South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-30
THE EASTLAND DISASTER AND
THE MOVIE FILM.

tons of the Eastland disaster-ac-
compsnied by the assertion that it is
''cOmmercializing horror. furnish
a vivid Illustration Of what South Bend
heard considerable about at its chau-
tauqua during the past week, viz. the
people who are too lazy 10 think and
depend for their guidance upon their
emotions.
You could scarcely keep them away
from the pictures with "A re siment Of
soldiers. Some Of those whom we have
heard to rail the loudest against this
"commercialized horror are actually
known TO us too. 10 have gone back
for second look The main point,
however. is that the Eastland disaster
became a "commercialiZed horror
Iong before the movies took il up, and
long before the boat tipped over. 1t
was "couamcrcialized" when the boat
was improperly built but worse yet
and this despite the clean bill of health
given his inspectors by Sec'y Redheld
OF the department Of commerce, when
the government inspectors went into
partnership with the owners. as 1T
seems. permitting the craft to be in
JudiciousIy operated and overloaded
The country. even right-minded
democrats, viii scarcely thank Sec'y
Redheld for his "whitewash" Of his
government inspectors, on SO superb
cial an examination as ne had made
What we like about the movies taking
the matter up is that il may incline
the peoole TO insist upon something
higher than craftsmanship and the saw
ing OF partisan inspectors. in the
probe of the affair Sec'y Redheld
may know more about the affair than
his apparently superficial investigation
would indicate. but he rushed in. in
the face of a lot Of discriminating evil
dence. where angels might have feared
to tread.
But 10 return to the movies. The
"commercialized horror" of them is
not original in South Bend 1t is the
brilliant idea of Movie Censor Funk
hauser of Chicago. backed by Mayor
William Hale Thompson. Most Ger
tainly the public should not be al
lowed TO see that struggling mass of
humanity drowning in the Chicago
river-it would merely serve 10 add
SO much 20 the "commercialized Nor
ror" that took place before the boat
went over. And finally we note that
several Chicago newspapers, and
papers elsewhere. were likewise hor-
rOr-stricken that il should have been
necessary for the censor and the
mayor 10 prevent "such an outrage
Yet in certain OF those same papers.
on the sclfsame day of their being SO
'horror-stricken. we find printed, in
most elaborate fashion. nearly three
pages of pictures showing the very
scenes that were depicted 10y the movie
film. The editor saw TO incongruity
or outrage" in that Those pictures
were news. They supplemented the
story OF the disaster told in the col
umns Of type ransed alongside the
cuts They were shocking. even re-
Voting. some OF them they showed
victims struggling m the water, and
dead women and children being car
ried out by the rcscuers. and divers
at their gruesome work. But SO was
the pictures were i'm bad taste, the fact
probably failed TO strike most read
ers. jusJ as it failed TO strike the
editor.
Now. what is the difference between
those news pictures" and the ''news
film" that was suppressed? They
were meant for the same purpose-to
show people what happened when the
passenger boat capsized The chief
difference was that the newspaper pic
lures did feebly and disjointcdly what
the moving hlm would have done
powerfully and consecutively.
Where are we to draw the line in
such matters
The question is far bigger than this
particular case. The censorship Of
the movies is a problem of growing
Importance, and in applying it the
censors do not Yet seem 10 have ar
rived az the truth that the moving
picture when il portrays incidents of
everyday life is news just as assuredly
as anything that is printed in "a news
paper. or distributed I'm type or by
CAB.
The movies have become a sort Of
extension OF the public press. We
shall probably have TO give them.
sooner or later. the freedom that we
give the press There are even in
voIved the right OF free speech and
IN right Of assemblage that are the
heritage of our race. The film is an
engine of publicity of propaganda
and truth. with immense possibilities.
II may be as dangerous 20 curb il as TO
curb the press. the platform or the
pulpit And then. further. if we can
not reach these "commercialized hor-
rOrs'' az their base il is well that we
should see lhe fun results OF our fail
ure
SKIN DEEP REFORM ALTON.