Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-14
THINGS THAT WOMEN'S
CLUBS CAN HELP TO Do
High Lights of Interest in Smyrna
Gathering; Something About
Censoring Pictures.

Most of the women's clubs have held
their annual elections. and are preparing
to close their seasons activities.
The year has been an active one for
all of the clubs included in the Della
ware State Federation, az was evidenced
at the State convention held in Smyrna
recently. Each club represented report
ed on various kinds of civic, educational
and philanthropic work. There was
evident in the business of the con-
vention a desire to continue a general
widening of efforts helpful to the State
at large.
There are always few high lights
of interest in such a gathering as the
Smyrna convention, and these marked
subjects were incorporated in Mrs.
Thomas G.. Winters excellent address
as national president Of the General
Federation of women's Clubs. Mrs.
Winter brought 10 the Delaware club
women message worth while. She
urged two especially valuable things.
One was the need for an improved pub
lie spirit; a spirit of higher motive and
more unselfish purpose. Another was
the urgent need of censors- - able to
combat the moving picture evil.
Most club-women are aroused to the
need of meeting the dangers involved in
allowing an indiscriminate showing of
uncensored moving pictures. But there
have been difficulties in putting under
way the proper actions. Mrs. Winters
suggestion that the clubs buy, IL neces-
sary. Objectionable picture houses, is
not widely available. nor would ii meet
the situation. for some of the so-called
best houses" show films that the aver
age careless observer accepts without
protest. For instance, the writer wit
messed in a first-ciass theatre a film
many persons would accept without
realizing the effects OF its showing on
young minds. The trapping of a bob-cat
with a steel-trap was the subject, and
two boy trappers made plain the process
of trapping. When the animal was
finally captured, drag is attached to
the trap, to prevent the frenzied animal
gnawing off its own leg to be free. 1t
was brutally trussed and later killed,
then skinned
In the picture the young heroes"
bowed and smiled in appreciation OF the
publicis JOY in seeing a creature OF the
woods condemned to "a prolonged suf-
fering. Fancy the hardening OF SYM
pathy with suffering a frequent viewing
Of such pictures have on a young boys
mind No woman wants a moliy-cod-
die son, but every mother longs to see
in her boy that instructive desire to aid
the suffering which is an attribute Of
real manhood. No boy who really
knows the art of hunting and camping
would seek 10 catch q bob-cat or any
other animal in a steel trap. The big
hunters and naturalists Hike Theodore
Roosevelt, Ernest Seton, Thompson and
John Burroughs, whose books on wild
life are part Of most boys reading. Scorn
the steel trap. and advocate IN its stead,
the moose" or similar forms of capture.
The real woodsnan is no more cruel
than necessary. II he hunts 70 XIII, he
kills quickly.
Such pictures are peruicious, yet be-
cause they are followed by wefl-known
studio films. and given in reputable
theatres. women view them without pro-
test, and worse. allow their sons and |
daughters TO view them.
The Federation of Womenss Clubs |
could undertake no better work than
70 find a substitute amusement for BOYS |
and girls, something so fascinating and
real that the sickly sentiment, unreal |
action, and false conception of the |
average moving picture would lose the |
enormous amount Of patronage received |
IN boy and girl attendance.