The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-24
PRESIDENT NEFF IS
/. LOUD IN PRAISE OF
PICTURE SHOWS
Movies" Are Driving Dime
Novel Publishers Into
Bankruptcy
RESPONSIBLE FOR
CHINESE REVOLUTION
Shows Are Educating Public Along
Moral and Intellectual Lines and
Solving Amusement Prob
lem of Cities

| M. A. Neff. president of the Motion
Picture Ehibitors' Leauge of America, ar
rived in Birmingham yesterday to attend
the sessions of the Alabama Motion Pie
ture Exhibitors league at their annua
convention today In the banquet room o.
the Hllman hotel.
President Nen was shown about thu
dent of the Alabama association, ant
looked over the various moving picture
theatres of Birmingham, which pleased
him very much in their up to date ant
fireproof features.
Mr.. Neff, however, showed surprise thai
the theatres In Birmingham should be
closed on Sunday, when they are open ir
every other progressive city in the United
States, including Montgomery and Mo
bile. He said
This is my first visit to Birmingham
and from what I've seen of your city II
impresses me very mucn Its future Is
assured through its great natural re-
sources and undoubtedly Birmingham
will be one of the great metropolises OF
the country in a few years. In my duties
as president of the Motion Picture Ex-
hibitors' league | have to visit every city
and town of any Importance in the United
States and Canada, and / assure you
none have ever impressed me with their
general progressive spirit as Birmingham
has in the short time I've been here.
Praises Moving Picture
"As to moving pictures all can say is
what everyone knows, that 1t is the great
greatest educational force, the greatest
force for the establishment of needed re-
forms. In fact, l might state without
successful contradiction that moving pic
lures are the greatest force for moral
uplift and education in the world.
Let us see what moving pictures have
dore. For instance, who ever dreamed
two years ago that China, then an abso-
lutte monarchy, full of the cruelest kind
of despotism, would become republic as
1t is today. No one then dreamed Of such
possibility, but that supposed impos-
sbility has been wrought, and what
brought it about? Moving pictures is the
answer.
"All the prayers and the teachings and
books of the missionaries were very good
things for the heather Chinee, but ne
did not pay much attention to them
When the moving picture arrived in China
and pictures with readers in his own Ian
guage were shown to him his eyes opened
and his interest was awakened. On the
screen millions of Cinnamon were able
for small coin to see the progress ol
the western world; the skyscrapers OF
New York, the immense factories ano
mills of this country, the architectural
beauties of Europe, the ways of educated
white people. All of these things sunl
into the Chinamans mind TO much
greater depth than the teachings and
books of the missionaries and the revo-
tion which resulted in unseating the Eru-
press Dowager and putting that progress
sive Chnaman, Yuan Shi kai, in as
president is directly traccaDle to the In
fluence of the moving pictures. Moving
picture men the world over should fee
proud that to them belongs much of the
credit for this gerat reform.
Doing Away With Dime Novel
"Where is the dime and nickel thriller
that was so popular ten years ago? II
the courts of bankruptcy No publishing
firm which publishes only "thrillers'' Of
the Dead Eye Dck"' Shoot EN- Jack,
and the silly romantic novels can survive
| in competition with moving pictures. ano
out of over $50 of these fiery publications
of the nickel and dime variety only eigh
now remain in operation, and this mum.
ber will be reduced to seven in few
weeks as another is about to suspend
The small boy or young girl is not spend
| ins his or her nickel and dime for q bool
| on killing Indians and the lovers of the
washerwoman, when they can see mucl
better show than any book can furnish
| in moving pictures for the same money.
Here is something else that moving
pictures are directly responsible for
The consumption of whisky and beer
| in the United States since moving pic
| lures has come in vogue has fallen of
| 32 per cent Criminal statictics through
| out the country have fallen off 2S pei
cent, and it is claimed and well sup
lported that cigarette smoking has beer
greatly reduced owing to their infiu-
| ence Where is the individual that car
contend with these statistics and state
that moving pictures are harmful tc
the youthful mind and are immoral.
| Where is the individual that will con-
tend that moving pictures are not the
greatest educationaN force the world
over? There are none.
And the moving picture men are not
resting on their oars because of theii
success, but are daily contriving and
striving to better the Aims, to provide
greater amusement and intelligence to
the public.
Now today is Sunday. and In walking
about your city I saw thousands Of pc
destrians of both sexes wandering about
aimlessly and with apparently nowhere
to go. Such is not the case in many
other large cities In the country, for in
those cities the city government in pro-
gressive, get-together spirit. has arrived
at the conclusion that moving pictures
are the best prevention Of evil And il
is to be hoped that the city government
of Birmingham and Its pastors will soon
arrive at the same conclusion and there
by greatly decrease a lot Of police court
business OF Monday mornings.
There is something everyone must
have: Food. drink and amusement, and
liz we deprive the public of Birmingham
of innocent amusement on Sunday it will
GO and amuse itself in various ether ways
more or less harmful and oftentimes
without the sanction of any laws"
Sessions Begin This Morning
The sessions of the convention OF the
Alabama Moving Picture Exhibitors
league begins at 10 o'clock this morning
preside. An invitation has been extended
to the three city commissioners, Messrs.
Lane. Exum and Weatherly, and also the
Pastors union. to be in attendance as
something Of interest to them will be pre-