Evening star., 1927-11-13
CHARGES new film
Ll|BELS ATHEISM
Associations Criticism, of
Forthcoming Movie Produc-
tion Answered by Will Hays.
By Consolidated Press.


By Consolidated Press.
NEW YORK, November 12.-At-
tackfng a. forthcoming film which is
presumed toelink atheism with i'm
morality. the American Association for
the Advancement Of Atheism has
drawn a reply from win lays,
car OF the movies, in which Mr..
Hays says the proposal to estimate
God from the movies 'is equivalent
to asking US to bolt the stars from
the Heavens"
Charles Smith,, president Of the
Atheists organization heard that
Cecil b. De Mile had in preparation
a film In which a young woman
ruin. was caused by her abandon
ment of orthodox religion. He wired
q protest. to Mr.. de Mile, concluding,
should you proceed to foster pref
udice against us we shall every
where protest showing of the film.
Religious propaganda is out of place
in the movies" ..
- Sharp Reply Forwarded.
Mr., de Mile sent a sharp telegram
in reply In; which he. set forth the
right OF moving picture producers
III We, ttlGIE "" VA J9N6NS VI "AaS@S NhASS
produce. Mr.. Smith then sent copies
Of the telegram with a second letter
Of protest, to Win Hays, who lis an
elder in the Presbyterian Church and
holds several other church offices.
Mr.. Hays replied.
THE motion picture, of course,
never can DO used for propaganda.
Building upon their faith in a
Cr,sltof, and in q God of justice and
mtscy, men have established certain
codes of conduct, pursuance of which
tends to develop the happiness,
peace and comfort of their. fellow
men. These codes, these thoughts.
are inseparable from religion; rather
than see the motion picture, by the
elimination Of God from it (Which
would be utterly unnaturaD used to
discourage the religion from which
these ideals of right living and of
right thinking spring, l would pre-
fer to see the motion picture utterly
destroyed.
1.-THE motion picture, may add, is
concerned with drama, and drama is
concerned with whatever man does.
Potentially. everything touching man
Ibis thoughts. his ideals. ideas, as
pirations, his ambitions--is motion
plCtukG IidtSktdks AZ uSA I'D W OhAh
mate God and mans belief in God,
therefore, is to ask us to eliminate one
OF the most profound urges In man
the spiritual urge. Such is unthink-
able
Likened to Barring Sunshine.
I'm fact, to ask US to eliminate God
from motion pictures Is equivalent to
asking that sunshine be barred from
the Fairgrounds where emaciated,- ILL.,
kept children Of the tenements find
of respite and happiness. 1t
Is equivalent to asking us to blot the
stars from the heavens because men
may look at them and dare to ask
themselves, as Napoleon did of his fel-
low voyagers into Egypt, But, who,
made all these?
I'VE could not do 1t IL we wanted
to. God is in every art, in every laud-
aDle ambition, in every worthy
achievement. God is In laughter and
IN drama and in beautiful landscapes,
and 1t Is In a genuine spirit Of rever.
ence that God Is In our wholesome
pleasures and our wholesome enter.
tainment
= The motion picture industry has
not been without its faults. Mistakes
ls|f% uScu udue ana Will be made.
But 1t Is today. and will ever be. the
nope and the desire of those of us
who have at heart the best interests
OF the industry and Of the great pub.
lie citizenship respect for the ethics
and the codes that man. out of his
faith in a creator and a goal to life.
has bred and cherished"
Says Hays Misunderstood.
'Mr. Hays misunderstood my letter"
said Mr.. Smith. II did not ask him
to eliminate God from the movies.
What we objected to was the presen.
tatton OF Atheism as an ally Of immo.
rality. We are not; immoral, and we
do not preach immoral beliefs. We
believe we should come under the
protection Of Mr.. Hays recent manifes-
to In which he forbade the production
Of any Aim offensive to the religion or
beliefs of any particular group Of per.
sons. II this film appears as it has
been outlined to us we will fight it to
the limit"
The Association for. the Advance.
ment Of Atheism is nationally organ.
lied, and. according to its officials,
has chapters In Is colleges.
(CopyriRht. 1924