Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-20
HAYS VS., ARBUCKLE

FINO WILL IL. HAYS, In MS role OF MIN
i Dictator the movie world and the large
and general multitude that has remained
loyal to the pictures, despite all the disap.
pointments and disillusionment Of the re-
cent past, owe debt of esteem and appre-
citation. Only a car or an acknowledged
boss of bosses-an imperial wizard, SO to
speak-could have succeeded in making the
adjustments of conflicting interests which
must have been necessary to keep Fatty
Arbuckle out of the theatres, for the time
being at least.
OF late there has been an obvious effort
to create something like sympathy for Mr..
Arbuckle. "He may not have been such
wicked fellow after all,' said the broad.
casters Of professional propaganda. Amer
leans are temperamentally on the side of
the misfortunate. But they nre not on the
side Of Fatty. Whether they were willing
to accept him Or not does not greatly matter.
The situation with which Mr.. Hays had to
deal concerns Fatty only .indirectly.
1t happens that Fatty and his crowd rep.
resented much that was lamentable and
destructive in the life behind the films, and
the question now is whether the tendency
toward sanity and reform is to be checked
by a coat Of official whitewash spread over
the surface of problem that needs to be
attacked at the roots. 1t is not necessary
to be a prude to realize that an attempt to
return Arbuckle from exile would be bad for
the picture business. even though it might
be of infinite benefit to the big comedian and
his promoters.
There has been too much of Fattyism in
the studios, and, unfortunately, 1t has
created q generally false impression Of the
film world and its people and obscured the
very sincere efforts which many producers
MI m poktn1 m alyanpa fhQ
and elevate the standards of moving picture
plays. Members of the relatively small but
conspicuous set which has brought a cloud
over the films ought to be disciplined and
made permanently aware Of their response
bilties to the public and to their profession.
What Judge Lands was required to do
| for organized baseball Mr.. Hays is doing
| for the films. Here therefore, the country
| finds itself compelled to applaud a return
| to rule by dictators. The baseball clubs
found a czar necessary to their salvation
and SO did the moving picture interests.
| Yet in the long run dctators do more harm
than good 1t is regrettable that they should
| be necessary and that any business or pro-
fessional organization should have to con-
fess that they need to be saved from them :
selves.
| Without questioning the motives Of Mr..
Hays or the movie producers, it is neces-
sary to admit that an official whose word Is
a universal law in the movie world wields
tremendous power. Such authority as he
is permitted to exercise over a medium
destined to influence and color public opin-
ion in hundred subtle ways and to stimu-
late or depress public taste may be used for
the general good. But, since it is auto
cratic authority and not subject to appeal
or questioning, only the integrity of the
autocrat himself will suffice to keep 1t from
being used for opposite ends.
Properly, there should be no autocrats
and no censorship anywhere. Lapses from
good judgment or good taste or even from
decency in any system of affairs may seen
for a time to justify relationships like thai
of Judge Lands and Mr.. Hays. But q re.
turn to czarism is necessary only becaus
men, individually and in their various
groups, have not yet learned how to disci
pline themselves and so make their worl
contributory to the needs Of an advancing
social and economic order. Such men ant
their communities will be better off whel
they learn to get along without the sort o
direction which, but little while ago
seemed suitable only to illiterates in Russi
| and elsewhere.