The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-14
RAISE The TONE.
Criticism of the Moving Picture
Houses Here.
Mr.. Justis Thinks They Are
Better Than Elsewhere.
TOO MUCH MURDER.
Have More Films That Appeal
to Better Nature.
Has Come to Stay and Must Be
ReckOned With.
TOO MUCH MURDER.


Influences SO many people as does the
moving picture show. The Nauonai
Board of Censorship estimates that
there are over goo of them in the
United States. Topeka, a city OF less
than $4,000 population, supports SIX
throughout the year and eight during
the summer months. What l shall
have to say, in this paper Will refer 10
the six shows only
Give of these shows give hVe per-
formances daily, two in the afternoons
and three at night the sixth one shows
only at night. A performance is one
hour long and is usually composed OF
three reels of films and an illustrated
song. A reel of films Is about l,OOO
feet in length and usually gives but one
scene, sometimes two.
THE seating capacity of these SIX
theaters is about $500, and conserv-
alive estimate of the average daily at
tendance is 1000. In ether words,
these shows furnish us with twenty
eight hours entertainment daily, using
over fifteen miles of film and are Visit
ed by a crowd that would NIL our au-
ditorium and tax the capacity of our
baseball park, q crowd that in week s
time is equal to half the oopulatlon Oh
our city. 1t must be remembered also
that no co1ored people attend these
shows.
"Why this great hold upon the peo-
ple? Is it but a fad, of which We shall
soon tire, or must it be reckoned with
| as permanent factor or 1nnuehce
upon our social life? what is the reaI
| influence and its possibilities? Inese
ery individual interested in the well
fare of society.
an reply to the first question we
believe there are three reasons for the
large attendance. First, II furnishes
satisfactory amusement for the great
majority of those who attend. the
duHness of school. the irritations and
| monotony of home, the hardshlp OIL
work. are forgotten during the hours
spent in this house of Dreams as
| Miss Jane Adams calls 1T. They rep
resent usually the emotional drama
| containing some criminal plot or SEN
sational love story and portrayed IN
lSuch a way as to appeal most strons-
" to ones. Imagination. 1t takes
/ hours and sometimes days to read a
novel and we must paint our own
scenes and characters. The moving
picture may give the same story with
| the scenes and characters before us as
real as life itself all condensed into
thirty minutes. 1t is in harmony with
the strenuous age in which we live.
Second, it is inexpensive. 1t is
the most important form of che4p
amusement in the country and the
only one where the labor1ng man can
afford to take his family.
Third it is convenient to attend.
One need not make any special pre-
aration for the lights are dim and his
presence is scarcely noticed. he neeo
not tax himself to get there at GER
tain hour, he may go when he pleases
and leave when he desires.
eve believe that it meets need
| in our social life and must be reck-
oned with. as a permanent institution.
To date it is used only by those in
terested in it commercially as means
of entertainment but its social and
educational possibilities are soon to
be developed.
s'In order to determine the probable
Influence here in Topeka the writer
durinc the month of May made sur
vey of the six show houses. Each
theater was visited five times and a
total of 106 views were seen. OF this
number 81 were comics. 81 western
drama, 10 drama, and 81 miscellan-
eous, such as war, runaway trains,
etc The number of films where muir
der was a prominent feature was Is,
dueling or fighting Is, revenge To-
war 10, drinking 20. gambling IL, sa-
loon scenes II, saloons where girls
were either drinking or tending bar z
death scenes 5, marital unfaithfulness
IL, suicide 4, vulgar and suggestive D
scenic 10, and educational IL.
"In three of the houses half of the
films were comics, the other half be-
ing love stories, or educational views
practically no western drama be1ne
shown. In one show only three
, comics were seen, the rest beins
mainly western drama. or sensational
love stories. The other two houses
: give about as much of one kind as an
other
s'The ventilation was horrible in {
few instances but this will probably bt
remedied soon in accordance with {
law recently passed.
with the exception of one house
very small per cent of the audienc
was children.
Probably 90 per cent or more of tn
films have been passed by the nationa
board of censorship. This, however
does not mean as much as one m1gh
\ think as this board was organized a
! the request of the manufacturers O
moving pictures to protect them agains
public criticism and il is Supporte
largely by their donations. This boar
has no legal authority over the manu-
facturers, its power resting exclusive
ly on a basis of confidence and CO
operation. 1t must be said, howeve1
that it is doing much good in raisin
the standard of films in this countr
and in agitating throughout the Ian
the social and educational possibilitie
of moving pictures. Many cities hav
local boards with police authority VIII
cooperate with the national board an
seem to be very satisfactory, as ever
community has local problems that n
national board can ever remedy.
I'VE believe that the shows in Topek
are of a much higher grade than thos
in most cities. All of these are fire
from the cheap vaudeville acts so niue
criticised in other cities, neither
they have the .barkers' so common
many places. Four of the houses haN
the advertising posters which are SCI
sational and misleading but two OF II
better shows do not have even these.
THE only criticism that we feel III
making is that the general tone
Il character of the views is too low, tt
> great majority of them portray Grim
| and the lower emotions of manhn