The Washington herald., 1911-05-19

lave grown to such large proportions ir
Washington within the last few years
All of these, II the proposed bill goes
through in its present form, will be
closed on Sunday, to the great loss. the
owners say, Of those who have their
money invested and to the great depri-
walton of many thousands of Sunday
patrons in all parts Of the city, who have
come to look upon the Sunday outing for
the family at the motion-picture shows
as the single weekly opportunity for
family enjoyment.
There is more than 100000 invested
in Washington in the motion-picture
business" said one Of the most prominent
representatives of this business last night,
'and If this bill goes through there Will
be serious loss imposed upon the In
vestors. Ninety per cent Of the little
amusement places will have to close II
they are deprived of their Sunday privi-
leges Sunday is to us all that Saturday
is to the retail grocer and more. With
out that days business the little houses
cannot live.
Large Sum in Salaries.
I'VE pay from $500 200 to $4,000 a year
in salaries and rents. We pay 5000 in
licenses and more than $4,000 a year
in taxes. We have complied with all
the regulations that have been imposed
upon us. and have secured the signatures
OF citizens in the vicinity Of our places
Of business necessary to get our licenses.
which now allow us seven days week
to keep open.
Every Sunday there are more than
5000 people in this city who attend the
seventy-five or more motion picture
houses and want this recreation bad
enough to be willing to pay for it. 1t
seems to me these people should have
something to say about how they shall
spend their time. I wish you could see
the class of people who come to our
places on Sunday. 1t is an entirely diff
ferent class of people from the weekday
audiences.
"All through the week you will see
the pavement fringed with automobiles
outside these places. But on Sunday, the
pavement is lined with baby carriages.
The wortingman, who is employed all
week and gets no oportunity to come
with his family, brings his wife and
grown-up children. while the baby comes
along in the carriage, and sometimes
we have to check the perambulators.
there are so many of them. These peo-
three. turns of the programme until the
children get tired and sleepy. and to
see the little families go away thorough
ly happy with the day spent in HARM
less amusement makes one wonder at
the spirit that would seek to deprive
them of 1t all
Films Are Censured.
Our films are censored by the general
national board of censorship, composed
of such eminent men and women as Rev.
DR.. George William Knox, of Union Theo-
logical Seminary: W. Frank Persons. OF
the Charity Organization Society; Mat
thew P. Adams, of the Children's Aid So
ciety; Matthew Beattie, of the city vigil
ance committee; George B. Pratt, OF the
International committee OF the Y. NJ. c.
A; Mrs Miriam Sutro Price. of the Pub
lie Education Association; Miss NJ. Sc.
rena Townsend, Of the Woman's Munich
pal League: Mrs. Emma F. Fisk. of the
New York City Federation of Women.s
Clubs. and others equally prominent.
In addition the police of Washington eA-
anime and censor every film shown.
The honor that is paid to the flag at
every performance by playing The Star
Spangled Banner the respect that is in
enforced for American law and
institutions; the fact that in every pic
feature no crime goes unpunished, all
teach lessons in patriotism, loyalty, re-
spect for law. and the authorities, that
mean much for the evolution of a good
citizen. Only last week nearly every |
school principal and nearly all high school
pupils fiocked to see the firms of Dick |
ems Tale of Two Cities which was a
school text last year.
ASIDE from the educational influences
er proof Of the moral influence, If you will |
but take the Monday morning Police |
Court records Of drunks and compare |
them with what they. were at any time |
before the motion picture was a popular |
Sunday amusement in Washington. be- |
eve in cutting out the evil influences of /
Sunday, but I cannot, in candor, see /
what there is in properly conducted, we'll |
censored shows of this kind, at which the /
have a pleasant, cheap, and profitable /
lay with his family. and one that is so
full of uplift.
There are larger forces making for
good citizenship, for good husbands and
mothers than are supposed by many to
lie outside of the churches, and the first
70 realize this are those who are the
closest to settlement work among the
)f large cities.
In Vplift Work.
These workers are the first to recog-
lize the value of motion pictures in
Iplift work, and are making large use
If them among the people who live in
he poorer sections of large cities. And
,hief among this class which is doing
Vork-that makes for good is the educa-
ional secretary of the national board of
who interprets the work of
he censorship to the public. and. is
triving to broaden the scope of the mo-
ion picture until 1t becomes a universal
i'd to religion and education. And that