New-York tribune., 1922-02-05
Censorship of
Screen Berated
And Defended
Rupert Hughes Says Plan
Never Satisfied Any Que.
Never Will: Leverson JUS
tifics State Board Creation
400 Present at Discussion
Women Clubs andActresses
Speak in Favor of Right
Kind of Film Control

Rupert Hughes, tho author, rouudly
NrFated moving picture censorship,
~hlle Motion Picture Commissioner
Levenson eloqucutly justified tho Miller
admin strs;ior for tho creation Of the
moving picture commission, at the
Saturday discussion before the Ma
tional Republican Club yesterday.
nc other speakers porc Mrs. Clin-
toN r. Smith, chairman q the motion
nicture committee Of the New York
State Federation Of Womcn's Clubs;
Rufus s Cole end Charles Urban. pro
duccrs. and Professor Samuel B. Heck
man, of the College of the City Of New
York. Mac Murray an Mis- Du Port,
film actresses, also spoke. The attend
snce was tho largest Of tho season.
about 400 persons being present. Henry
". Taft, first vice pres dcnt of the
club. presided.
NO emrrcss or harlot on throne
ever did so much harm as that fanati
cal individual who is determined by
coersive measures to save the soul Of
the unregenerato,' said Mr. Hughes
while the audience laughed. The Re-,
publican party had It's beginning IN
opposing the worst censorship in the
history of the pforld-the censorship
Of slavery.
'1n the name OF God and man, hopr
long is this effort OF trying to make
men and women good by repressne
them going TO continue? Let your
brother alone. Don't coerce him
There is no justification for the movie
censorship. You can't make money hy
vice, anyhow. i any sort Of censorship
Is permissible 1T would be the sort tina.
would elmi~ate the stupid features
from g reel and put in something bet
ter.
But we are going to have q lot of
this censorship business before we get
through with 1t. We are going to have
moro Sunday laws. You can't stop
clergymen and moralists from coercing
politicians into passing coercive laws.
They are bound TO do it. New York is
not one lota better off for it's censor
ship, nor is Pennsylvania. The cersors
never satisfied any one and they never
will. No human being ever lived wise
enough to take out of d picture the
harmful element, leaving only the
wholesome. I am sorry for any state
that believes censors can save boy or
slrl from following the laws of ns-
ture'
Hughes Is Applauded
Mr.. Hughes was applauded here and
1here, but his auditors expressed sur
prise that he did not offer something
o. 4 constructive nature for the clint
nation OF acknowledged abuses.
MISS Murray, who had to leave earlv
because She had to go to work" said
Alf VIC are to have censored pictures.
IT IS Just S essential to give the ric',.
KIND of censors to the pictures as to
give the right pictures to the public.
think the candidates for the position of
censor, whether men or women, should
oe examined with as much caro- as per
sors serving on the jury
RUFUS S. Cole, head of f. C.. Pictures.
questioned whether any censorship Of
any kind is needed to protect the pub
lie. He thought any law enacted would
DC cure to rest heavily on many who
arc sincerely trying to entertain, in
struct and uplift
Mrs. Smith, who said that there were
aOC,ooO women in the federation she
repre- ented spoke as a mother and a
guardian of the home.
The real censors should be women
and lnothcrs, who arc guardians of the
morals Of the country" said Mrs.
Smith. "fhe children's welfare is the
'rst consideration, and children arc
The ones most Influenced by .hc motion
pictures. Dino novels and the scnti-