New Britain herald., 1927-05-31
POLICE CENSORING
AS 1T Is DONE

luedleT III d llosl IlsotouS niuuieF.
! All it needed was meeting of the
board of police commissioners, who
passed some rules and regulations
for theatrical conduct, which are ex-
pected 70 have the same force as if
the common council passed law
about il. or the august Legislature
in Hartford decided to tighten the
screws for cities and towns neglect
ful of their duty.
The po''o> department thus has
become the censor of city morals.
=. course. rules ,nIlIS, ,nc4r
enforcement quite another, But
h re are some of the rules:
NO indecent, blasphemous, lewd
CT yulga,' performance, act or piciult
will be permitted
That's easy. isn't it, Think it
over. Just how easy it is to decide
upon what constitutes such a per-
Torrance? Even judges might dis
agree on such questions; as for
the ordinary jury, it would be
miracle to have II men and true
agree about such generalities.
Il ~
ways or parades in the aisles will
be permitted, and no performer will
be permitted to leave the stage and
mingle with the audience. Evident
ly this trick of the revues is entirely
too interesting for New Haven.
However, exceptions to this rule can
be secured from the chief of police.
Here is poser: NO performer
Shall appear in bare feet or bare
legs except when special permission
has been granted by the chief of po-
lice"
Such a rule. unless the chief of
police is lenient, would mean the
luin of most of the tabloid vaude-
Vile acts, those with girls and moth
ing much but girls. This rule will be
very, very unpopular with the boys
from Yale, and doubtless will give
the general public quite 4 pain if
rigidly enforced, The time when
stage maidcns had TO wear tights
10 look moderately respectable dis
appeared with the da"h U. this GEN. !
fury. Bar. feet have become as COM
mon as tobbed hair, and the bath
ing beaches in the summer time
have done much to inoculate all be- |
holders against getting unusually
excited over such things. The rule
is foolish survival Of past age !
and is an evident desire to appear |
holier than thou in New Haven.
Other cities will not be in a hurry |
10 COPY; anyhow, New Haven is
near the shore beaches and it will /!
make no difference during warm
"All gestures, dialogues. Mono ,
logues, language or conversation
must be moral and decent and free
from a double meaning that is OBJ !
scene or lascivious." This one will
be satisfactory to the public, if en-
forced, as it is an imposition upon
decent folk to hear language with a
double meaning on the stage. But it
depends somewhat upon the type of
performance. A realistic play, like :
What Price Glory" or half dozen |
other OF a type which have struck
a new note of realism on our stage,
would be unable to show in New
Haven under the rigorous applica-
ton of such a ruling. The bed room
farces, such as were popular until :
quite recently, would be entirely out
OF luck. broadway" would be bar
red or would need to be pruned in
spots.
Police chiefs or policemen gener-
ally are not fit censors. They may
make general rules, but a blue
coats idea OF art is like that of a
truck driver. There is artistic
rough stuff as we'll as rough tactics
minus art. II locate the difference
is job for cultured minds: or
maybe, that is impossible in New
Haven, which would be surprising
seeing the Pre- unity of Yale.
We are prone to wonder, too, how
thc Yale dramatic school is going 10
g.t along with such rules in The city.
Some of the old Greek masterpieces,
for instance, call spade Il spade
and are entirely bereft OF indirect
meanings.
However. like most laws in New
Haven, it is doubtful whether those
new censoring rules will be rigidly
enforced IN few months they will
be entirely forgotten. That is one Of
the Weaknesses o. -..,- rules and
regulations; they ar .,.,,..y hanged,
and quite as easily overlooked.