The New York herald., 1922-02-05
Rupert Hughes Bushes for
His Party for Putting
Law Over
INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN
Prof. Hickman, as Psycholo-
gist, Asserts Oversight
Must Be Continuous.

!, Motion picture censorship was ut
terly damned by Rupert Hughes in a
debate at the Republican Club yester-
day. A few minutes later it was re-
trieved and exalted by Joseph Leven-
son, one of the States three censors.
Between these extremes ranged all
sorts of opinion. including that of Mae
Murray, film star. Her contribution
was demand that candidates for
censor be examined with as much care
as are jurors.
A producer, Charles Urban, thought
the Federal licensing of distributors
would solve tic problem of evil pic
lures. There were seven speakers.
The only one to condemn censorship
without qualification was Mr. Hughes,
who as Republican, blushed to think
his party had put it over in New
York State" The discussion, which
was one of TIE Republican Clubs
Saturday luncheon series, drew the
biggest attendance Of the season, in
cluding many women.
Mae Murray said she had only one
point to make, an dthat eff we are
to have censored pictures it is just as
essential to give the right kind of
censors to the pictures as to give the
right kind of pictures to the public
She then withdrew amid applause. Miss
Dupont Of Foolish Wives" who has
no first name to weigh her down, was
called on by the chairman, Henry w.
Taft. But she said she was too recent
an addition to the profession to talk
on such an important question, and sat
down amid applause.
r. G. Cole, head of the r. c. Pictures,
couldn't see why the movies should be
clipped white the speaking stage showed
plays of such character that they would
not be tolerated in a motion picture.
But Mr. Cole was not absolutely op-
posed to censorship.
r.. c. Cole Gives Views.
IL do maintain he said, "that the
present method OF determining what
the public shall see, through. various
censorship boards throughout the. United
States is the wrong method of operat-
ing. Instead of censorship there should
be a definite code of rules and regula-
tions under which procedures might
know their productions would be allowed
on the screens, and IL they deviated
from such rules the laws of the country
would make IL possible for the wheels of
Justice to take care OF such wrongdong
Mrs. Clinton b. Smith, chairman of
the motion picture committee of the
80 VI ="
said: THE real censors should be
women and mothers who are guardians
of the morals of the country" She
held vicious movies to be more de-
moralizing than the old dime novel.
She wished all mothers would see the
pictures before permitting their chill
dren to so. In her opinion the State
censorship had brought about a marked
Improvement.
Before the bill was passed" she
added, lit was next to impossible to
make the motion picture people under
stand the public did not want the vul-
gar and obscene"
Rupert Hughes went after censor
ship with hot poker. "The effort of
some people to keep other people good
has been the eternal damnation OF
human history" said he. "If we could
have censorship of the stupid and
lulOtic 1lllnS TX would be line. but vice
can't be cured by censorship. In the
name of God and man, how long is
the human race going to continue this
effort to make people good by coercing
them? But suppose you can't stop
a clergyman or moralist from coercing
n politician. They have always done
II and the rest of us are helpless"
Mr.. Hughes told OF girls and boys
who went TO the bad in his home town
IN the middle West long before movies
and jazz and short skirts were in
vented. He said that New York State.
after five months OF censorship. was
neither better nor worse. He expressed
his loatlring Of intolerance in any form
and of trying 70 suppress human nature
by legal enactment. lie felt sure DIR.
Straton would have been whipped had
he been In Boston some years ago
merely because he was a Baptist
Appeals to Women.
You women" he went on, "who are
voters. will YOU use your priceless
privilege sanely and nobly. or will you
succumb to that 10000 year old folly