture removed before 1t was
all shown. Grim silence greeted the removal Of
the canvas
The crowd that gloried in the action Of the