Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-03-26
THE MOVIES.
FIR. Frank Crane Comments Moving
Pictures i'm High Terms.


show, of how cheap it is, hence de-
grading and bad for the youth.
Any time you want to secure re-
putation for being superior person,
not at all ordinary, but exceeding fine
haired and high-bred and uppish, sit
down and write contemptuously OF
something the mob likes. The very
fact that the multitude likes it shows
it's naughty; for the first principle
of snobbery is that what the multi
tude likes is low.
Then, after while, when you get
more sense-which, pray God, may
! soon come to pass.-you will be
moved to resign your seat among the
forty immortal elect, scratch their
motto out of your copy book, and
learn that the instincts of the great
mass of humanity are more to be
trusted than the epigrams of the hoi-
| ty-toity.
AS for me and all the girls and the
boys in our block, we do sincerely
give thanks for the movies.
l have nothing to say against the
"legit." Only, there are lot of peo-
pie who cannot afford to spend So
or even 90 cents, on an evening S
entertainment, and no shame to them
either.
But it's many and many who cam
not do this, and must fain set down
| in a little book even street car fare,
and who have to look sharp for room
rent; these need amusement more
than do the residents on Easy street.
The people go to the movies.
Not only because they are cheap,
however. There are some other things
that are cheap--to them nobody goes
lectures, for instance.
We go because the movies are
good.
Their range of subjects is high.
You really absorb deal of useful in
| formation. l never remember get
ting any information to speak of in
IS seat.
They are artistic. You see real life.
Trees that are trees and not painted
canvas; horses actually running on
mountain roads, and not on a tread
mill apparatus; sure enough water
and not waves made of blue cloth,
with stage hands wallowing under
it.
At a movie you are not tortured
with the torture of the English lang
age. There is no talking. If there's
anything to say, it's printed. Here
the leading lady does not turn back
to you and mutter heaven knows
what, nor the leading man mouth
something no one can hear, and that
right at the critical moment. You
get all that is taking place, and so
get your moneys worth, even if it is
only five cents.
If you go up in the gallery you can
smoke. Thank heaven, there's one
warm spot where man may commit
his genial and soothing sin without
the housekeeper shooting him out to
the barn or gentleman in soiled
white tie inviting him to leave.
The real refined gentry complain
of the cinema as being low and vulg-
ar. / can only say that / have fire.
quented film shows in Rome, Flor
ence and the mountain towns of It.
ally, in Paris and French villages, in
London on the Strand and Chepstow
on the Wye, in Keokuk, Saint 10,
French Lick, Chicago and New York
and never saw one indecency or one
picture l would not want my boy to
see. They may have them, but
missed them.
On the contrary ! have seen Dan
te's Inferno" and Tasso's "Jerusa-
lem Delivered" and the story of Mos
es in Egypt set forth in fidelity and
with artistic perfection. / know my
Dante as we'll as the next non-pro-
fessional person, and l went three
times to see his divine comedy at the
cinema in Rome (the one on the Pr
azza del Terme) and got more vivid
impressions than / ever did from the
notes of Cassini or the lectures at the
Dante Foundation in Florence. And
the beauty of 1t is that took the lit
tie Canavaciol children and the two
Casey boys (visiting), and they had
as much fun as /; and glory be to the
saints! that doesn't spoil thing for
me.
But it's dark in the movies, and
boys and girls hold hands! More
power to their arms! l myself when
young held hands in church, and the
upshot Of it was girl married me
and still! has me, and may a like fate
fall on all young villains!