Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-03
CENSORS BAN READING
DELETED MOVIE TITLES
New Rule 27 Arouses Ire OF
Film Producers, Who
Make Protest
JUDGE HAILED AS MENTOR
Shattuck's Statement That He Will Be
Guided by Jurist's Opinion
Received Gleefully
Rv M,LISS


Rule q. the latest mandate Of the Penn
sylvania Board Of Censors 20 curb the
enterprise of movie producers, has brought
forth a wall Of protest,
This rule forbids the utterance or publica-
tion OF any titles or subtitles that have
been stricken out by censors. and is the
result Of a successful brief attempt on the
part Of the producers ito beat the devil
around the bush"
According to the Famous Players Ex-
change which company is indignant at the
new ruling the action Of the censors Is not
American-like since II interferes with free
speech and free press, In letter which
they are giving wide publicity they express
the hope that the recent appointment OF
such broad-minded individual as Frank
r, Shattuck will tend TO lessen some OF the
present evils Of censorship"
Mr.. Shattuck, because the official notifca-
tion Of his appointment 10 the chairman
ship OF the board has been slow In coming
and because he has not yet met his fellow
members, Mrs. Blanche Nivers and Or.
Ellis Oberholtzer, deferred comment on the
letter.
II happened when the producers Of "On
Trial" which was shown recently at one OF
the leading moving picture theatres here
engaged a professional actor TO read aloud
the titles and subtitles that had been de-
leted
This got under the skin Of the censors, 1t
was said, and Rule q was the result.
But great enthusiasm Is being expressed
In movie circles over the successor TO LOUIS
j. Brctinger, more particularly since In the
first interview he has given since his ap-
polntment, published exclusively In the
EVENING LEDGER yesterday. Mr.. Shattuck
declared that he was likely to he Influenced
in his decisions in large measure by Judge
John NJ. Patterson, OF the Common Pleas
Court
Judge Patterson is an avowed movie
liberal.
Repeatedly motion-picture companies APP
pealed from the Censors' decisions and
fought for their rights in court, Judge Pat
tcrson has heard many of these cases and
has become skilfu IL Is said in treading
the middle path between the prudish and
the salaCiOus
The decision which he handed down re-
Gently in the case Of the film dramatizatioN
Of THE Easiest Way, written by Eugene
Walters and shown all over the country on
the legitimate stage by David Belasco, was
greeted with particular Joy by those who
held that the Pennsylvania censors were
overstepEng the mark and discriminating in
favor Of one bad picture and against an.
other.
The censors objected first to the name
"The Easiest Way; they were sorely up.
set by many of the subtltles such as one
which read: "a S2O-a-week soubrette with a
limousine appetite" And. lastly this
evoked "A wide grin, even on the faces OF
the producers-they wanted the story
changed so that the leading female char
acter married the "vllain'--the theatrical
manager who had spoiled her chances Of a
happy marriage!
Judge Patterson, although granting the
censors the elimination OF few of the
scenes and subtitles was frankly in this
case In sympathy with the producers
JUDGE PATTERSoN'S RULING
The Board of Censors has necessarily a
hard task in trying to decide whether
certain moving-picture plays are moral
or immoral. he said In deciding this case
Opinions probably always differ as to
what is moral in literature, art or the
drama. What seems moral to one gener-
alton Will not seem so to another, nor to
all people Of the same generation and the
same locality The question of morality
is not absolute, but relative. II not only
varies among contemporary individuals,
but also among contemporary nations.
1t may and has varied from age to age.
The vulgar frankness Of Tom Jones"
was not regarded as hurtful in the day
In which ii was written although today
many people do regard II and many
other books written at the time as de-
moralizing.
few years ago a committee in charge
OF our public schools with the exception
of one woman) voted that Victor Hugo's
Les Miserables" should not be used in
the Girls High School What fair
minded person of today will contend that
this book is immoral? II kindles thought
and inspires to noble feeling; 1t braces
rather than enervates the mind.
There are and probably always will be
captious persons. George Eliot's Adam
Bede" has been characterized as the vile
outpourings of a lewd woman's mind: