The Washington times., 1921-04-08
ACKTODARK AGES
IF CENSORSHIP WINS
Rex Beach and D. w. Griffith
Score Movie Regulation as
Relic of Barbarism.

~'~ ~ ~S~s SS~s sSssss
ALBANY, April s.-Pictured as -an
echo of the barbarism Of the Middle
Ages" clergymen, authors motion
picture producers and playwrights at
tackled the Lusk Clayton movie CEN
sorship bill at a public hearing here.
Opponents of censorship charged
that proposed regulation Of the
movies was the "first inroad on the
right of free speech" and predicted
1t would be followed by proposals to
censor newspapers. books and maga-
zines
Mrs. Clarence Waterman, president
of the Better Motion Picture League,
bitterly attacked Aim players. She
was supported by Mrs. Ella A. Boole,
Of the w. c. T. u Canon Chase, OF
Brooklyn. the Rev. o. X. Miller. of
the Civic League, and Mrs. Ellen
OGrady former deputy police COM
missioner.
BEACH sCORNs INTOLERANCE.
Proceedings were enlivened by
pleas against censorship from Rex
Beach. famous author, d. w. Griffith.
the producer, and other eminent
artists. Mr.. Beach said:
This demand for State censorship,
this demand to make us moral by
~ W - COIIcS 1TOn Two
|ssotrcAs. so far as / have been able
to discover. First from the religious
bigot. whose ready armor is repres-
sion and whose policy 1t has been ever
to close tho theater.
'.The spirit OF religious intolerance
still lives. for 1t Is only a few months
ago that tho Methodist Church,
through the spokesman for its con-
ciave Of archdeacons, Indignantly
denied admittance to actors and to
any one who danced on the stasa
1T was bigots like these who
stamped tho breath out Of the body
in the Dark Ages.
The other body Of people from
sorship of the moving pictures is
that body of people who attribute
crime to screen suggestion They
believe that motion pictures corrupt
the morals OF our youth. They claim
that police records prove it
when / was a boy tho same was
said OF cigarettes and dime novels
Either was certain to corrupt q boy
"A combination of the two meant tic
penitentiary or the hangman's moose
Il read dime novels and loved
them. 1 smoked cigarettes. So did
practically every boy I knew. None
thcSc pOyb mas DcCOTn6 CT1m1n9I.
Many OF them are healthy, wealthy
and respected pillars Of society. The
deadly effect OF these twin vices on
me you can observe.
Then 1t was card playing. That
meant gambling, and gambling caused
bribery. robbery and the like.
played cards and 20 did most of the
boys I know, and tho girls. too.
"Again. 1t WAS dancing. All Of
these pastimes have at one time or
another been attacked as viciously as
motion pictures and with quite as
much reason, but we realize now. OF
by q phantom
Briefly. it Is proposed. in order to
make motion pictures safe for chill
dren. to reduce a great and growing
art to the intellectual standards Of
childhood
LIKE RUSSIA, SAID GRIFFTTH.
Mr.. Griffith charged that rivers Of
blood had been shed in protest against
similar censorship in days gone by.
Hs said:
millions of men have died fight
ing just such plans as you are now
proposing for New York.
I'VE might have expected some such
attempt at this in Russia, but X
6lls me with shame to think that
free-born American citizen should
be forced to come to this Legislature
and plead again for the right of free
speech. Think as I think is the
demand of the men and women who
seek censorship"
Also protesting against censorship
were the New York State Conference
OF Mayors. the State Federation OF
Labor and a representative OF the
National Board of Review, who
charged that the present legislation
Is the entering wedge for censorship
by the Legislature for news and in
formation.