New Britain herald., 1925-02-04
COMMUNICATED

The Other Side of Film Censorship.
 Feb. 3, 9125. Editor of tho New Britain Herald.
 Dear sir:
 Your editorial regarding movie censorship deals with very vital question, but is one on which people hold wide differences of opinion. Your view of censorship appears to the writer superficial and fails to touch the heart of the matter at all
 Most people will agree that cen. sorship is not the best way to guar antee good pictures. Selection, not censorship" would probably be the ideal. The theatre going public must eventually be the ones to place ap- proval on pictures, but under the present method of film showings it is rather difficult for us to express ourselves on this. Theatre managers may say that salacious or ques- tionable film will draw the crowd while picture known to be free from such elements will go begging for an audience. The writer has fol- lowed the development of motion pictures carefully for the last IS years and there is no one in New Britain who enjoys movies more than he does. Judging from obser- vation and experience it is abso- lutely false that the public prefers the questionable picture. .Undoubt- odly small part of the public does want only this kind, and it may be true that the box office receipts show a big rise with such a picture, but when has the public had an op- portunity to register its approval of the more wholesome films?
 Occasionally theatre shows an historical film or a high grade en- tertainment drama and blazes forth that fact in d commendable endeav- or to appeal to those who like the better class of pictures. If the re- sponse is small. what is the matter Perhaps one of two things: CD The public realizes that while the picture advertised may be 100Eo wholesome, yet there is apt to be a cheap com edy, a vile short subject, or an in decent or suggestive vaudeville act accompanying the good pictures. CD | The public has lost confidence in the theatre management. Because week after week he has put on films reek- ing with filth and sordid, unhealthy views of life they cannot have faith in any sudden change of heart. One high grade picture to ten or fifteen low grade ones is no way to test what the public wants.
 Now while censorship is not the ultimate ideal, yet it would seem to be a very necessary instrument at present. A man with broken leg would not want to use crutch the rest of his life, but until his weak limb is normal ho finds it advan- tageous.
 Some years ago the principle oi censorship was applied in the mat ter of foods. Experts found that certain ingredients were being put in widely used products that were injurious to the health of those who ate them. Consequently tht government stepped in and witt drastic action said what should b' left out of those foods. So judges o courts, public school officials, edu cators of all kinds, Y. NJ. c. A. ant ". w. c. A secretaries, ministers and others whose business is 10 un derstand and deal with youth ant with the better side of all human lift are pretty well agreed that a larg' number of motion pictures showI today are distinctly detrimental tt the moral natures of those who se' them
 Suppose after the Westfield dis