Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-05
SPEAKING THE
PUBLIC MIND
Views of Readers on Censorship,
With Special Reference to Nov
ing Pictures, and on Univer-
sal Military Training
To the Editor Of the Euentng Ledger.


Sir-Dlscussing editorially what you call
"censorial cowardce" in the moving picture
business,you say: IF you believe In the freedom
OF the screen. just you believe in the freedom
OF the press ran the suppressed leader and
there Is no need to quote further. Obviously to
the censor the freedom of the press is n machine
of anarchy a breeder of corruption, a factor in
what they consider the growing degeneracy of
the American people"
Are you sure that when you speak of tho
freedom" of the press and of the movies you
really mean freedom? Are you sure you do
not mean that which Is continually being con-
fused with freedom-namely, license? True
freedom Is n blessing, but the misuse and excess
of freedom which Is mere license. Is a curse.
The prevalent idea of freedom of the press and,
1 take it from your expressions, of the movies
also, seems to be that the owners of these busi-
nesses should be practically the sole judges of
what is proper TO print to show. OF course,
some things-such for instance, downright
obscenities or fragrant suggestiveness along
sexual lines-eVen the most callous producers
keep shy of to avoid immediate police inter
ference. But there seems to be no provision
against and no widespread desire to curb the
degrading effects along other lines which are
almost universal in the movie theatres. I
refer to the continual and Ito many people, at
.easO sickenlngly wearisome repetitions of crime
scenes How many of the so.called movie
dramas are founded on anything but crime?
In how many movie houses in Philadelphia today
can the thousands of young girls and boys who
frequent these places get half hours
entertainment, to say nothing of any longer
period, without seeing on the screen murder,
theft, abduction, other crime, with vivid
Celebrations Of various ways of committing these
crimes? From the Birth of n Nation" down to
the coarsest thriller" all are filled with crime
piled upon crime. The very existence of the vast
majority Of movie houses depends solely upon
their continual depletion Of violent crimes, II
one may judge by their offerings.
believe It to be the consensus Of opinion of
the majority Of thoughtful people that the movie
drama, as produced in America at present is an
evil of immense power, which is manufacturing
hundreds of young criminals every day 1t is
impossible that hundreds of thousands of young
people, at the most impressionable periods of
their lives, can view these horrors almost daily
without breeding in many Of them familiarity
with crimes and the ways of criminals which Is
dangerous in its possibilities. Instead OF trying
to cripple the censorship. we should work for
more extended and stricter safeguarding. The
bad man is the hero in most movies. notwith-
standing that the good man" is supposed to be-
1t is the bad man who absorbs most of the
"limeght" and whose deeds the most eXcit-
ing and interesting to the youngsters, And 1t
will be the real bad men who will occupy the
same relative positions in the lives of these
future citizens unless We put stop to the
freedom which is at present enjoyed by the
purveyors of this class of entertainment
OF course, this glorihcatlon Of the criminal is
false as we'll as vicious. The criminal, the shifty
man, the dishonest or dishonorable man, is not
the most successful man In real life; might
craft does not, in the end triumph over right;
ana the greatest and simplest truth is that
honesty is the best policy. Trusms, you say.
why spout them? Yes, truisms but not for most
of the boys and girls who frequent the movies.
They get, and are bound 10 get very different
ideas-ideas which will soon make a lot of new
jobs for court attendants, police matrons, social
workers. evangests, hospital orderlies and
nurses, lawyers detectives, pawnshop keepers,
"crooked" druggists, turkeys. patrol drivers,
and constables. Well as a loyal American and
therefore devotee of Americas god, THE Pork
Barrel" I suppose 1 have been all wrong in
'lxnoclIing" anything that produces a crop of
good fat jobs or even lean In Philadel-
phia, at any rate, this is certainly unwise.
DRACO.
Philadelphia, April /.