The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-04
From the Washington Herald.

From the Washington Herald.
The national board of censorship for mo-
ton pictures, established by the Peoples
institute. New York, which has been for
several years inspecting and passing on
moving picture films voluntarily submit
ted by the manufacturers, now hopes,
through the agency of schools and Young
Mems Christian associations throughout
the country to make radical changes In
the system whereby picture films are
put on the market
At present the Individual who operates
at most one or two moving picture the
film exchanges. to which he must go for
his attraction. He cannot afford to buy
films outright, but must rent them from
one or another of the exchanges, which
buy the films from the manufacturers.
The exchange draws up contract with
him whereby he Is to be furnished with
SO many new films per week at a stated
rental. He is not allowed to select his
films, but must take those that the ex-
change choose to send him. After a film
has been shown in all the houses under
contract with the exchanges it is consid-
cred obsolete and is slowed away perma-
nently, Notwithstanding the fact that II
probably has been seen by only a very
small percentage of the moving picture
public.
This condition was first called to the at
tention OF the board of censorship by
letters received from all parts of the
country complaining of the pictures shown
In local theatres From rtab
plants that pictures were being shown
in which Mormons appeared in an unfav-
orable light. From points in the north
west complaints were received against
films showing alleged "Wild West" life
and experiences which their audiences
regarded as ridiculous. The local pro-
ducers had to show the films sent them
or close their theatres.
On the other hand the board did not feel
called upon to condemn the films before
hand, and simply because they offended
the sensibilities of one section of the
country. The manufacturers are not COM
PEELED to submit their films to censorship,
nor, having submitted their films to in
spection, are they compelled to abide by
the decision of the board. The only PEN
atty attached is that of losing the priv
ilege of labelling the film Passed by the
board of censorship"
In these circumstances the board has
considered that its disapproval must be
reserved for films either openly untrue to
nature or life. To condemn a film that
would be enjoyed in New England simply
because it would be Kissed in Oregon-so
long as 1t doesn't seem likely to do the
New England audience any harm-has
seemed to them trifle severe.
The solution that appeals most to the
censors is the division of moving picture
theatres into classes. They would like to
see some theatres appealing to the
only, other theatres for grown
ups, some, with the lowest possible admis-
sion fee, showing pictures that would
attract the poorer and uneducated MEM
bers of the community, and others, charg-
ing perhaps 10 or 20 cents admission, to
show films Of the highest and most expen-
sive quality. designed to appeal to people
Of cultivated and critical taste. With
such a classification of the movies the
problem of the censor would be much
simplihed.
The first promise of improvement in the
situation, from the censor's point of
view, came from East Orange. N. j.. A
teacher in the public school there had
been introducing her children to the Eng
lish classics. She adopted the plan of
telling them one day, in her own Ian
guage, the story of one of Shakespeare's
plays and then calling on them the next
day to write a composition telling the
story over again In their own words. One
lay the story had been Hamlet" One
little fellow turned in story of the play
that was SO wonderfully graphic that the
teacher called on him to explain 1t.
II saw the very same story you told
is, teacher, in the movies" he said.
The teacher went herself to see the film
and then took her entire class to see It,
Then the proprietor of the theatre in his
turn saw a new light. He talked the mat
Ter over with the teacher, and as a re-
suit agreed to throw open his theatre to
the school children in a body, accom-