Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-03-27
FEDERAL MOVIE CENSORSHIP.

ihdih eullorS ana fhalNtaln tamllleS.
FEDERAL MOVIE CENSORSHIP.
MF ANY one is still under the de-
fusion that federal censorship
of motion picture films will ever
prove satisfactory in this country,
he shows an amazing ignorance of
the psychological motives which keep
the censorship agitation alive" says
W. ID. Mcclure, Jr., executive secre-
tary of the National Board of Review
of Motion Pictures, whose offices are
at 70 Fifth avenue, New York city,
IN a recent interview in regard to
the proposal for federal censorship.
His discussion is interesting and in
structive, and authoritative, coming
fro ma NATIONAL board Official.
The demand for motion picture
censorship has nowhere originated
withfthe people who attend the the
alters and know whereof they speak,"
says he. ut comes from that ever
ehlargng group, many of whom, en-
tered social and reform work dur
ing the war as volunteers and are
now making reform a profession,
They have found that self-righteous-
ness frequently pays handsome sal
aries, as witness ]. Wilbur Crafts of
the international Reform Bureau
hufrying about the country. These
reform groups attack the motion
picture because it is ALWAYS easier
and safer to attack the poor mans
amusement than the rich mans mas
time. They take the money away
from the rich and the JOY away from
the poor. 1t makes a good combina-
tion. We have read of closing the
motion picture theater on Sunday
but who ever heard of closing golf
club on the Sabbath? So the old
question, Am | my brothers keen
err is being answered emphaticallv
IN the affirmative by these good peo-
pie who can read more dirt into a
picture than all the censors in the
world can cut out in a week. As
WIN Rogers once said, 'The pictures
leaVe the studios clean, but before
the censorites get through with. them
they are pretty well covered with
DIRT. Freud explains the satisfac-
tlon experienced by the human race
sln coming in contact with the suffer
ing and death of its fellow members
20 repeat, the psychological motive
back of censorship finds its basis in
The satisfaction which the element of
the people derive from killinp the
soy IN the life of his fellow and
watching him suffer in his drab and
colorless life.
II happened to attend the rorfor
ehee OF state ,censors which was held
IN California under the auspices of
the Universal Film Manufacturers
company, last summer. This. the
largest of motion picture PRODUCING
companies, inspired by a perfect,v
legitimate desire to learn how mir
lures could best be made which would
SUIT the varying judgments of tbe
aiffefent boards of censorship. at
tempted to learn, through callino
national conference of the censors
common standard co1la ha
agreed upon. Representatives of an
the state boards except Ohio and the
newly appointed New York hoard
were present as well as representa-
yves of the provinees Of Canada
Hours We're spent in thrashine over
questions of censorship and types Of
pictures which were frequently crit
-elsed, but absolutely no unanim;ty
o. opinion was evident. The. cens5r,
simply eonlh not agree among them.
selves and this is now reflected in the
conflicting decisions rendered bv the
various state boards. The film com.
pany was forced to the conclusion
mat no common standard existed and
that the time, effort and money ex-