Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-20

| yigor in sham battles at home. In which ne
would be safe and sound at the end, ana
| for which he could draw down hahuso,ie
| salary each week, to taking chance Win Win
| his masculine beauty and strength at 'he
| front.
The flm star was noted actor uai e
saw his salary runs to four figures each
week I don't know whether he Is wlthin
the age limit to be drawn by the first orait
| or not.
But I do know that he is physically cap
able of carrying a gun and doing real serV-
ice for his country instead OF induigihs IN IN
mimic warfare at home, for Wnlch ne Is
paid more for each hours work than SOL
der in the trenches receives for months
risk OF his life
And yet the public is expected to applaud
such a man and call him hero, ana pay
money to see him act
It doesn't seem far-and 1t isn't fair.
OF course. this particular motion-pic-
ture star has a handsome face, and his
virile beauty Is his source of income.
It would be fatal to him IL that beauty
were SCARED by a bullet or II his complex
ion were spoiled by too much exposure to
the sun or wind.
And 1t would be a financial sacrifice for
him to surrender railroad presidents sal
ary to enlist and go to the trenches.
There isn't any doubt c: that.
But why then should be call himself a
hero around home and don the khaki before
the camera which he is reluctant to- wear
in real service?
And why does the American public
stand for such an exhibition?
If a man poses an athlete and makes
an enormous income as such-an income
that, in three or four years. ought to make
him independent for life--why is he hang
ing back when the supreme call comes for
American fighting men to defend their flag
and their country's honor?
Our motion pictures are supposed ito de-
pict real life Our film idols are supposed
to portray heroic, red-booded characters.
They are paid to give to the public types
of real men, manly men--men who scorn
the little de ceits and hypocricies.
And yet when the greatest test in all
our history comes, those same men are
hanging back and claiming all kinds of ex-
emption, and putting up all sorts of ex-
cuses in order to keep from going to the
war, and in order to keep their fat salaries
coming in week after week, while their
neighbors who are not as handsome as they
are, and who don't know how to wear eve.
ming clothes as WELL are packed off to the
trenches to keep business at home good for
them.
we are putting the wrong emphasis on
our heroes. Or rather we are putting the
emphasis on our wrong heroes
our motlon-pcture stars owe their sue
cess very largely to the women of this
country. Their large income is due to their
popular .ty with their admirers among the
women Of their audiences. Those women
are bowling down to false idols II they
refused to attend those film plays in war
times In which these so-called stars" were
exploited, the day would soon come when
they would realize the public rebuke that
had been administered to them and in sheer
shame they might rise to their duty as men
ana able-bodied American citizens.
IL Is granted that most Of these so.called
stars have wives and children dependent
on them, Notwithstanding the dreams of the
stage-struck matinee girl. who pictures Their,