Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-07-24
Kerwin's Reply to Brunberg, and Something More
 About Pictures
Editor Graphic:::

Inasmueh as l appeared before the city council in opposition to the pie ture "Fit to Win" on the grounds that it was suggestive in the direction of indccency and immortality, and the council ordered by unanimous vote it's suppression, 1 feel that you will per init me to reply to some of the un- necessary tirade and untruthful state ment of one Brunberg, whom I do not know personally and have no de- sire whatever to make his acquain- tance. When I appeared before the council one of the chief reasons as signed against the picture as tending towards indency and immortality, sug- positively so at least and to be chari- carried in both papers by J. B. Simon. Here it is:
 "A frank discussion of the causes, effects and cure of syphilis and ver- nereal diseases. Sex truths stripped of their mystery in outspoken words which no one can misunderstood. The greatest blow to vice systems ever launched by any government.
 "To avoid any embarrassment due to the frankness of the pictare-ma- tinee on both bays will be reserved for the ladies and evening perfor- mances for the men. Children under 16 positively excluded from all per formances."
 If the above paragraphs do not sus- tain what said about the picture that it tended by suggestion to im- morality and indecency then do not know what the English language means.
 Would any man put such state ment in the daily newspapers about a picture that he was showing to the public and charging his own price, if it was wholesome and clean? There must be some, and there is some grounds, call them situations or what you will, about the picture that tends toward indecency and immortality, that is, strongly suggestive of it, and were it not true what would be the reason for having decent and respec- table men and women, father and daughter, husband and wife, brother and sister, separated so that they could not like any other picture wit ness the performance together Brunberg says in his tirade the fol- lowing as an excuse for the separa- tion of the sexes at this picture: Having no way to guard against the admittance of people who by conver- sation CT otherwise might, when to- gether, have suggested a wrong les son, the separation of sexes at the exhibition was advocated" He cer- tainly knew the picture was going to be shown to the public and that means no private seance and censorship; and all the requirements were up to yes terday was that you be 16 years and over and have your money ready when you walked up to the box office didn't make any difference who you were or where you come from. say now that his own admission, that a picture that would cause the wrong suggestion is suggestive of iRden- cy and immortality.
 This picture "Fit to Win" or more properly termed "Fit to Fight when originally produced was intended sole ly for the men in the Army-fighting men-and it was so rank in it's origi- nal conception when produced, altho, given under the direction of the Medi- cal corps of the army, that after pro- tests made by the soldier citizenship, the worst part, as far as army life is concerned of the indecency and immortality was taken from it. It is a picture that was never intended for the public. It does not, Brunberg and any one else to the contrary, pro- mote public morals and decency, but has tendency to plant seed that will later prove a corruption of mor- als and decency. My information is that this picture was presented in New York for three performances and then suppressed, altho New York has about five million population, and we have I believe about % 600. It is