The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-23
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Movies in the Church.
Chicago Aug absolutely innocuon

iHs spent an absolutely innocuous
day.
Upsets lnfantile Innocence
AS it 10 the child spends his an.
school hours in the streets 49,.
through his home work in tim. =
get to the first showing Of .srhs 8
Vampires Revenge" and goes !.
bed with scenes in his mind th..
are not compatible with infantil.
innocence. And in III this day ~
church has played no part n,
Storey's plan would change all ths,
by having the church and schcos
work together to fill the childs
play with education and health,
amusements. This plan would M,
only henefit the child, but Womb
also give the church another n.
terested member, make it a mor,
vital factor in the life Of the com.
munity, and prevent its good n.
fiuence from being even partiallv
diverted.
Mayor Broening of Baltimore il
one of many well-known puh,ic
men who believes that the movie
could be made a strong influence
for good in the community. h
would like to see the churches AZ
Baltimore take up the motion pic
ture seriously, and is having thu
laws and regulations applying To
the use of motion picture machines
looked into, particularly those hay1
ing to do with the danger Of fra \
However, this is minor consider
alton that can soon be adjusted II
enough church members take an
active interest 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 hor-
ror deacon in his natural habitat
And until the demand for the
church movie becomes greater Nan
it is, the more advanced churches
will have to pick and choose among
the films made for the theatres. Or
rim G. Cocks, secretary of the ma
tional 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 motion pictures put out
some years ago he says that about
&c per cent were adjudged proper
to go upon the list suitable for fam
lily use. Last year As per cent Of
the pictures shown were put on
such list. With a body of minis
tiers and churchgoers through the
country taking an active interest in
films it is a certainty that tkis list
would be longer every year. This
would have the result not only Of
getting more young people to see
their movies in the churches, but
also of making the producers send
out a higher grade of pictures for
| the theatres. Thus the whole tone
of. the country would be raised
! little more, and wickedness would
become an even rarer phenomenon
among US.
! An example Of a church where
moving pictures brought most
gratifying results is the St. Paul
Methodist church here in Chicago.
Rev. Roy l.. Smith. who inaugural
ed their use in this popular house
of worship, is so firmly convinced
of their usefulness that he says he
would as soon think OF running q
church without music or coal as
without moving pictures. Dr.
Smith says that all around his
church there were dance halls,
cabarets and other evil temptations
for the young people of his church.
He determined to tempt them to
good by offering them wholesome
amusements and friendships in the
church.
I'VE used pictures exactly as we
would music, for their educational
and entertaining value he says.
I'VE found young people were
lonely and tempted, We gave them
entertainment and unseltish friend
ships, and they went away happy
and devoted to us. We did not Try
very hard to build up the church
We set out to build up the people,
and found out before long ina!
they were building up the church.