The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-28
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D. C.
Movie in the Church.

tertainment is provided in the
churches, young people will. seek it
out of them" said the Rev. c. z.
Guthrie. president of the Epworth
League, at the Desplaines camp meet
ing near here.
The Reverend Guthrie said much
more on the same line. The church
that wishes to hold the jaded interest
of the modern youth or maiden must
furnish more than spiritual thrills It
must be amusing. 1t must have gym
nasium classes. social clubs, enter
tainments and various other harmless
attractions This is in line with the
whole modern church movement, and
seems TO be a logical idea.
In the days of our grandparents the
competition between thes church and
the world was not so keen. Religion
was a recreation as well as a duty.
But now. with the movies, flivvers,
golf and cabarets all striving to wean
the weak and erring soul away from
his inherited habits of worship. it be-
gins to look as if the church will have
to be up and doing. 1t is a deplorable
fact that the light of spiritual truth
from the church does not seem to
shine so brightly in the eyes of the
younger generation as the lights of
the movie theater across the way.
The answer to this, according to the
more modern divines, is to bring the
movies to the churches rather than
let the congregations go to the movies.
Indeed. surprising as it may seem to
some of us. there are already over
5000 churches in the country
equipped with motion picture ma
chimes, which are used in various ways
in connection with church work. Some
ministers preach sermons illustrated
by films. So far. however, the great
est work done by the church movies
is in affording wholesome entertain
ment for the flock on week days or
Sunday afternoons.
Preach to the Eyes.
In attracting and holding church
members the movie has been found to
be without an equal. The Reverend
Leslie Willis Sprague, one of the first
ministers to preach a sermon illus
trated by movies, says that this is only
natural. 1t is a scientific fact that We
get 50 per cent of all our information
thru our eyes. Hence a sermon preach
ed to our eyes instead of to our less
efficient ears ought to produce more
results.
1t seems to be much easier for tho
modern man to concentrate usually
than auricularly- Life moves too
swiftly for him to concentrate upon
some heavy tome or abstruse lecture.
His mental stimulus comes mostly
from the newspaper headlines and
and the moving pictures. Preach a
moving picture sermon to him and
you meet him on his own ground.
Harangue him for an hour with re-
sounding phrases and he fails asleep.
All this shows, says the Revel end
SDraGue. that a church that is not
equipped to show motion pictures is
as Incomplete as the church without
an organ. And as the head of the
church department of the Community
Of nrIr
surely the Reverend Spragus should
know
Another even more important use
for the church motion picture ma
chine iG the educating and amusing of
child en-. Not only is it a great help
in the Sunday school work, by en-
ablinG the children to visualize the
simple Bible scenes and PARALLELS, but
it also plays 4 much-needed part dur
ing the week. Mr.. A. D. V. Storey,
executive secretary of the American
Educational Motion Picture ussocia-
ton suggests that the church should
give one special children %show each
afternoon The child could stop on his
way home from school and seq proper
films especially suited to his age, and
then come home to his dinner. have
all -he evening to do his home work,
with his craving for the movies pro
perly satisfied. and go peacefully to
bed. having spent an absolutely in
rccuOuE day.
Upsets InfantiIe Innocence.
AS it is, the child spends his after
school hours in the streets, races
thru his home work in time to get to
the first showing of THE Vampires
Revenge" and goes to bed with scenes
in his mind that are not compatible
with infantile innocence. And in all
this day the church has played no
part Mr.. Storey'S plan would change
all that by having the church and
school work together to fill the child's
play with education and healthy
amusements- This plan would not
only benefit the child, but would also
give the church another interested
member. make it a more vital factor
in the life of the community, and pre-
vent its good influence from being
even partially diverted.
Mayor Broening Of Baltimore Is one
of many Well-known public men who
believe that the movie could be made
a strong influence for good in the
community He would like to see the
churches of Baltimore <take up the
motion picture seriously, and is hav-
ing the laws and regulations applying
to the use of motion picture machines
looked into, particularly those having
to do with the danger of fire. How
ever, this is n minor consideration
that can soon be adjusted if enough
church members take an active inter-
est in it.
Another problem in connection with
the church movie idea is the securing
of suitable films. Many a film which
might delight a deacon on Broadway
would fill with horror a deacon in his
natural habitat And until the de-
mand for the church movie becomes
greater than it is, the more advanced
churches will have to pick and choose
among the films made for the thea
ters Orrin G. Cocks, secretary of the
national committee for better films. |
does not believe that this will offer
them any great obstacles. He claims
that the motion picture is becoming a
purer and better factor in our lives
every day. He offers statistics to
prove this.
Movies Are Improving.
OF the moving pictures put out some
years ago he says that about 26 per