New Britain herald., 1924-04-03
IT HAS TO BE NOTED

1 When man who, q few years ago l according to popular report, was fid- ] ing over the country in side door ! rullmans," or, to avoid the vcrnacular 1 or the hobo, in freight cars-when such man is offered a contract to 1 cover a period of two years and which ! involves no particular effort on his I part, his remuneration to be a million ! dollars, the tact or report simply has i to it. The man is no loBgor hobo. a | tramp pugilist glad to "out up his dukes 70. a comparatively few dol i lars. He has learned how 10 use those 1 fists of his so well that he stands be- fore. the world as the best fighter with his fists Of any living man. The de- mand to see him in actoin, or other wise for that matter, is so great that no true or false reports concerning his
 alleged evasion Of the draft or any
 other reprchenslbe conduct, can make
 much Of an impression upon that de-
 mand. He is offered q million dollars
 10 appear in ten moving pictures, so
 the story goes to be taken in two
 years, merely becouse he is the cham
 pion pugilist or the world and because
 his picture will draw enough people 10
 sec it to make it worth a million dol-
 lars to promoters Of the pictures.
 And the somewhat sardonic joke Of
 the thing is that undoubtedly the men
 who pay the million will make money
 on the transaction.
 Now many will be much distressed
 that this condition exists in this coun-
 try--a condition which will permit a professional pugilist whose fame comes
 from his ability to batter down op-
 ponents, to gain such a position as 10
 demand and receive such a tre-
 mcndous sum Of money for showing
 himself of. But it must be remember cd that the majority who will be at-
 tractcd 10 sec Jack Dcmpscy's pie
 lures is made mp Of men; they are the ones who will pay back the million invested and then some. Tho dis tfessed' people will not pay cent, probably, unless they sneak in 'to see just how terrible the exhibition is.'' This being trues namely that the men will pay for inc picture. certainly il
 would seem that the men have right 10 say what they will pay for since there will be nothing illegal about fl ' and nothing fundamentally immoral. ! Nor does the fact that no such sum could be gained by prize fighter fifty . years ago. for instance, indicate that i men are dogcnorating. It means, mere ! ly. that means have now been provid- cd for picturing champion in actions in such way that practically all who | ifAt Nb nEf nun iiifA Hb Hbs hF HlFH | or fifty years ago. sturdy. rcd-blooded. ! would be quite as likely to want 10 sec ! the champion of those days as tho . man Of today is 10 see Dempsey. And ! if Dempsey's photograph, in action, can earn money for promoters after . they have paid him a million dollars. . Dempsey has as much a right 10 that million as has the salesman who can . make money for his concern a right to ais big pay even though his salary . seems out Of all proportion to his job .
 All this. despite the fact that one may feel convinced the exhibition Of 1 one or D. W. GriHith's masterpieces ! does more good in its homely lesson pr ifs faithful historical information . than would million pictures of Jack . Dempsey. over whom. VIC confess, VIC cannot enthusc greatly. Ei