Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-05-21
Dad of Blue
LaWsPriin1ed
For Omaha
DR.. Wilbur Crafts Here to
Urge Recreation Commission
To Supervise Movies,
Dance Halls and Cabarets.
Says Skirts Too Short

ington, D. c., so-callcd father of the
blue laws, arrived in Omaha yester-
day, all primed tc combat the EVIL
iorces which are lowering the STAN
Gard of our social lifc."
While he showed willingness to
bcrate dance halls, automobile JOY
rides, cabarets and short skirts, Rev
Mr.. Crafts will devote the next few
days here in uring the formation of
comprehensive recreation conf
mission
He specifies this commission
should be composed OF about IS per-
sons. There should be representa-
lives OF the Y. NJ. c. A., the Woman's S
Sub, the Boy Scouts, one or two
paid workers and one person appoint
2t. by the mayor, nc says. .
The duty OF the commission would
he to supervise motion pictures,
dance halls and cabarets and to ad
ver,ise places where the young can
get wholesome amusement.
No Place TO Go.
Such commission is imperative
10 re city" said fc1 Mr.. Crafts.
Why, do you know III. young peo-
pie are going TO the devil because
,hey have no place else 70 go. The
iuncs halls and automobiles arc TAX
ing the place OF the old saloon.
Il will advocate a rcviva. OF home
&c There should BIZ az hour after
sunHer wien tne family can get to-
etthcr-sins :el,g'ocs srd patfi i
songs and rea1 n'blc story inter-
es .ns to the children.
We're raisihs 4 generation cf
saoicd children. 80 many OF llieh
,s mes are nothing bdt boarding
hoascs-places in which 10 cat AMI
Sleep
Rev. Mr.. Gratis showed some II
rilation when asked ii unday laws
would n take away. rather than add
To The fropcr recrea.,; OF the young
CT gtn%, ation.
No unday Lave Pending
"Tnor& are no SI1.a. laws pend
ing" he declared. That is matter
Tor each state to dete mine, The at
t;..k IN me by motion picture and
;.Ri,' prob bition forces is merely an
attcnlps to create az '',um Gil all
moral !, e;slation.
Rev.. Mr.. Crafts smiled i'll amuse-
mcnt III what he went on to term
tire absurd of how he welded
power TO forbid everyone from
everything but church OH Sunday,
painted by the press and motion
picture interests"
The International Reform bu-
reau, Of which | am superintendent,
is backing but three bills and one
amendment in congress-" he said.
The first bill is to strengthen the
Nolstead act, by stopping efforts TO
get legislation permitting medicinal
beer to be sold III some states.
Would Stopc Drug Shipments.
The second bill is to stop the
shipping of morphine to China and
Japan, except to supply the absolute
seeds of the country. As it IS,
much OF the morphine exported is
smuggled back to this country. The
third is an gambling bill to
stop race track gambling and the
transportation of gambling machines
from one state to anotehr.
Then there is the Jones amend
ment-7"
Rev. Mr.. Crafts paused. 1t was
an expressive pause, of the sort that
might we'll dampen the arodur OF
youthful lover.
"lAh, that is most important
amendment" he continued. 1t IS an
amendment to stop elopments. 1t
will give congress more control
over amrrage and divorce"
Does it prohibit love at first
sight:" inquired the interviewer.
No, but it will prevent hasty mar
riages.
do you believe i'll long engage
ments?" the interviewer was on the
verge Of asking, but Rev. MIR. Gratis
continued:
Little Romance in Elopement.
There is very little romance IN
elopements nowadays. Elopements
are start on the trip to the divorce
courts. The amendment will pre-
vent an actress from getting a rich
Young man drunk and then marry
ing him."
"Do YOU know the interests which
labeled me father OF the blue laws
almost had the automobile interests
with 'eni," he chuckled dryly. They
had 'em thinking ! would prohibit
automobile ridin gon Sunday.
How about short skirts" he was
asked.
We'll" he replied, weighing his
words over this important problem,
Il believe it is time American
women cut loose from the dictation
OF Paris designers.
"As for length Of skirts-why, !
don't think it is necessary for thein
10 be shorter than mems trousers.
Mems trousers don't hinder walking
and they come to the shoe tops, so
| don't see why women's skirts
should be any shorter than trousers.
Two Good Reasons.
"Of course there are women who
desire to attract attention to their
lower extremities," sighed the eld-
erlv reiormer.
Rev. Mr.. Crafts is touring 25
states informing, arousing and ex-
pressing public sentiment" as he put
it. He declares that the western
states are enforcing the Nolstead
laws better than in the east, but that
-out where the west begins" divorce
laws are freer, there is less observ-
ance of Sunday and that no states
west of the river have the Bible in
the schools.
Asked concerning motion picture
censorship, he asserted producers
were eager to produce better pictures
and that he favored a national board
similar to the interstate commerce
commission to supervise the produc-
ton OF films.
1t would be impossible for tho