The Washington herald., 1914-06-09
QUERIES and
COMMENTS
Fleeing Views.

! We frequently hear praise showered
upon the National Board Of Censorship
in New York for the work they have
done. This praise may be Justly given
but 1t is not to censorship in any form
that the people must look for improve
ments In photopiays. Censorship tears
down-it does not build. All Of vast
changes, the great and important Inn
provements made in moving pictures
have been made because Of the voice Of
public opinion. reflected through, the re-
quests of the exhibitors What there is
in a picture which Is undesirabls-or
deemed undesirable by some one In q
board Of cenSorship-may be removed by
such a board, but that in itself may spoil
the picture. When the American public
admits that II fs unqualified to select its
forms of amusements they should then
demand a board of censorship for NOV
ing pictures.
'Popi Anderson says: Talk about
your pure fresh air-just lead me to q
moving-picture house with a bunch OF
electric FANS
Sometimes We forget-in tho present
joy Of seeing Warren Kerrigan, or Maui
rice costeflor Mary Pickford-of just
what Importance to future civilization
the moving pictures Of today are going
to be. And that Importance will not lie
In the beautifully presented photodramas
OF today, remarkable as they are-but in
the scenes OF battle and the scientific
films that are being taken now. Pictures
like those of the fighting in Mexico and
in the Balkans are going to be Immensely
valuable to posterity and, as more of
them are made and as they are made
better their value will Increase. Imagine
the interest that would be shown today
II the Cosmos should announce that 1t
would show tomorrow 1000 feet Of pic
lures taken during the fighting on San
Juan Hill-or at Guilford Court House
or at Friedland. Suppose. at the begin
ming Of the present Mexican campaign.
the War Department had been able to
take from Its records the film showing
Scott's troops in Mexico. Or fancy the
interest aroused in a school where his
tory was taught by showing on the
screen the pictures of the Dutch in New
York or the English In Jamestown-or
scenes from the streets Of Paris during
the revolution The greatness Of the
movies both historically and dramati-
cally lies In the future
Tomorrow night. at Gonzaga College
Hall. the St Aloysius Church May Pro-
cession will be shown. The picture was
only filmed a few weeks ago and shows
all the details Of the procession includ-
ing the brass bands. mounted police and
over 1.iso children marching. The pic
lures were made by Mr.. William Hallett,
the exhibitor at the Gonzaga Hall. and is
a decided mark of public enterprise:
That intense realism Is striven for in
the LUCILLE Love. Girl Of Mystery" Sc
ries now being put on by the Universal
Company. is evidenced by an accident at
San Pedro. Cal. A big ship had been
chartered for a week for the pictures
One of the scenes showed a sailor being
thrown from the, crows nest" Into the |
sea below. Francis Ford. director and
leading man of the "Lucilles" series,
ordered five retakes of the scene In the |
first four the fight between the two prin- |
cipals in the scene was not convincing
enough to suit Mr.. Ford. Five times In |
succession a sailor was hurled so feet |
into the water And the water was ley |
cold. too.