The New York herald., 1922-03-12
'Genius, Good Taste and the Common
Sense That Values the Rose More
Than the Poison Iyy Must Begin
to ShOw in PhOtOpLay Making,
Saws the States Commission

Of mind to recommend them for their au-
thoritative functions. Some are not men
who by any argument may be said to have
a suitable point of view toward life, an ar
tistic justification, an adequate fineness OF
spirit, nor sufficiently sound moral back
ground to direct the making of a picture
that it may have a positively constructive
OF even harmless purpose and influence.
1t is curious that very small portion OF
the public knows what the standards Of the
censorship laws are. Here is concise
statement.
mo motion picture will be licensed
which may be classified, or any part there
or, as tending to corrupt morals or incite
to crime
That is as far as the censors may 60
But we may use our influence in so far as
it is acceptable to guide the makers of the
photo drama into paths that will lead them
far from even unintentional conflict with
cur authority.
Children look upon the movie ~theater
as their own. They learn of life from the
screen. They find in the postures and
movements of the phantom players their
own ideals, and they are initiative.
In picture in which crime is gloriied-
Wherein the master criminal is made
tremendous power for evil, wherein. indis-
criminate murders and abductions are
shown, and wherein the finest "ingenu-
ties" the combined author, scenarioist and
director can devise are put into the mind
of the master criminal-there Is much that
certainly would mislead the mind of
child, and much more which would inflame
the distorted brain of the unfortunate sub
normal person, to whom the moving pic
ture acts as guide and an inspiration.
State Has It's Duty
To Protect It's Youth
The State, in it's duty to the public, must
safeguard society and protect its youth.
Any fair minded person must admit that
the moving picture play has not existed
in the past-before the days of regulatory
laws-with any deep regard for its effect
upon the minds of children or the ignorant.
It's sole purpose has been to lure to the
box Office This situation is being inn
proved, and must be further remeded.
The little theaters in the tenement Sec
tions and in the little communities present
problem. Such theaters now are showing
the lurid serial pictures which worldlywise
folk believe are consigned to the past!
Photoplays in which villains are glorified
second only to gloriflcation of the hero
The unending battle between the fair and
the sinister, with the sinister side fire.
quently triumphant, seems necessary to
thrill" and suspense" Children crave
excitement. In some instances the prcpri-
etors OF the squalid little places which cater
to the movie going public in poorer COM
munities are not of a particularly high
type. In choosing pictures to exhibit to
their patrons their own tastes are upper
most. They can see elements of interest
only in the "thrillers." the lurid vicious
pictures which start ugly thoughts in
warped minds and which do amazing injury
to growing and impressionable school chill
dren, who scrimp and save to satisfy this
cultivated craving for the sensational and
untrue.
Unfortunately, many of these pictures
we're released before the commission came
into power But they will wear out some
time and we are looking forward to that
time We want no more of them. The
serial OF the future must be based upon
some other theme than morbid crime.
What we aim is to make 1t impossible
for, the exhibitors in the squalid sections to
have any choice. Since they are not capa-
BILE OF choosing good photoplays. then the
right of choice should be taken from them.
This only can be done by assuring that
there soon will be no pictures other than
good ones in so far as we can make them
good.
The industry-like all other industries
--has it's conscientious clean minded rep
resentatives. Unquestionably some of the
big producers have ideals which are good
and which they are trying to live up to.
But-like all other industries-the moving
picture business has its unworthy para
sites.
We intend there shall be no more opium
dens where the surroundings are luxuri-
Gus and beautiful women and handsome
men smoke jeweled pipes. There shall
be no more elopements of married men
and women; no more love stories" i'm
which the wrong and the unconventional
view of marriage obligations is condoned
and held up as the right example; and
fhor couaa day parhn ne wv will ha h,