New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-04-20
Mrs. O'Crady, as Censor,
Stirs Upu Hornets Nest

Stirs Up a Hornets Nest
The censorship committee Of the
National Association Of the Motion
Picture Industry has sent the follow
ing letter to Mrs. O'Grady:
Mrs. Ellen O'Grady.
Deputy Police Commissioner,
New York City.
Dear Madam: The attention Of the
censorship committee Of the National
Association Of the Motion Picture In
dustry has been called to statement
claimed to have been made to the ef-
feet that "the clergy, judges, educa-
tors and welfare workers of all kinds
might as we'll lock UP the churches,
shut the books and close the courts II
they are going to continue to permit
the showing of the filthy pictures that
are being put on screens in New York
and throughout the country. 1t is q
shame on our decency and civiliza-
ton that this thing has been tolerated
so long"
The National Association Of the Mo-
ton Picture Industry herewith offers
to cooperate with you to prevent the
exhibition of obscene or immoral pict-
ures, and to point out to you the
statutes and laws now existing under
which authority Is given I, prohibit
such exhibitions.
The writer will be pleased TO meet
with you in reference to the subject
at any time which may be mutually
agreed upon.
Awaiting your advice, we remain,
Gabriel L. Hess, Chairman.
Very respectfully yours,
Censorship Committee Of the National
Association of the Motion Picture
Industry.
ceived by The Tribune in regard to
this matter OF immoral films. A few
of them are printed in part below:
To the Editor Of The Tribune:
Sir: It seems strange for Fifth
Deputy Police Commissioner Ellen
O'Grady to declare war on motion pict-
ures at the present time, when motion
pictures have done SO much for the
country. The motion picture produ-
GERS and stars have given freely Of
their time and money to help make
the past Liberty loans q success, and
are even now contemplating giving
more for the greatest loan of all
the Victory Loan.
Motion pictures have been shown in
or near ali military camps both in this
country and abroad and have done
much to alleviate the feeling of home
sickness which was natural to our
men overseas. Without the medium
Of the motion picture we should have
known great deal less of the war
than we now do.
My mother and I have viewed many
motion pictures in the last two years,
and during that time have seen no
immoral or suggestive pictures. In
fact, the only things we have seen that
we objected to were shown in comedies.
Mrs. O'Crady says that she can pro-
duce twenty girls who have confessed
to her that it was vile motion pictures
that led them astray. I have never
seen "vile" photoplay, though I have
seen numerous pictures in all sorts
Of theatres.
Mrs. O'Grady has mentioned Theda
Bara in "a Fool There Was" as
cause for some young girls using the
word "vamp" to signify looseness of
morals. l do not believe that any
thing in "a Fool There Was" would
tend to corrupt any girls morals. This
and each of Miss Bara's so-called
vampire" pictures has clear and I'M
derstandable moral, and judging by the
punishment meted out no one in real
life would wish to emulate them They
each and every one clearly demon
strate that "the wages of sin is DEATH"
Motion pictures in general have i'm
proved 80 greatly during the past few
years and have done SO much good
for the public in every way that, in
my opinion, any attack on them at
this time Is unjustitied, to say the
least. Very truly yours,
ELOISE ATK1N.
1888 Miller Avenue. Brooklyn, N. Y.
To the Editor of The Tribune:
Mrs. O'Grady evidently is not
movie fan. When she declares that
the majority Of the films are immoral
she has made a very big mistake. 1t
might have been her luck to have seen
only the immoral ones, but if this is
the case she does not attend the movies