The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-25
FITTING THE MOVIES TO THE
NEEDS OF CHILDREN

which the women of America are
taking a deep interest is the censor
ship of moving pictures. The moving
picture is everywhere today recog-
nized as eXerting a wide influence in
establishing ideals of character and
conduct in the minds of children and
young people.
NashVllIe women are vitality inter-
ested in the movement for wise regu-
lation of this form of amusement,
and the elevation of the films shown.
Giving the local leaders along this
line much inspiration and help was
the visit here the past week of Mrs
Frederic Michael Of Chicago, one of
the notable visitors to the confer
ence of the National Con gress of
Mothers and Parent-Teacher Asso-
Citations.
Mrs. Michael has accomplished
splendid work along this line as
chairman of the social service COM
mittee of the Illinois Congress of
Mothers.
At one of the luncheons where Mrs.
Michael spoke on the moving picture
as it affects the child, the gifted
speaker asked the following ques-
lions, which are worthy of consid-
Grafton by all who are guardians of
children, both in the home and
school. They were as follows:
What is your child doing for legi-
innate recreation outside the home
and school?
Where does your child spend his
Saturday afternoons?
Where is your adolescent child
spending his evenings?
Have you interested yourself suffi-
GENTLY as to the quality of the NOV
ing pictures that the children arc
seeing?
Do you realize the vital influence
the average moving picture has up
on the mind of your child, especially
through the adolescent period?
Are YOU willing to make your
child graduate in the school of
crime through the medium of the
vicious moving picture?
Mrs. Michael said when interview
ed on this work:
There are many moving picture
managers ready to cooperate if the
school organizations, the parents, the
business man and church organiza-
tions will show them the light. Agi-
tation, publicity and cooperation to
raise the standards of the picture
shows must be the watch-word
I'VE need not try to eliminate the
moving picture shows. They are
here and they have come to stay Our
work is to make them as good as
possible. You who do not attend the
movies and are quite proud of the
fact remember that you are your
brothers children's helpers, and that
it is your civic duty to see that only
the best pictures are given.
Our Riddles need romance; they
need good, clean comedy; they
should see stories of history; they
need to see how the other half
lives"
To the representative of various
communities present at the discus
sion Mrs Michael advised:
'1f you cannot convince your NOV
ing picture manager that he will
profit by raising the standard Of the
picture show, carry your moving
picture into the public school. There
are perfectly safe machines and non
inflammable films which are not ex-
pensive. Your schools are the proper
place for community recreation
Why not open your schools to demon
strate the use of the schools as an
| open frum and make use of the NOV
| ing picture there as a nucleus for
broader work?
Mrs. Michael's work in Chicago
and throughout many sections of the
State of Illinois is a revelation of
NJ bo . 90 r,act yrnp,ap oon oooor,p1;,h
along this line when aroused to its
urgent needs. When this Chicago
club leader found that the ordinance
covering the censorship of moving
pictures did not apply to children she
sent out letters to $50 organizations
in Chicago and Illinois. making an
aggregate of 10000 women, with
practical suggestion to better the
movie conditions for children She
asked these women to go to the
nearest moving picture theatre and
ask the manager to give one per-
Torrance week, preferably on Sat-
urday afternoon, suitable for chill
dren.
The response" says Mrs. Michael.
has been most generous. One man
with a chain of fifteen theatres has
opened seven of these for Juvenile
performances since December IL last.
What this manager has done, others
will do. If the moving picture man