The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-03-30
| why HAVE TRAGEDY
| IN MOVING PICTURES?

mind and an agreeable Utilization to
thought its influence is salutary and
its effect should prove healthfMl.
Much of history can be pleasantly
taught: We may cultivate familiar
: lty with the noted men and the
prominent facts Of all time will APP
propriate surroundings and many
who can with difficulty be taught
otherwise can imbibe useful infOr-
nation through the eye while nib
bling peanuts or displaying the
latest thing in bOnnets or ribands.
Topics less harmful than gossip and
scandal can be furnished at mini
rum cost: though weary OF the
figures in a ledger or disguised with
the eternal necessity Of calculating
how a gulf may be bridged between
figures and necessities may indulge
in a siesta and pass into a lotus
land for the small sum of one dime
But moving pictures. like drink
should be used and not abused. II
would be a distant abuse to force
unwilling thoughts into unpleasan;
paths: the funeral procession must
be treated as a show very fOrcibly t.
Keep our mind ObliviOus to The
corpse hid in the hearse. Nobody
kas yet shown us attractive views Of
an open grave by way of reminding
us that all esh is mortal. but lynch
ings are carefully reproduced and
the time may come when the owner!
of the machine can be Justly sus
pected OF melting lynching to al
ford them an opportunity. 1t is I:
bit gruesOme TO read that as man!
participants as possible were col
lectcd to give us good views of thu
late tragedy in llillsyille and actor.
were cOstumcd to represent the dead
and the murdercrs who were com.
PEELED by circumstances to deny
themselves the pleasure OF attend
ance. Prisoners were brought frOh
the Jail by officials anxious to pos,
as heroes after the smoke clcared
away We have representations OF
train wrcckcrs and robbers as 4
common feature ot these entertain.
menis.
Once the nickel noIclettcs wcr,
charged with responsibility for tn,
multiplication OF the crimes they
celebrated Much more convincing
to the youthful mind is The re-
production to the eye in pictures
that show all the convincing seen
cry. OF course the moving picture
has come to stay: might ii not b.
possible TO use them for good with
out abusing them to evil purpose
In our modern life the machine Is
replacing the man: the machine Is
driving the actor from the stage
and giving permanency to the sing
er SO as to cheaper his individual
produce. Machinery cheapens the
Injuries and SO lessons the cost of
living in a day when the poor insist
on Injuries first and necessities
afterwards: fashion bids all of rs
collect within Il narrow area and
none oi rs consents to 70 outside the
realm ui the 'aShionabl. whatever
the cost
But rhge Will come IA time when
the legislation Will insist on proving
his claims 10 morality by limiting
tie pleasures of others: when the
merely pleasant will be declared
lacking in orthodoxy perhaps W.
shall! see moving pictures in the
churches as they have already ap-
peared in the Sunday school. But
let us discriminate between the use
and the abuse: healthy public
sentiment will make the bad un-
profitable and SO eliminate 1t with
out the need OF burdening the stat
ute books with prohibitions that
only hide the bad but make 1t more
attractive to the debauched taste.
Just as the fisherman would be most
interested in taking care for the fish
If he understood his own interests
rightly. so the capital behind the
moving picture show might be most
anxious to restrict II within limits
of decency and safety. Few OF us
are entertained by watching a trad
egy: after all. We go to a show to
be entertained st Augustine Rec