The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-12
DENOUNCfS
UNTRUE PICTURES
SHOWN FOR PROFIT
Harm Done to Campaign For
Social Purity by Sensation
alism and Falsity, Says d..
II. D. c. Maclach!an.
Explains Vote of Board of Gem
sors at Academy Last Week
and Tells Why Such Pictures
Do Harm to Morals and
Absolutely No Good.

Sensational exploitation OF the social
evil. pretended exposes of the
, methods employed by white slavers
for profit. and false presentations Or
their operations came In for censurs
at the hands of Rev H .. C. Mac
lachlan, ID. D.. al the Seventh Street
Christian church last night, in a SER
mon dealing with moving pictures.
their value and their dangers.
DIR. Maciaci1lau explained the
/ motives Of those of the board nj
eensors, named by Mayor Ainslie last
week, in voting against a production
at the Academy OF q production pre-
tending 10 show the inside of white
slave operations. Or. Maclachlan's
chief criticism was aimed at what
he said was untruth in an alleged
educational picture.
Its situations were exaggerated be.
yond even the usual license of melo-
drama" declared DIR. Maclachlan.
IN bully ne cadet pal lccssaap axeir
behaved as those in the play behaved
/ This might have perhaps been par
/ doned in a production that laid ne
claim to educational value: but this
play advertised itself as educational
and purported to portray the facts o.
! the so-called white slave traffic Tor
! the advanced purpose Oh pubic echs
/ timent against it"
| Are Not Facts.
DIR. Maclachlan declared that the
alleged facts proved TO he no facts
| at all, but ludicrous distortion of facS.
He said that this good cause waa
weakened by being made mawkishly
sentimental and meiodramatlc, He
told the congregation that the reaS 4
workings or an infamous traffic was
entirely ignored aud a wholly tMa9-
! mary situation substituted merely for
dollars and cents
\ This Raises the question or the Dc
STABILITY of the new type OF so-caIled
sex plays such as The Fight The
iIure.'s bertha ."The Beautiful
/ Cloak ModeP' and the Family Cup
! boa as factors in the campaign
4 against the social evil On this sub.
iect there is some difference OF opinioh
| even among experts. as is evidences
nv the discussion at the last meet 1
ing Of the Society for Social ana
! Moral ProphyIaNis in New York
The majority registered then-
selves against that form of play.
carefully. however excepting DAM
aged Goods" by Brieux, as In class
By itself. because OF the spiendld
| dramatic technique and me. frank.
| scientific treatment of a terrible sun
/ iect Their chief criticism against
! the plays was the one just mentioned
--unreality foreign to the real facts
of life
| picit vice in the true celors, but maae
/ il common and therefore common
| place---ugly. to be sure, but not dreau-
/ full.
Flippant Comments.
"I saw in this connection that
/ mn ris cd very closely the eomrnsnfs OF
the audience at the play last MoAdAy,
and with hardly an exception iney
were of the flippant character that Pc
/ tokened no consciousness whatever soL
The tremendous problem that was
! being obscured and tuigartzed by tH0ss
pictures on the stage. FurthermoTes
i the audiences at such plays are for
the most part not drawn there by any
special desire for knowledge or moral
fortification. hut by vulgar CURIOSITY
which discounts at the beginning any
possible good the play might DO.
/ He said that. because of the facI
that the play at the theater had been
/ given considerable publicity, and that
a COMMITTEES had been appointed ny
Il Mayor Ainsiie To witness ii. nearly
Il every seat in the house was occupied. y
II saw many young men there with
girl companions said DIR. Maclach
Ian. Gould that have happened
twenty years ago? And if 1t happens
Il
/ DIR. Maclachlan declared that ne
believed in the educational value OF
moving pictures, that he believed We
ought to know. but that he did not
believe sin and seiishness of the world
= is gong TO be eradicated by sociology,
4 by ehgenics by plays. by instruction.
in sex-hsgiene. or in any other WAY
than the REDEMPTION OF indivfauaI
lives through Jesus Christ.
the f.ufde
Furthermore, ] have not vet iosA
4 faith in Innocence" asserted DIR, Mac
lachIan. There are some things THAI \
we had better not know. There aFe
facts in life that even the frankest
dissepsion CLOSES over, and ought e
gloss over
ITO me there Is nothing more beau-
tiful under the sun than this white
Innocence of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS an ms.
nocence that shuts its eyes to kneHl-s
edge. but one that seeks knowledge
before it needs. and throws around
itself the imnreenable rampant ~
purity OF thought. word and deed. Il
This Is the fairest flower that grows
God forbid that we should sully IA
with the breath of things uncieanE
And when man shall have climbed
Ito the snow white heights not through
knowledge so much as through max
terry, then and then only shall We
have the right to say: They TWAIN
shall he one flesh" Mer and brtth-s
!, rem. let ,ss nat draw women dessN#
10 ont low plane. hut lift eurselvee
lup to hers"
Charged with HestSchrcak king.
Martin Hayes il locked up III th4S
Second station with the charge n&
Ihousebreaking haREing over him 81
iHMmherr a Iiasiai iiaayns
/ haxing entered hia room and rAf&J
IEnNA c0rnet worth $50 md uHt6& y
lDnny got on the traiIs With asaSs A. !,