Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-05-31
Catholic Stand On
Movies Is Praised

4
Dear Sir:
Let me offer you a word of sincere
praise for your editorial of last week
entitled "a Commendable Undertak-
ing" have not read an editorial for
a long time which l could so heartily
endorse, as this one. The movie bar
ons of this country have tried the
patience of parents and the decent
people far enough. Rumblings have
been coming from the people for some
time. Practically all of the leading
churches in the country have taken
strong position against indecent and
improper films. But to the Catholics
belongs the honor of taking the first
major step toward a real reform.
May their movement have abundant
success.
No matter whether some like it or
not, the movie is here to stay, and so
nothing is to be gained by condemn
ing it in a wholesale manner. 1t is
potentially a mighty instrument for
the recreation and instruction of our
people, which makes the prostitution
of it to low purposes all the more de-
plorable.
think your readers might be in
terested in this editorial from the lib
eral and interdenominational Chris
tian Century, of Chicago: 1.-THE Cath
Ole church has handed jolt to the
motion picture industry. Until a, few
months ago the Catholics were appar-
emily content to leave motion picture
matters in the hands Of the Catholic
Women's alumnae association. This
association, however, limited its activ-
tiles to the kind Of cooperation the
Hays Office has sought from az
church groups, endorsing the best,
ignoring the rest. The Catholics are
done with this type Of effort to get
better pictures. The National Catholic
Welfare conference has organized a
drive to reach twenty million Catho-
lies and to secure pledges from them
individually not to see Objectionable
pictures and to prevent their children
from seeing them. At the head of
this motion picture committee the
conference has appointed the Most
Rev. John T. McNicholas, archbishop
of Cincinnati. Archbishop McNicholas
in addition to sending out to all the
dioceses summaries of the Payne fund
findings and other like material, has
asked every parish priest to fill out
a QUESTIONABLE giving the names of
the local theatres, their owners, the
banks with which they do business
and other information concerning
mortgage holders and bond issues. An
example of the way in which a Cath
Ole crusade fthis sort gets under
way may be seen in the diocese of
Albany, New York. In that commun-
ity alone a local motion picture COM
mittee is being organized in
every parish and sixty priests have
been commissioned to make addresses
in churches and in the parochial
schools. Bishop Gibbons order to the
priests includes this statement: Tn
your communications to the parish
and local committee, and to the man
ayers of the theatres, lay stress on
our purpose not to injure the show
houses, but to reform them; not to de-
prive the people of recreation, but to
make it wholesome-Th screen of to-
day is working havoc to the morals of
the nation The movie barons are
taking this Catholic crusade serious
ly. They have begun two sounter-of-
fensives. One is a series of radio
broadcasts through the Hays office.
The other is an attempt to persuade
the Catholic bishops that they should
leave the movie matters in the hands
of the Catholic Women's alumnae
association, which had been cooperat-
ing so satisfactorily (from the movie
barons standpoint) with the industry.
In fact, the women, according to
Variety, had been endorsing about IS
percent of the pictures. Will the Cath
Ollie bishops be content to surrender
their crusade? Hardly"
Cordially yours,
Rev. Edwin S. Sheppe, Jr.