Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-29
Stage Housecleaning.


Stirred by the announcement Of
a play more daring than any that has
yet been produced on the New York
stage during the late period OF license
and obscenity, Mayor Walker Of that
city yesterday called together the
managers and producers and 'laid
down the law" to them. He warned
them that though there was no 'law"
in particular to lay down, owing to
a remarkable decision by the appel
late court differentiating between the
so-called legitimate stage and the mo-
ton picture houses. in respect to the
revocation OF licenses, a way would
be found to put the spoken drama
under a censorship similar to that
which prevails in respect to the films,
unless the producers clean their
stages of the filth that it now bears.
The conference was attended by
most Of the leading producers and
managers of New York. Certain alb
sentees were conspicuously in the
class Of purveyors of the improprie-
ties that have brought on the mayors
action. Those present gave assurances
that they would go to work and create
an organization within the theater
''for the protection Of the theater and
OF the good name Of New York" A
hint was given that absentees would
find later that they must fall in line
or suffer serious consequences.
All to the good, so far as 1t goes.
But will 1t go far enough? Mayor
Walker is an earnest young man,
fired with "civic zeal" He has here
tofore indicated his quality in his
action against the night clubs, which,
as result Of his initiative. have been
confined to a three o'clock closing
hour. But In tackling the immorali-
ties Of the stage-the plays, not the
players-he is gripping one Of the
most difficult problems OF today. The
attitude Of the managers and pro-
ducers who attended his meeting was
agreeable, but they pointed out to
the mayor that the real problem was
the public taste" Instances were
cited to show that the people want
the morbid. the lascivious, the pro.
fame and the improperly suggestive,
rather than clean drama
Wei, after all, which came first,
the hen or the egg? Is the public
taste debased through natural in
clination, or because OF being stim-
ulated by base matter? From time
immemorial there has been a "de-
mand" for the prurient and the lewd in
stage productions. There has always
been q market for the salacious print,
in picture or in text. But 1t is not
a dominant taste, and 1t ts certainly
not to be pandered to under legal and
oficial consent on the boards Of the
established and licensed theater I'M
less the public morality is confessed
to have broken down to the point of
complete and universal debasement.
Which is not the case.
The fact that a certain play Of
decent quality fails and that another
taking its place, Of a wholly different
quality, succeeds. proves nothing.
There Is always public" for a truly
good play. The decent play may fail
because II is poor drama. The other
may succeed because It is merely i'm.
moral in it's Implications or its def.
mite text. Back of the whole problem
lies the question of whether a theater.
which is licensed by the State and is
therefore operated as an authorized
purveyor of entertainment. shall be
means Of perverting the moral
sense Of those who attend It. Mayor
Walker says NO." and his negative
is echoed by the majority OF the PEG.
pie Of this land.
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