Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1947-03-28
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

T SEEMS to me that it is
about time" writes Mary
i Pierce from Minneapolis,
''for the mothers of America to
do something about the crime
wave on the radio. The late after
noon hours and early evening
hours are the times when our
children are free to listen to
air programs, and those are the
times when crimes of every de-
scription are exploited and fea.
tured, rough and vulgar voices
sound through my house, and
my children are prepared to
chatter eagerly of fashions in
which poisons can be admins
tered, murders concealed, lies
and theft used to further this
purpose or that.
'The other night" her letter con-
tinues, "my husband, who is pro-
lessor of English, and settled our
selves to listen to the program our
two sons so much enjoy. The boys
are and II. We heard not one, but
seven crime stories in a single
afternoon and evening. The whining
voices of underworld women, the
violent threats of professional gang
sters, the argot of criminals, all
these were poured forth in a flood.
Several of the sleuths who solved
such puerile and childish mysteries
as were concocted for these pro-
grams were accompanied by their
delicate, refined sweethearts or
wives, who casually joked over the
murderers who fell dead or wound
ed over their feet, and commented
wittily to such victims as were des-
tined for the electric chair. Pirates,
robbers, prostitutes, thugs, gun
men, vile schemers of all sorts per-
sonalized these dramas; the Ian
guage was almost all vulgar abbre-
viations, or those phrases now so
dismally familiar to us all; stick
'em up come clean - sing - get
yourself mouthpiece.'
A Movement Has Begun.
Surely" Mrs. Pierce goes on,
"all this must be having an effect
upon our children. Why accustom
them to gentle voices all day long,
correct their grammar, even try to
instill into them some Of the rudi-
ments of moral and self-controlled
living, and then fill their minds and
souls, just before bedtime, with the
groans of the tortured, the suspense
of danger, the cruelties of crime
and the rattle of gunfire? Can we do
anything about it, and what can we
do?"
Yes, we can do something about
it, say in answer. A movement is
already on foot to curb this danger
GUS excess of sensationalism, and
with your help and the help of your
club and church, it may well gain a
valuable Importance within the next
few months. Something was done to
clean up the movies some years
ago; it wasn't done completely, but
no human effort ever is 100 per cent
successful. To control the radio
situation will be simpler, because
we can decline to buy the products
that are at present actually contrib
uting to the delinquency of our
children.
FORBID the children to use the
radio" sounds reasonable advice.
But it isn't. For many of these pro-
grams are especially designed for
children, the products they adver-
tise are to be used by children, and
in children's hours of leisure it is
only fair that they should be able to
look to the radio for entertainment.
They might we'll look to it for much
more; they might well be helped
and inspired by it. But if that is
looking too far ahead, and too hope
fully, at least we may insist that