The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-10-08
MOVING PICTURE QUESTION

DCOu w osoAs
for better moving pictures, and is
anxious to enlist the aid Of the state
religious press in the more than 10
cal aspect Of the issue.
At the third of series of union |
meetings held for promoting the
welfare of boys and girls of High
School age, a committee which had
been investigating conditions report
ed several resolutions and recon-
mendations which were adopted
without a dissenting voice. The
moving picture managers of the city
had been expressly invited, and two
of them were present and took part
in the discussion.
There was strong opinion IN
evidence that the local movies need
some sort of censorship, and that the
false standards and false teachings
of many movie shows are real
menace to the boys and girls. AT
the same time it was recognized that
the movies have come to stay and
ought to be a power for good. The
mediate profits in what is in sense
a part of our public school system.
Mr.. Edison has even gone so far as
to say that the movie will some day
take the place of almost all school
text books below the ninth grade.
In regard to the actual situation
Throughout the country, several in
teresting points were brought out.
The four states of Kansas, Ohio,
, Maryland and Pennsylvania now
have state censorship, and within
, little more than year twenty-four
, other states have had bills for state
censorship filed with their legisla-
lures. This shows that the public is
waking up to the necessity of pub
: lie control. Letters from Governor
= Sproul, of Pennsylvania, and former
Governor Brumbaugh, were cited,
= declaring in effect that the Pennsyl-
: Ivania censorship was proving very
t valuable and effective, and that
: the state would not now think of
a doing without it. "The best answer
h to the question of the need of state
: censorship is the things which have
: had to be removed from films in
n Pennsylvania" says Gov. Sproul.
: In regard to the National Board
S of Review, whose approval was
f claimed for many of the criticized
= shows brought to Ann Arbor, it was
pointed out that this board is not a
part of the Federal Government, as
p many are falsely led to suppose, but
a self-constituted committee in New
y York which is so closely affiliated
Il with the National Association of the
|. Moving Picture Industry that it is
a hard to believe it's judgment is un
{ biased. In one state it has beer
70 found that one-half the shows ap
. proved by the National Board of Re
view are censored, or cut, in Penn
sylvania. Moreover the Board o.
Review says of itself that its pur
pose is "not to eradicate the evils o.
artistic values by selective meth
DDS" 1t apparently believes that tn
20 artistic and moral points of view, il
" censorship, are mutually exclusive.
n The presence of the manager
- brought out several points on which
y, ~ it is well to have the public inform
;, ed. The local newspaper advertis
~ ing of the movies, and the posters
~ which come in for heavy criticism
=, ~ were said to be syndicated in New
y, " York and sent all over the country
~ This would seem to indicate the nee
~ essity of state and perhaps SOM
day, National control. Neither o
the managers who spoke Opposed
state censorship; but one of then
IL declared against attempts at loca
Il control, which works by stopping
Il show under the Mayors orders, af
ter it has shown once. He declare,
that the only thing to do was to "g
20 to the source" where the movies ar
90 made. In reply to this it was urge,
No that while local censorship is tenn
porary measure, the manager oftel
sees the film himself before he or
40 ders it, and that the experience o
81 having his theater closed time o
OO two would make the careless man
ager more careful in selecting films
One of the men expressed the vie,
% that the patrons of the movie are tn
So best censors of it, and that it is t
81 the managers interest to provid
good pictures and such as will pleas
the public. 1t was immediatel
pointed out that the same argumen
used to be used against prohibition
namely that the best censor o
, drinks is the man who drinks.
> Those who have studied the ques
. ton from the public point of vie'