, 1923-04-01

HkI.
Torments % doubts conflicting re
morses. profound bewildcrInents are
no more familiar 20 religious zealots
than to artists in every field. Ano
Mem could not orient herself in her
new world.
But h would not give up her ca
reer. That much was certain. Sne
had drained the family savings al
ready. for her mothers overland jour
new and her own. She must earn
enough to pay back the draft some
how: and here was her one chance.
Fifteen collars n week was all h
her veteran father earned She
could support him and the whole
family better than hc had any hope
b. doing. She was the true bread
winner now, and she not quar-.
rel with her bread. Shs had n warm
desire to tako her fathers poor cd
rrav ro'l under her wing, to give him
rest from his long toll auG repose
In the now Eden. almost to mother
him and nourlsh him e as Lots
daughters had nour!shed their father.
put she could imagine the horror
with which Doctor Steddon would be
Nn1nQET&ETlth IL AAAt AAA@ NAA1 49,
should step down from the fiery
chariot Of his pulpit and basls in the
shadow OF n mo~tion-picture actress.
The letter that suggested such n
thing would be as fatal as n OF tho
Internal machines that people were
sending through the mails TO shatter
the recipient.
Yet she could never give UP her ca
reer and 20 back to the grave OF Cal
verly. 1t was too wonderful TO play
n scene on the set, TO revel in n mo-
nent OF dramatic power, throw out
p tragic gesture. look n mute appeal
then. next day. to sit IN the black pro
section room and hear the small
crdup Of witnesses murmur at Ter
sorrow and praise her graees.
This precious harvest OF her toll
wa too dear to r~elinquish. She had
4ust dropped her sickle into the edge
Or the golden wheat and she must
go on.
on tho evening Of tho arrival Of
Doctor Steddon's letter two callers
dropped in-Claymore mi Hobby.
The subject of all movingplcture
talk was still the Arbuckle case, a
rause celebre that monopolized the
headlines of the newspapers for
weeks, especially in Los Angeles,
where two hostile camps were formed
and the enemies OF the free film
took new heart and determined TO
chain and tame the beast once for
sll.
'woe unto the world because It
must needs be hat offenses come,
- - IT.. -. ---T,a-, Nfa rF
tense cometh."
since man had numbered the
ground there had been hilarious
groups ard drinking bouts Of more
or less gaycty. They had been called
festivals. Bacchic reveis, or disgust
Ing debauches, according as a poet Of
3 preacher described them.
After the prohibition law became
law in the United States the morn
GUS amount Of liquor still consumed
the appalling tidal waves of crime.
haO been matter for jokes or ser
mons or hot debates, the same argu.
ments proving opposite contentious
for both sides.
On a certain day when there were
probably ten thousand similar Euz
Cling coteries. n certain mov'ns.pic
ture comedian OF Falstaffian FirtlI
and vast popularity entertained in
his hotel room at san Francisco n
number OF men and m one Of
the women fell III and died a few
days later and another woman told
r story 50 garbled at the start that
the nation Ebuddercd with the pain
ana the ucliness OF St. The story was
soon contrad'cted IN almost every
particular by the prime witness her
Felf and by all the other confused
and confusing witnesses. But the
lido Of national wrath could not be
recalled.
an ambitious district attorney ie
solved that the comedian should be
tried for murder IN the first degree
Two juries and a Judge declined tc
20 50 FAR with him, but the pulpit.
md the editorial columns, the leSis
iative halls ans forums and tn,
street corners, roared with n demand
for somebody's destruction.
an this was pitIful. hateful, lament
hble-everythinE b~ewilderinE and de
pressing-but Il was also very com
mon in human history. The same ava
nnches had been started by n whls
per and had engulfed whole aces
religions. political parties. reignin;
families. churches. lodges, charities
what not?-just as now the entir,
motion.picture world was smothero,
IN n welter Of abuse and condemna
ton.
With all the logic OF a mob revel
ing in a chance to realize it's mol
lust It was assumed or pretended tina.
there was something specifically o
the moving pictures In tie affair n
San Francisco.
Drunkarts. b~ootleggers. and res
pcctable millions who smuggled Il
uuor into their homes with scrupl
oppressed horror at a motion.pictur
tctor for having liquor in his pos
session.
The cry Ter censorship arose wifi
renewed fury, and there was no stor
ling the superstition tlat al huma,
wickodress was somehow due to TIL
nov devil.
By n coincidence while this n me
uou.picture ciown wa drawing a,
the lightnings OF tito sky upon a,
tho motion picture people. ehurche
were contributing TO the crimins
courts an extraordinary number c
cases, 4 Protestant minister in Al,