Oxford Democrat., 1921-10-25
Moving Picture Evils.
By CHARLES L. poLLABD.

Moving Picture Evils.
| BY CHARLES L. POLLARD.
| (Note: The following paper and the
questions following were read ct the re-
cent meeting Of the Oxford County Con-
gregational Association at South Paris,
and 1t was voted that copies Of same be
sent to the local papers Of Oxford County
for publication.-Scribe.)
OF all the marvellous inventions and
accomplishments of the past few dec-
AIDES, the photoplay is easily foremost 10
Its effect upon the mind and emotions OF
the masses. As a writer in recent is-
sue Of Current Opinion has phrased II,
mo fiction, no poetry, no painting, NO
sculpture, no pulpit and no drama has
ever reached 80 unaccountable an audi.
ence, In q mood 80 expectant, 80 credu.
lous, 80 impressionsble." 1t follows as
natural corollary, that the moving pic
.ure drama has the most tremendous po.
tentialittes for good or evil OF oil the in
1uences affecting our civilization. There
10 evidence that among those best quail
fed to judge, the output of our leading
producers, the sentiment 10 almost unan.
imous that these potentialities are now
being exerted on the wrong side Of the
scale. In fact there are many people
who can see in the photoplsy nothing
but serious menace to our standards OF
ethics and morality. I cannot enroll
myself among the latter class, because l
believe that viewed purely rs an inven-
tion, the moving picture has emendous
educational possibilities. Everyone will
agree that the portrayal OF current events,
as exemplifled In the Patbe News and
the Paramount Weekly, affords an excel
lent method of bringing interesting scenes
and action wildly before the public.
Everyone knows that the actual sight of
an object creates more lasting impree-
sion than the most accurate verbal de-
,cription. Whether the best possible sc
lection of current events 10 made In these
films is q question that may be open to
discussion, but is not within the scope OF
my present topic. As for the photoplsy,
il affords pleasure to Thousands OF peo.
pie who have little or no opportunity of
seeing plays produced on the Legitimate
stage. The drama has been recognized
for ages as one Of the highest forms OF
literary art, and good acting of Q good
play is intellectually satisfying to q per.
son Of intelligence and discrimination.
The photoplsy has many Of the sdvan.
tages of the spoken drama, and is better
adapted to the needs of the masses, for
1t can be given simultaneously In many
cities. But just "a the legitimate stage
may be debased by inferior actors or dra-
matists, 80 the photoplay may be con.
verted into an instrument of evil by pre-
senting distorted and sordid pictures OF
life. It then becomes menace to pub.
lie morals instead of an innocent diver.
sion.
People with subuormal minds, those
in transition stage, like most OF our
immigrants, and children are the types
most deeply affected by moving pictures.
The educated or sophisticated nan pssses
over impossible and vicious scenes or sit.
uations In spirit Of disgust, amusement
or frank boredom, according to his men,
tai makeup. he gains no lasting i'm.
preston to affect either his manners or
his morals, and rarely remembers even
the title of Q picture seen several months
earlier. But the plant mind Of child,
constantly sensitized like Photographic
plate, to receive and record new mental
concepts, may be deeply affected by Q
single scene or single event, however
obvious or trivial 1t may seem to the
adult. The outward surroundings, too,
are all conducive to strengthening the
effect upon impressionable minds. You
sit In darkened room, with nothing to
distract your attention from the picture
except the monotonous strains Of piano
or an orchestra playing popular music.
The frequent repetition of these airs, the
closeness OF the hall, and the eye strain
caused by prolonged gazing at Q flicker
ing film all combine to induce state of
partial auto-hypnosis, In which, as every.
one knows, subconscious Impressions are
often vividly recorded. It 10 this fact
which is responsible for many crimes
directly traceable to the movies.
Take, for example, the case of para.
noisc, man to all external appearances
perfectly normal, but in whom a certain
train OF thought or association OF Ideas is
likely to cause an outbreak Of homicidal
mania. he sees film In which someone
resembling person he dislikes is muir.
dered. The suggestion of killing is su-
perinduced in bis mind, and Is rapidly
associated with the thought of bis fan.
cied enemy. With the cunning and to-
nacity of the insane he cliDgs to this
idea until q favorable opportunity occurs
for it's execution. have no doubt that
large number of unex planned crimes by
insane persons might be traced back to
some suggestive photoplay.
In the case of the immigrant, the
harm done Is Of another sort. he is
Ignorant of anything but the street life
of large city. he sees many plays In
which the hero is first presented amid
squalid surroundings, often greatly exsg
gersted. The hero commits crime, re-
pents of II, and is soon exonerated on
the ground that he ''never had mother"
or "never had chance, and about the
fifth reel attsins fortune, being exhib-
tied in q palace with sumptuous furni
ture and retinue of servants. Not only
does the immigrant thus gain ideas Of
American life and customs wholly at va
rance with the truth, but II he has Bol.
shevik leanings, as 10 usually the case,
tu6 piCbuE0 iauu tuo uauo VI bbo iauotb'
cism. The writer whom quoted above
says ~ am amazed by the marble halls,
the spacious lawns, the sweeping drives,
the castellated porticoes, the gorgeous
salons and noble stairways which seem
to be essential to true love In Movie
Land"
But it Is In relation to children that
the moving picture evil looms up most
seriously. Rowland Sheldon, general
secretary for the Big Brother movement.
brings evidence, In an article recently
published 10 the Bookmsn, that the sce-
narios dealing with thefts, hold-ups and
gun play are responsible for many re-
formatory committals. he gives an 40
count of conversations with some OF the
boys in which they frankly admit that
they gained from the movies ideas for
the crimes they committed. Apparently
the fact that the picture usually showed
the villain captured and punished made
little impression; the supremely e1cit-
Ing moment was when the shot Was fred
or the pooketbook abstracted. The
truth is that the modern American child
has an abnormal Drawing for excitement
the "jszz" spirit pervadss oil his aotivi.
ties. Advertising agents pander to this
morbid interest BY displaying posters
with sensational scenes and descriptions.
Last Saturday night In our towo, for ex-
ample, there was poster with the
legend "Hesrts up" showing . woman
levelling pistol at tho head OF . cow