The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-02-26
CATHOLICS And !
The MOVIES
An Urgent And Important Task
Awaits The Catholic Men And
Women Uf America.

The National Catholic Welfare
! Council, with the assistance of the
| National Council OF Catholic Me1
and the National Council of Cathollt
! Women. the n. C. w. G. Press Ser
vice and the Catholic Press of the
+ Country generally, is conducting
| nationwide campaign against lnde
cent motion pictures.
In this connection, it should De
! thoroughly understood that this Or
! ganization believes in the motion
! picture and appreciates its grea'
! powers for good. 1t is against the
| abuse and not the use OF the motlon
| picture that this campaign is direct
| ed. Producers and exhibitors OF
clean and wholesome entertainment
| should receive our encouragement
and our patronage.
Our efforts should not be confus-
! ed as an endorsement of any Blue
Law propaganda. The question at
| lsue does not concern itself with
blue" laws or red" laws, but with
the great white law Of public decencv
This great white law is today nag
rantly outraged by marv producers
OF motion pictures. \ \nolesoAie ~,
sex appeals, adultery, ~~Nalth1ui-
ness, moral laxity, indecent dressing
and undressing. crime, disrespect ror
law, for religion and for plain moran-
+ ty and shamefully portrayed IN
large percentage of the film features
OF today.
AS Catholics it is our duty to IN
sist that the exhibition Of motion
PICTURES be surrounded with proper
moral standards, both for the young
and old, and that these standards
should prevail not only on SUNDAY
but also on the other six days OF the
week.
The Catholic Church is the teacnef
of temperance. She STANDS as lhe
public champion of public deceney
on the stage and on the screen, anu
while we as Catholics do not adPo-
cate the prohibition OF all moVlAs
pctures on Sundays, we do insist
mat the moving picture industry ell
inmate at once the unwholesome ana
indecent features which characterize
so much of its present-day prooucI.
If this action is not taken, lntem-
nerate legislation is certain to fol-
low.
We therefore call upon Catholics
everywhere. both through their own
efforts and through their co-opefa-
tion with other organizations inter
ested in public decency, pubic
morality. and in the spiritual Welfare
of the youth of America to support
the movement of this organlzatlon
for clean wholesome and entertain
ing motion pictures.
Pending the establishment OF an
unsubsidized Bureau of Information
and Service covering the character
and quality of the current output OF
the motion picture industry and the
dissemination to Cathollc pastors,
schools, organizations, ETC., OF saiu
information, it should be the duty OF
Catholics everywhere, and IN an es-
pecial way the duty OF Catnollc
parents, to see that the motion pic
lures attended by them or BY 1aeI
children are of clean an0-ssahofe~
some character.
Wherever local censorship boards
exist Catholics should see that salo
boards perform their full duty in the
elimination of indecent pictures,
scenes, titles or sub-titles. and IN
the suppression of indecent adver-
tising and posters. Wherever such
censorship boards do not exist the
police or other duly designated
authority should be called upon TO
take such action as the condltlon
warrant.
Through their own action and by
co-operation with other civic, rellgl-
Gus, ethival and welfare organlza-
ttons. Catholics can. by Withdraw
ing patronage from any theatre that
persists in showing unwholesome
pictures, unite in making the exnlol-
ton of such pictures highly unpro-
fitable for the local exhibitor. Pro-
test individually and through your
church and civic organizations to all
exhibitors who show disposition 10
ignore your appeal for clean motion
picture entertainment. Protest also
against film scenes or titles stigma
tizing in any way the Catholic re-
ligion or Catholic practices or other-
wise rejecting upon the Bible or the
ministry of religion generally.