Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-05
MOVING PICTURE EVILS.

tSuAffN We take fttte STOCK w thcsN
gentlemen who. shouting Justify that
The world is mine oyster" seek TO
py il open by ciamping Il shut. We
refer to our friends who began life
With an ardent desire to do good. and
$40 have since learned that doing
spod in an organized manner pays
snlaries large enough TO command the
respect. IL not the admiration, of the
income tax collector. But OCCASION
ally, in their progress toward Mir
vana. hey do a bit OF good which
- can right heartily applaud with
s~t aualm.
Take the case of our good friend,
the Rev. Dr. Wilbur Fisk Crafts,
the soul Of the International Re-
form Bureau. Or. Crafts believes
in doing good wholesale. and ty ma
tional legislation. While we do not
entirely approve Of his neat scheme
10 lcck us all up over Sunday in the
wooa-hed. vet we will admit that we
rhortle with glee every time that he
forgets his blue law agitation long
enough to sidesvipe the moving pie
lure producers. We feel in our bones
that he has the right idea there-and
,ou know a man cannot be wrong
all the time.
DR.. Crafts has i-sued little state
n,eut on this matter Of reforming the
movies, which is serrnane to this dis
r,rSsson. Said he: Unless the pro
iucers. distributors. and exhibitors
radically chang the character Of their
exhibitions, new and old, before the
December session of Congress. ve
propo~, 10 press for the Federal Mo-
tion Picture Commission. full steam
ahead and we ask all who believe
such a remedy is needed to present the
matter to Senators and Congressman
when they go home for summer recess.
by letters. petitions. personal inter
views. and especially by influential
delegations Of those who have facts
10 communicate and naatured convic-
sions.~
II, by chance, you are one Of those
who are lucky enough to be numbered
among the moving picture magnates,
do not for a moment underestimate
the influence which DIR. Crafts can
bring to bear on any fight in which
he ia interested. He is the straight
rst thinking, hardest hitting, and most
relentless reformer OF whom we know.
No she-panther ever heidN on to the
-breeches seat of a nnyepic explorer
with the tenacity with which DR..
Crafts sinks his reforming teeth
into an evil--real or alleged. Although
we are not positive, We believe that
he was mainly responsible for the pas
sage by the New York Legislature Of
moving picture censorship bill. which
Governor Miller signed. and which
now is in operation.
Dr. Crafts believes that the moving
pictures which are being shown to-
day form one of the greatest sources
OF evil and crime in American life.
We join hands with him. One is on
safe ground in affirming that seven
out of the ten pictures which are
shown arc immoral in ono oF lse
ways: they paint the lily as.4 sid
the rose,' and make sin appear at
tractive; they reveal the arts and
practices of criminals to young per-
sons who are inspired to go and do
likewise; more subtle than all, they
make their stories end in ways diff
fersnt from real life. They Polly
annaize situations, and cause the spec
tators to subconsciously believe that
the world will bring them happiness
and riches on sterling platter
whether they work or not. This class
of films lays too great stress on the
God Chance, when the emphasis should
b. placed on the Demon Hard Work
We believe that these evils mainly
originate in the studio, and under
the direction of the producers We
are joined in this belief by one emil
nent producer himself, who said
frankly that of the group of men who
were trying TO get Governor Miller
not 10 sign the censorship bill, four
~ least could have cleaned up nine
tentns of the releases" if they had
~ desired. But we would not en-