Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-19

the tendency was for evil. The dime
novel feature was very strong. Six
teen and two-thirds per cent. of .he
films were entertaining, but not ele-
waiting. OF the films seen perhaps
&C per cent. SHOULD never have come
before the eyes of children. Quite
astonishing is the fact that we saw
only two educational films, each of
which was short.
There is no doubt in our minds
that the possibilities in the moving
pictures are very great and that, if
the right kind of films were shown, 4
great good could be done. If, for
instance, pictures after the order of
Rev. Smiths The Finger of Justice,
photoplay, could be produced more
numerously the good would be great
There is no doubt that the pictures
are reaching millions of people. a
smashing drama with a sermon
punch in it will make men go away
feeling like being better men.
'As to what should be done: of
course the obvious thing that must
first be done is to call the attention
of the public to the things we, as
investigators, saw. Then the public
conscience must be aroused so that
the people will demand clearer and
more wholesome plays"
SlA ATC Duu
Albert. ]. Greene and b. NJ. Ward
witnessed eleven films, six of which
were bad. They say: General i'm
morality prevailed. The tendency
was for evil, decidedly. They were
all entertaining; few, if any, elevat-
ing. Not above 35 per cent. should
have been shown to children. The
educational films were brief. The
principal lessons now taught are
murder, theft, marital infidelity, i'm
morality, gambling, intemperance,
and dancing by nude and seminude
females. We believe that all bad
features ought to be eliminated, or,
until this is done, the immature
minds should be restrained from at
tending the shows as are now given. ="
In the eight films and plays wit
messed by Revs. Rupp and Shafer
it was their conclusion that rs per
cent. were not fit to be seen by chill
dren and they observed that the ave-
rage proportion of children in the
audiences between IL and Is was
about 80 per cent.
Good Power Unused
In the twenty-seven films viewed
by w. H. Dallman he estimated the
children present from so to rs per
cent. The evil that most impressed
him was THE improper relation of
other mems wives with married men,
and vice versa, seems to be the only
theme presented as a main attrac-
ton" The so-called funny films he
estimates as not even entertaining
and certainly prone to debase the
humorous vein in ones character.
| ITO sum it up said he, "I saw not a
single reel that would elevate ones
character"
Messrs. Hallman and Williams
found four good, eight Indifferent
and six bad films in a galaxy of
eighteen. They say: General i'm
moralityS appeared most frequently,
gun play next, then drinking and
theft, murders and gambling being
next, the last in evidence. One could
not help feel, after having seen these
films, a depressing influence rather
than one of uplift.
THE influence and power of the
movie are unlimited when under
proper conditions and censorship
but, until certain eliminations of the
! false, the unreal, the immoral are
made, let us not expect any high
| development of character in the
! young who see them"
Murder, suicide and eternal pres
! ence of the cup; offering 20 pei
| cent. of good and so per cent. OF
! eVil' was the Characterization be.
! slowed on movies by Revs. Reiscf
and Swengel. They also touched uT
the constructive side, saying there
are unquestioned and unlimited pow.
ers for good in the use of moving
| picture plays. But in the hands OF
men with sinister motives they work
untold evils in the lives of such whose
| characters are in the formative per,
| iod.
William Seibert Houck, NJ. ID.
gave perhaps. the most .damning re
port, after seeing ten films. He said
Bad Points Exaggerated
Every detail was much eXaggerat-
ed to meet the Unsuitable taste of the
public for thrill and the spectacular
In moments of murder, gun play, in.
cendiarism, dime novel tragedy, ol
appearance of hero or heroine, the
applause was deafening. Durine
those scenes which were rich in i'm
moral suggestions the younger ele-
ment-12 to IS years-applauded lus.
tily, and occasionally cried out sucI
sentiments as good, good hold ell
tightr 'ah boy" and the like.
! '"There were a few times when 4
would have been for better moral.
had the actresses been more com.
pletely clotneu; also mad the passion
ate embraces, prolonged kisses anC
the like been eliminated.
"One thing that impressed me deep
1y was that so many little children
remained-till the very end of tht
show, 1915 o'clock. After $50 ther,
was a gradual thinning out but. de
spite this. many children under 1.
tarred till late hour. The air o.
the house was very foul and hot.
"On stepping out of the show.
house one suffered a severe chill
The movie places are. as a rule, poor,
ly ventilated, and so are physically
hurtful to those who frequent them
Until these conditions are overcome
first, by a more careful construction
of the playhouses relative to proper
ventilation, and. second, by a more
strict and impartial censorship of the
films to be brought before the public
we ought by every possible influence
in public and private, in pulpit and
pew, in home or on the ways, op-
pose the business that is so ruinous
| to both the moral and physical ma
| lures of our own and succeeding gen.
erations."