The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-08-19
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON.
Suffrdeist Has Good
Word to Say For
the MoOine
Picture.

Somebody has said that the NOV
ing picture business is the progress
sfve sister Of art-that 1t bears the
same relation TO the progress Of art
that the suffragette bears to the
prosress of woman. It Is not out Of
the way, therefore, to call the moy-
ing picture the suffragette Of the ar
tistic world. This being true, 1t Is
readily understood that many Of the
people who are leading the suffrage
movement In this country are also
enthusiastic advocates Of the NOV
ing picture show. And in the work
Of spreading their gospel OF votes
for women they have utilized the
pictures to a very great degree. 1t
Is not strange, therefore, that the
views Of Mrs. Inez Milholland Bois-
sevain on the moving pictures should
be sought as valuable because Mrs
Boissevain, when she was Miss lnez
MilhoIland was one Of the most I'M
portant figures in the Suffrage
movement in this country ana
since she has become Mrs. Boisse-
vain she has developed into even a
more important parsonage both as
= suffrage leader and as lawyer
Mrs Boissevaln is q most enthu
elastic advocate of the moving PIC
lures, and she is an advocate OF
clean. honest pictures. In an inter-
view written by Florence Margoiies
for the Moving Picture World, Mrs.
stand on some Of the questions tnat
have vitality interested moving pic
ture patrons and exhibitors during
thu mast few months. Her views are
,,uch +he same as have been stated
in this column several times, but
abe puts them in q way that Is all
her own. Among other things, she
says:
.rwhy in the name Of common
sense don't those bright business
men, the exhibitors, demand and get
real drama for their screens! why
don't they unite and through con-
certed action break away rom tne
everlasting sameness OF theme?
am intensely interested in pictures,
aud go anywhere and everywhere
they are shown, searching for what
I am convinced, can be beautifully
done, yet invariably / find artificial
clap-trap and absolutely meaning
less tommyrot. Always, / know
What Is s. going to nd hspp t6. E GsFest
mechanical incident Some ones hat
In turned awry by a brisk wind, and.
VOLTA, q denouement Now you
understand that that is not real life,
and II is imperative that 1t disap-
pears from reel life.
with the truly marvellous de-
velopment of knematography. 1t Is
now altogether possible to transmit
the entire range Of human emotion,
True, the voice Is missing, but what
Of bodily gestures and facial ex-
preston? What can be more alb
sorbingly interesting than to see a
great passionate struggle within
truly depicted on the face? OF
course, / don't mean those ridiculous
contoruons that are hurled from the
screen. as it were. upon an unof-
Tending audience. 1t is the greatest
mistake to misjudge the public by
asking them to enjoy such careless
stun. Give them the real and they
viii respond with alacrity. Make
overtures to the man and woman on
tne street and you will go right
every time. What they want is what
70 really wanted Study their tastes
ana your theaters will be stormed
Tor .admittance. For, you know, the
man IN the street will not nut Nm
with second best.
1 admit very readily the Iegiti-
macy Of the thrill, but you need NOT
necessarily go up in a balloon, or
Low up a bridge, or throw on the
In order to produce the thrill. Not
At all. 1t is far easier and more
subtle and more satisfactory To
produce II through a fair and true in
appreciation of heart-matters and
me conflict Of wills and ideas. No.
not those sob-stories.
Ii exhibitors would only realize
one great incontrovertible truth that
Inc masses respond most freely to
what is best and biggest and Hottest
mat Is to fidelity in presentation
c: NE, for that is what they under
Etano, their success would be assured.
Such understanding means knowl-
cage; knowledge means self-pres-
erVatlon. What We mean by good
Is mat which is good for race de-
yelopment. 1t is this mass instinct
for the best that is responsible for
progress and evolution, else, YOU
Know we still would be swinging
from the trees.
Censorship is an impertinence. II
amounts TO this; that a few ap-
pointed. or rather self-appointed, in.
oividuals choose and select and pa n
on the style and nature of INV
amusement. 1t is nothing less than
q dictatorship that every sense of
democracy revolts against, and IL is
undeniably most hazardous check
on progress. Why, let the people
saturate themselves in all the rank
est stuff that the screen can portray.
II they want to; that's all right. for
ley will rapidly get sick of what is
bad and untrue and clamor for what
Is good Take care to set up along
side Of what is bad all that you can
in the way Of beauty and truth and
fidelity to life. No, 1t is rot a dan
gerous experiment, because il is con-
trary to all truth when II is said
that evil can be perpetuated. Some
people may demand and enjoy the
salacious more than others. but you
Just continually set up against the
vulgar the esthetic, and there is lit
tie danger of the former winning
out. For the latter. spells life and
the former destruction. and preser-
walton of life is most fundamental