The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-15
TOO MUCH MONEY.

There is an important lesson for all human
ity in the sordld details OF that midnight orgy
in San Francisco which resulted In q heastly
murder and the undoing OF a hero That caaon
ia this: so-called prosperity and not poverty In
the worlds greatest curse.
We would not be misunderstood. We do not
mean that abject poverty grind, -blghtIng
poverty,--is estate to be coveted far from
that. But we do mean that more crime springs
from excessive prosperity than from excessive
poverty And the accuracy OF that state
mcht. no matter how closely analysed we
stake all.
"Movieand" has como to be place whore
such things as occurred in tho ST. Francis hotel
are quito the common thing II the occasional
stories which irnk out are 20 be relied on. Thore
viii be those willing to assert that It is the
consequence OF the business, or art Itself,
which. In our Judgment is very far from the
truth II is not the vocaton-makng pictures
for the edIfication Of the public--which has
bred the immortality and social filth of movie
lard. but the fact that the central figures OF
that strange and modern Bohemia have en-
joyed an income beyond the dreams Of avarice,
beyond all reason. beyond all logic and beyond
the reasonable needs OF any OF them their
capacity fos right use OF such income, and all
without rendering n proportiunate service.
Go into any church and enrich the members
thereof beyond the need sacrifice and ef-
fort--give them an unlImited bank account and
nothing to do--and assert that such con-
gregatlon will TO a great extent degenerate into
the nractices that just now the scandal OF
Movieland. Too much money! Too litte work.
The two statements explain everything
The fabulous salaries Of the world
have dcmoralized the moving picture business
and exerted terrifying influence on society
in general boy or siri picked from the gut
ter. sans education. refinement or other quail
flcation, is starred in the movies and once es-
tablished on the screen is given a million dol
lars a year for a few days work. That is
trary to every business. social or moral funda-
mental of life. The recipient Ia more worth
the price than he or she is mentally capable Of
rightly using the fabulous Income. Naturally
tho tendency is downward instead OF up,
We think the recent sensational development
in movIcland will mark tho beginning OF
revolution in the screen industry. Inevitably
the public will turn ts back on a condition that
" sspping the very foundations OF eoocty. In
evitably the fact will dawn on the public that
II has been the goat that these fabulous and
Impossible salaries have been ana nre being
paid because the public has been willing 10
supply them. not in accordance with tho well
established rule OF economics--for value re-
ceived. but because Il has fallen" FOR tho Inn
position
There are solid, substantial, conservative
characters in the moving picture business, It
has been demonstrated q le otter time tina,
tho play and not the actor IL the thing one
ct the most outstanding ccsses OF the past
voAr was stars ani anything else
which detracted In the slightest from the arts-
try OF the actors, II was costume play ana
Il was play with wcll.deflned plot
This play Inevitably points the way, 1hr
movie trust has capitalized the personal '.ra oi
certain screen characters then been compelled
10 divide profits with them on an unfair basis.
We predict that the moving picture business
will fine q, self vastly benefited by these scan
dals which have shaken movieand to lts foun-
dation, In the future the play and not the
actor or actress will be the thing. Salaries will
be hued down to something approaching rea-
son and the admission charge will be reduced
accordingly,