The New York herald., 1922-08-26
Cruelty on the Screen.
The Way to Suppress Scenes Show.
ing Animals Ill Treated.

| To TILE NEW YORK HERALD: DR.. Still
man, president of the American Humane
Society, writes to your paper about "the
impression" of cruelty to animals that
England finds In some American films.
I have been told that we have law
directly forbidding cruelty to animals
in the making of films Lately films
have been growing more and more bold
In the cruelties they picture. The super
intendent OF one of New Yorks humane
societies tells me that most OF these
cases are out of reach of the societies
because the film people go across the
border into Canada to commit the atroc-
tiles. only bringing the film back here
for showing. If this Is the explanation
It is. then, as Mr.. Stillman points out, the
duty of our censors to forbid the ap-
pearance of such films in our theaters.
! They cut out scenes of imitation vice
and let pass these cases of actual tor
ture and murder of animals, as though
the latter offenses had not the worse
effect upon the youthful and the un-
formed minds that we are supposed to
be protecting as though the actual pain
and death OF animals were not of more
serious consideration than any amount
of imitation immortality; as though we
had no law forhiddins greedy. unscrupu-
lous persons from making money at the
price of torture to animals.
In recent nlm of great success was
pictured degenerate character who had
to kill everything beautiful his eyes
happened to notice, and before the eyes
i -. IN <JNe tfaok
had first won all hearts--and much
money for his owner--by doing his part
through several good scenes. In the
Same film the same character was shown
about TO kill a very lovely pet kitten !;
the impression given was that this scene
had been suddenly cut. probably GEN.
sored, and that in the making the kitten
had been killed.
In another film OF n popular Western
hero actor the hero pushes a horse over
preclpice. The animal slides horribly
down the precipice. and when It reaches
the bottom and rolls over. surely In pain
and possibly in its death struggle. the
| film is suddenly cut These are the only
two incidents that I myself have seen.
for / avoid all pictures that promise
chance of such cruelties, and rise and
leave the theater when caught In such
scenes.
But I have been caught several times
| lately in the advertisements between
shows. At almost every thcater they
are now introducing little glimpses Of
bullfghts. Sometimes the bull is merely
permitted to enter. sometimes he has
i ta1 nf
the bulhghter's knives, but never. so
far, have they shown that most pitiful
victim of those fights. the defenseless
horse involved. am told II is propa-
ganda toward bringing real bullnghts
into the United States. II this is so why
do our censors permit it7 Can humane
societies do nothing7
After ALL though. Il In ourselves, the
audience. that must be blamed most II
we first dismiss the producers. For II
all individuals capable OF discriminat-
Ing between good and bad would indi-
cate their dspleasurs at the bad in
stead OF quintly suffering II to be put
over, the bad would very soon cease.
These cruelues are used as thrillers 10
attract the crowd and their dollars. II
fair percentage OF the crowd would
refuse 70 go TO shows where crueltios
could be expected. II this percentage
would leave the theater abruptly when
caught In such scenes. IL they would
even sit through the scenes and use
that time honored symbol of disapprovai.
the good. lusty hissing--I havo heard
the hiss lately at ono OF two bullfght
scenes--if tho enlightened minority
and I don't believe It Is a minority
but sound majority--would express
itself out loud the cruelties would very
soon cease. for they would have been
shown not to pay. Seldom can one
reach an INSCRIPTIONS person with argu-
ments OF ethics or morality; but It IL
very simple to convince when the pocket
book Is touched. BELLE SrLvERA-
NEW YORK, August 2b.