The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-02-04

sentinc 10000 900 people who daily at
tend the movies. while he watches the
Pickering film, Professor Moore stated
his answer concisely as nothing
He had no definite proposal OF ae.
tion To make in regard to the MOVIES
the speaker stated, but would prefer
to leave the subject more unsettled. On
no subject is there greater difference
Of opinion among unbiased observers
he said, the views ranging all the way
from a desire for rigid censorship 70 ?
conviction that the national destiny
will follow the course Of the MOVIES
The movies afford intense day
dreams" Professor Moore stated,
speaking Of the psychological need q
mocie goers. They fear an analogy 70
sleep, both in the physical relaxation
afforded, and the satisfaction OF uns
filed emotions. The man who is emo
tionally satisfied in his daily work
finds little use for the movies. as he
finds little need of sleep. Napoleon
silent very little during his victories,
but after his first defeat slept for thir-
teen hours The danger in movie gong
is the tendency to live more and more
in the day dream, the remedy sought
defeating its purpose The movie -goer
comes to dread more and more tne
"cold plunge" back into the street ana
reality,
Movie going Is personal problem,
lie said, depending on the point al
which the movie begins to give dimln-
isning returns. Dividing movie -goers
into three classes, the highly intelli-
gent. the people Of average intelli-
genee. and the mentally deficient, he
stated that the first class retains a
critical outlook on the movies and does
not present a real problem, In speak
ing Of the second class, OF which he
used boy with high school train
ing who has job at machine N q
factory. as an example, the speaker de-
plored the tendency OF the movies TO
reduce hard thinking and hard read
ing. III the alphabet is the greatest
step ever taken toward civilization
the movies must be regarded as check
mating civilization, he said, since they
are pantomime md require no exertion
of attention.
The movies were a failure as propa'
aanda during the war, he stated, leaF,
ing confused impression made up q
horror and sentiment. NThrlllers, IN
volying great personal risk to the act
ors. are more subtle than the gladiato-
rial shows of ancient times, but the
method is the same, since the reason
for these risky scenes IS that they
draw money, and the actors go through
with them because they are paid to d6
so. The danger in movies Of this type
and the only DANGER, in the speakers
opinion, in prize fighting, is the tend,
ency on the part Of the spectators e
"a cowardly willingness to see Others
take chances which they would not
The feeling il OF the same nature al
that which led to the old signal o.
thumbs down. tpr death to fallen
gladiator.
Many children and all morons at
tend the movies at some times, Pro1es-
sor Moore said. The children are kept
from outdoor play and run some dan
ger of eve strain, he said, and become
impatient with reading. The showing
OF movies with "brutally direct ses
interest or demonstrations OF crime
makes strong appeal TO the mentally
defective, he stated, and the danger
lies IN the fact that the mentally dc
ficient person does not consider conse
quences.