Perth Amboy evening news., 1914-11-19
Censor Board, Aided by Wom-
ans Club, After BurIesque
Shows, Too - Resolution to
be Sent to Board Of Aldermen.

With the aid of the Board of
Trade, the Woman's Club and the
Board of Censor Commissioners in
tend to clear this city of all unclean
plays, shows and motion pictures,
and to eliminate from the nickel
ette' all films of a super-melodra-
matte character. At a meeting of
the censor board yesterday afternoon
at No. school, at which was pres
ent Secretary Hugh Lynch, of the
Board of Trade, and a delegation
from the Woman's Club, the board
passed a resolution recommending
to the Board of Trade to take ac-
governing shows and exhibitions
amended so that certain definite reg
ulations will be laid down for all
play houses in the city. These rules
are to set standard for motion pic
lures and exhibitions here, and if
violated will be the cause for the
revoking- of the license of the thea
tire where the infraetion of the or
dinance occurs.
Ii the aldermen refuse to amend
the ordinance. to bar such objec-
tionable pictures, then the Woman s
Club may call monGtrous mass
meeting as a huge protest against
the alleged corrupting of the morals
of the children and youth of the city
at the different theatres. Mrs. Jean
Dubois, chairman OF the delegation
from the Woman's Club at the meet
ing, Threatened such action if moth
ing could be accomplished by appeal
n "a MrC n1,p nj
ported energetic work in the CAM
paign for better standard of motiol
pictures in the city, and said that she
had seen every minister in the city,
nearly every priest and would pro-
ceed to see the rabbis. All, she said,
gave her hearty encouragement In
the movement, and syte declared that
the Catholic priests, especially, offer
ed whole-hearted support of the
movement, One volunteered, she
said. to urge his whole congregation
to attend mass meeting If one were
called to protest against the alleged
tiltn in the city's theatres.
One of the censor commissioners
explained the position of that body
as having no real power, except in
recommending to the mayor. Mrs.
Du Bois said that she had con-
suited Mayor Garretson, and that he
had informed her he had no power
to act in the matter because of the
absence of a provision laying down
regulations In the ordinance govern
ing shows and exhibitions. The or
dinance gives the mayor power to
revoke a license if the rules and reg
nj co +
ed AS there are no rules or regula-
tions they cannot be violated.
On the suggestion of Secretary
Lynch, of the Board of Trade. it was
agreed that the proper course to pur-
sue would be to have the ordinance
amended to state specifically GER
tain regulations to govern all thea
tres in the city. These regulations
will probably be formulated by the
Board of Trade and recommended
for adoption to the Board of Alder
men. The Board of Trade will con-
slider the matter tomorrow night,
at meeting of the directors, who
will receive a delegation from the
Woman's Club. Secretary Lynch
had copies of the ordinances in eff
feet in Montclair and in the Bor-
ough of Madison, which he read.
One prohibited films of homicides,
murders, suicides and of immoral
character Such an amendment to
the local ordinance was favored by
the delegation from the Woman's
Club.
Burlesque shows are to be prohib-
tied also, for it was unanimously
agreed at the meeting that they were
just as evil or more so than the OBJ
jectionable pictures. Commissioner
NJ. R. Letter brought the matter be-
fore the board, and declared that
while they were uprooting one evil
they had better extirpate it all. This
met with unanimous approval, and
one of the women commissioners re-
ferred disgustingly to a recent show
in the city, saying. Those Dresden
Dolls were certainly some dolls
Those present were Commission
ers Joseph F. Walker, M. r. Letter e.
H. Kleinhans, II. s. Hulse and Mrs.
Wilbur La Roe; Secretary Hugh
Lynch, and Mrs. Jean Du Bois and
Mrs. Fred Cox from the Woman's
Club
The only section of the ordinance
to license. regulate and prohibit
shows and exhibitions, which can
be construed in any way as reguAt-
ing the character of the exhibition,
is section 4 which reads:
"The mayor shall have authority
to decide whether license Is re-
quired under the terms OF the pre-
ceding section, when there is a doubt
upon an application, and he shall
also have authority to revoke a IL
cense for any theatre, opera house.
public hall or moving picture show
upon their failure to comply with
whatever rules and regulations that
may be required"