Evening journal., 1922-06-09
PASTOR Defends
Church MOVIES
CONTINUED From First Page. ,

DR.. Hubbard says to his congrega-
tions from time TO time II It had no
/ further circulation than that the
congregation might give II. But he
very cleverly plays up to the news
! papers, so that his every sensa-
tional utterance is sent broadcast
throughout the city. Hence the JUS
tification, II any is needed, for this
reply.
"As quoted in the newspaper ar
ticle, DR.. Hubbard declares that the
greatest crime that a church can
commit is to have a motion pic
ture show on Sunday. No distinc-
tion is made as to the character Of
the pictures which may be shown
and the presumption is that the
showing of motion pictures of any
kind on Sunday constitutes the
greatest crime that any church can
commit. II this is true then about
10000 churches in this country
have committed this gravsst os
crimes for that many churches are
using or have used motion pictures
in connection with their Sunday
services. And a very large number
Of these are Methodist Episcopal
churches. The writer first became
interested in the use of motion
pictures while attending the Meth
odist Centenary Exposition at Co
lumbus, Ohio, where everyday DEM
onstrations were given of motion
pictures suitable for Sunday use
and prominent preachers from all
over the country told OF their sue
cessful use OF motion pictures In
connection with their Sunday eve
ming services. But then these men
had not heard from DR.. Hubbard.
especially recall the testimony Of
DR.. c. f. Reisner. of Grace NJ. r.
church, New York city. who de-
clared that following services made
up of motion pictures he had had /
conversations ranging in number |
from ten to fifty. And this, accord |
ing to DR.. Hubbard. is the greatest /
crime that any church can commit.
'The second utterance as quoted !
there is no need to have motion pic
lures in the churches on Sunday
nights II the ministers in their SER
mons told the people OF Jesus Christ
Is an unbrotherly judgment upon men
who are just as conscientious as DR..
dare be. who are just as
consecrated in their ministry and
preach Jesus Christ just as sincerely
and in some instances that / could
name far more eloquently than Dr.
Hubbard himself can do and yet do
not have large congregations on
Sunday evenings and who cannot
bring themselves TO use the sensa-
.ional methods which the pastor of
st. Paul's does not hesitate to use.
'"The third statement in the arti-
lie to which l would direct attention {
5 this-'when people go to church .
hey go to hear the word of God, not
o see a movie This statement re- {
'eals singular obtuseness on the {
part of a man who poses as an au- {
.horlty on religious methods. Would
DR.. Hubbard have us believe that the
Word OF God can be impaired only
through the ear? Does he not know 4
hat truth can be apprehended more
eadily through the eye than through
ome OF the Old Testament prophets
.cted out their messages by panto-
mime driving the truth home TO :
hose who watched without a spoken '
rord? Does DR.. Hubbard permit the =
se OF pictures In his Sunday school >
nd Will he define the moral differ 7
nee between a still picture and a =
MI
ne can be legltimately used and the I,
ther constitute a crime7 Did not a
'r. Hubbard permit an enacted n
rama called The Illuminated
ross to be presented in his church '
uring an evangelistic meeting and c
an he show wherein a chaste. re- V
gious motion picture drama is any a
lore reprehensible, save that the
ne is enacted in the flesh, the other
n the screen?
Finally, Or. Hubbard says. ac- +
ording TO the quotation. some c
nurches have motion picture ma s
hines TO draw crowds so they can c
Ike in large collections on Sundays I
am willing 10 admit the first part n
this statement, that we use our RI
lotion picture machine to draw the q
'owds. But let me inquire: why n
pes DR.. Hubbard do the things that =
e does and say the things that he h
lys? Is IL not to draw crowds? Be
re began using motion pictures.
liked this matter over with DR..
I explained to him that
Z. Salem Church has always been g
one-service church; that for n
renty years It has been very dihi- o
III to get anything but a very small p
in the evenings, and / K
as going to overcome that IL pos e
bly, could and he replied substan- p
ally as follows: I don't blame =
VI. / would do anything to get a 81
owd. 1 would stand on my head K
the pulpit II I couldn't get It any u
her way Perhaps DR.. Hubbard "
anding on his head is more edi- a
ing sight than a beautiful picture b.
,e The Stream Of Life or a great c'
triotic drama like The Son Of 81
,mocracy. VI
LAS to the latter part OF that state p'
emit know of no church which Ju
jects to large collections, certainly re
It DR.. Hubbard's. But 1 question pi
he would make TO his congregation tr
e statement which, with the ap- Sc
oval OF my official board 1 made 70
mine. namely-that all we hoped us
do in a financial way was to meet CO
e expense OF showing the pictures, oe
It IL we did not do that, but did Iu
crease our congregations and "a
erefore our opportunity of dissem- w
ating the truth we would pocket ne