The New York herald., 1922-04-02
HARD PUZZLE FACED
IN THEATER JURIES
immense Care to Be Taken in
Selecting Citizens to Pass
4. on prpducttoas.
PANEL BEING FIGURED ON
0ne-third Likely to Be Women
Meeting Is Called for
Tuesday.
PANEL BEING FIGURED ON

WHAT will be the personnel of the
panel OF New Workers from which iuries
to censor the New York stage arr =
be drawn? Now that the voluntars
public censorship plan has been adopted
by all interests concerned. the question
of the composition OF the list OF poten-
tial censors has become of absorbing
interest. Upon these citizans. whether
800 or 500 in number. will devolve one OF
the most unusual duties ever known,
something quite outsids ordinary expert
ence, and immense care is 10 be taken
in selecting a panel agreeable 10 all
participating in the pact
owen Davis or the American Dram
atsts and Composers Society. who
has been foremost in the movement for
cleaner plays and in bringing about the
agreement for voluntary censorship.
said last night that the job selecting a
list of talesmen is recogniZedly difficult
and that he doubted IL a completed lis
could be approved and pres ented TO the
Mayor before the close or the present
theatrical season
Work slowly hut surely.
The main thing. Mr.. Davis and his
associates feel. is that the plan itself is
to be put into operation. and they viii
not be precipitate about details 1t is
essential that a panel be chosen that
will have from the very start the con-
fidence OF theatrical producers. play
wrights, actors. reform and welfare as
sociations and of the public. and il may
take several weeks of weighing and OF
elimination before such panel can
be had.
The basis for obtaining satisfactory
list which seems to be most in favor j.
club membership. Mr.. Davis has sug
gested tentatively that fifty names be
taken from the membership OF such New
York clubs as the University. City, Yale,
Harvard, Princeton and Colony. This
plan is approved also by Arthur Hop
kins. chairman Of the producing man
ayers censorship committee
Mr.. Hopkins said that while the con-
stituency of the panel Is naturally Of
immense Importance to TIE producers,
since 1t is their business that is to be
censored and since they have millions
invested. they desired only to have in
telligent and cultivated New Workers
on the pane-both men and women with
some knowledge Of art, literature and
the theater. Mr.. Hopkins expressed con-
fidence that the panel, as finally select
ed. would be agreeable to the associated
interests.
Women on the Panel.
That women will compose part OF
the panel, probably a third. is already
indicated. Mrs. Herbert l.. Glover OF
Brooklyn. chairman Of the social service
commission of the Episcopal Church for
the Diocese of Brooklyn, and who was
largely responsible for bringing about an
official censorship of the movies after
the motion picture magnates had failed
70 heed hint to purge the films rsue-
cested yesterday that wonien writer's.
especially women who write for news
papers, be named for the panel 1t is
her idea that such professional women
are especially fitted in cultivation and
breadth of judgment to pass upon the
character OF plays
Mrs. Glover has already submitted a
list 10 the Better Shows Movement. but
she declined to mention any OF the
names. This attitude was taken by
Owen Davis for the playwrights. Arthur
Hopkins for the managers. Frank Gil
more for the Actors Equity Association
and John $. Sumner for the Better
Shows Movement. all believing that 1t
would be unwise to suggest names OF
citizens who might eventually be re-
5ected.
1t is likely that the conference will
meet again on Tuesday to take up the
work of forming a panel.