The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-09
MRS. ORR REPORTS ON CIVIC LEAGUE Issues Public Letter of the Leagues Work and
 History

Pursuant with q policy adopted by the Civic league a short time ago that the executive head of this organization should address a letter to the public through tho press, Mrs. c. P. Orr, president or this league, has made report of the pY ogress and resume of the purposes of | it's work since its organization last April. | It was decided at a later meeting that this letter should be In the nature of | A record of the past efforts of the as- sociation.
 The following in part Is the Civic
 league history given out yesterday by | Mrs. Orr.
 .'The Womens Civic league was organ ized in April, 1911. at d mass meeting Of | women. It was the outgrowth of an opinion held by great many of the
 members of literary clubs belonging to the council that the reports and discus slcns of civic work unduly tnterfered with the programme of the literary clubs.
 "There was never any intention of leav-
 ing this work undone. It was simply transferred to a separate organization to facilitate business at both ends. The members of the literary clubs being also ,be large proportion of the membership
 of the Civic league.
 After eight months of organization
 we find that there is q well defined
 place for our organization in the needs of the city. Our recommendations have
 been received with respect and in almost
 every instance have been accepted by
 tho authorities. Our work lies well mapped out before us. From the enthu-
 siasm shown at our meetings and the diligence of our workers, we know that the women of Birmingham arc deeply interested ir the problems of our social and industrial life.
 On Public Morals
 "Of our four standing committees the one on public morals has turned out to
 our surprise, the one most easily organ ized and which came in to a place which seemed to represent a very real need In
 our city life.
 "The investigations of that committee
 have furnished us with a mass of infor- nation by revealing conditions so bad that
 we feel it our duty to call attention to
 Is
 ion that these conditions can only exist through the indifference of the public to these questions
 "Indecencies Haunt themselves in our theatres of every class. Vice takes US toll from the girl children on our streets. Every charity is loaded down With the waifs who are the fotsam and jetsam | of vice and crime.
 "Remonstrance brings the torpid qies- I tion fWhat can do about 1tE | "The Woman's Civic League proposes l to give an energetic answer to this ques- ton, although 1t will come in sections. Amusement Supervision
 "The first section of our answer is the sunervision of cheap places of amusement. | sub-committee on motion picture shows
 began work by getting the cooperation
 of Judge Murphy of the juvenile court, MT. Ryall, the secretary of the commis- | sion, and some of the managers of the | picture shows. This committee soon l found that several of the managers of 1 these shows will give us most hearty CO., l operation, and their advice Is invaluable. i Americans in almost any walk of life are decent people. That Is. they prefer de- cency where there is choice. q shall mention the name of the three members of the committee, as they are becoming public characters and their ad-
 vice Is being eagerly sought by mothers as to where they may safely allow their children to go. Bad conditions are re-
 ported to them.
 "The committee is composed of Mrs. Zac Smith. chairman; Mrs Robert liar ris Vim and Mrs. F. c. Moore. Some of these reports were today given Ito Judge Lane. and we have positive as-
 surance from him that if these objection able features of their programmes are re- peated he will revoke their license. "We have taken up the film question with the film exchanges in Memphis and Atlanta and have asked the women of these cities to cooperate with us In get ting depressing and objectionable films taken out of our circuit.
 The Cheaper Theatres Realizing that no committee on public morals can afford to overlook the ne- cessity for innocent amusement and plen-