The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-03-08
CLUB INTERESTED IN PICTURES

AT the present time there is Il well
defined movement among the women's
organizations of the country in the in
terest of better motion pictures, and
in cooperation with this movement the
Woman's Club of Brookings has ar
ranged with Messrs. Murphy & john
son Of the Pleasant Hour for a series
of photoplays to be run under the aus
pices of the club. The ladies have
appointed a committee of three, who
viii select a series of pictures, which
Will be shown at intervals of two or
three weeks, on either Friday or Satur-
day evenings. The movement is a
most worthy one and will, we believe
Rave the generous support of the com
munity.
In this connection the following ed
torial from the last number Of the
Motion Picture News is of timely in
terest:
we are in receipt Of a very sensible
and sincere letter from Margaret b.
Shull, of Ann Arbor, in which she
asks what Women's Clubs, acting for
the public. can do for better, cleaner
motion pictures.
"A great deal. Mrs. Shull.
The friendly and practical tone of
your letter strengthens the conviction
we had last spring after meeting sew
eral of the thoughtful, liberal and prac-
teal leaders of the Women's Clubs,
then in convention in New York, and
the contention we then held that the
women of this country could go far to-
ward settling the whole menace of Off
cial censorship-in the best interests
of pictures and of the picture industry.
Mrs. Shull says: After all, what
we troublesome Women's Clubs want
is not so much. | believe that We and
the best producers and best exhibitors
all want the same thing
1--WE agree heartily: and the same
things you all want are-cleaner, bet
ter pictures.
"You and the best producers and the
best exhibitors ought, therefore, to
act together.
You don't believe in censorship
no thoughtful, educated woman can:
so you don't just know what to do.
But something must be done.
1--WE suggest, therefore, that you
work with the best exhibitors and the
best producers; and that you work
against the other kind.
You can begin with the exhibitor at
once. If you-and this applies, of
course, to every Woman's Club every
where-hnd a picture being advertised
which in your sound judgment is Ian
gerous to the morals Of your commun-
ity, you can appeal to the authorities
and have it suppressed.
You can also suppress the posters
advertising it upon the same grounds.
You will generally find these pictures
not nearly so bad as they are adver-
tised. But the bad poster is in itself
as harmful as the bad picture and calls
for the same action from the authori-
ties. The authorities have this full
power. Make them use it.
again, cooperation with the best
exhibitors.
Bring them in touch with your
schools. churches, societies and clubs.
Ask the theatres to advertise, with
slides, the church, service, and all re-
ligious. social and civic gatherings.
The theatres will do it. Many do it
now.
Then. in turn, let the schools and
churches and recommend
the pictures which the family and es-
pecially the children ought to see. Let
the Women's Clubs and other societies
help in this work. They can do a
great deal.
MAKE the picture theatre a real, in