The Washington times., 1921-10-23
WILLIAM DE MILE.
Is OPPOSING
CENS0RS
Paramount Director Issues
Statement Containing HE
Views on Church Movement
Led by Los Angeles Minister.
PRoTEsTING against -ths recent

PROTESTING against "ths recent
movement 70 practices auto
eraey In religion. imperialism IN
social custom. despotism In art.
tyranny In morality" william de
Mile. Paramount director. has come
10 the defense Of the screen In an
open letter to the Rev. q. A.
Briesleb, one OF the foremost fig
ures In agitation for local motion
picture censorship In Los Angeles.
As an American citizen" Mr..
de Mile wrote. II must oppose the
union OF church and State to enact
regulations which will interfere
with my spending Sunday In &C
cordanoe with my own conscience.
"As an artist. 1 must oppose tho
infliction OF a group of inartistic
though welLmeaning people to in
terfere with the expression of truth
In art as i see IT,
"As a student OF the Bible,
deny your right TO forcibly inter
pret the Scripture to me and pre-
vent my practicing my own under
standing of IL.
"As a father. i resent your plac-
ing restrictions on my children be-
cause you do not wish your own
to share In such entertainment as
/ approve.
And as a social student, can
see no greater menace to Ameri,
canism In it's truest sense than the
recent movement illustrated by
your practice and remarks.
Although you unequiyocally con-
because there are few black sheep
among them, / do not equally con-
denim the members Of yours merely
because 1t contains a number OF
narrow-minded bigots.
You are reported to have said.
When the Jews get together to say
what my boy and girl shall see on
the screen, then / am going to
fight. / think you are bit mixed
in your history. But when you and
your supporters get together to say
what my children shall see on the
screen, then 1 am going to fight.
l deny your right to tell me just
what is moral and what Is not.
'One Of your supporters said re.
La
are not for sale at any price A
beautiful and worthy thought. But
neither Is my freedom as an Ameri-
can citizen for sale at any price.
II have been amazed at the recent
wave OF moralistic autocracy which
has swept our country, and / have.
felt a glow of pride in these brave
members of the clergy who have
risked being socially stoned by the
mob in order to preach Christ's
greatest lessons-tolerance and lib
erty of conscience.
About ten years ago was struck
by the number Of clergymen com
mitting social sins. I started .
scrap-book devoted entirely to min
listers of the gospel who had found
that the flesh Is weak. You would.
no doubt, be appalled, at the num-
ber of cases / collected in q very
few years.
But / took no steps to have laws
passed against your profession. I
realized that ministers. like actors,
are more or less in the public eye:
and when one OF them slips, much
more publicity than in the case OF
a less public character. So stopped
making my clippings. as II was un-
fair to the great number Of upright
men Of the clergy to draw deduo-
tons from a very small percentage
of moral failures.
"one of your supporters said -
Gently: The motion picture msn
have taken away our Sunday with
out our consent or approval A.
far as I know there IL no law COM
pelling them to 60 to church.
Are we so strong, then, that In
a few short years all the doctrine
you gentlemen have been at such
pains to impart can be swept aside
by the simple desire to see . mo-
ton picture9 II so, you gentlemen
may have done your work badly"