| Show A detectives TESTIMONY on another page ot of this issue we reproduce an all article clipped irom from one of tile the daily papers la in which sir mr william A pinkerton head ot of the great national deceive agency of 0 that name makes some observations upon the increase of crime during the last few years among other things which mr pink bertou charges with being responsible tor for this condition are moving pictures and lest he be nils misunderstood understood lie he hastens to declare that lie he is not attempting to discredit the institution but he does maintain that some of 0 the productions duct ions ious which the institution presents before the public are directly responsible for putting into the heart ot of the young man a desire to go wrong and start upon a career ot of crime that this great authority on oil criminology iti is right in his premises cannot be questioned take tor for instance the blood and thunder serial which pro trays one thrill after another with such rapidity that the nerves ot of young people as well as the more mature are kept at the highest possible tension until the grand finale arrives nhen hen the villau villan has the hero hanging over a cliff at the end of a rope with a tire fire burning the rope when suddenly the film flashes off and tho the announce ment la Is thrown upon the screen that the film next monday londay 1 night will show how the hero escaped aside from having their nerves all unstrung by the things which they have already seen been the young folks are kept in a high nervous tension throughout the week in their anxiety to see just how the last picture turned out no dime novel ot of the most lurid stripe can possibly have any more evil effect upon the mind ot of a youth than motion picture serials of tile the above character robberies murders abductions bamping vamping ping and every other conceivable crime is fully illustrated upon the screen as it is possible to paint the picture and it is all done because the public wants that sort of 0 thing so it is maintained dut but it if this forni form ot of entertainment is teaching boys and girls eirls to become criminals is it not time to change the character of pictures that are being shown moving pictures afford one ot of the greatest means of education that has ever come into the lives of mankind why prostitute this splendid institution and divert its influence into a sinister channel which can only bring sorrow borrow and suffering the words of the great detective ought to arouse parents and communities to the responsibility resting upon them that ot of providing a censorship committee wherever a motion picture theatre exists and that is in every city town and hamlet of 0 the country that committee to have full power to pass upon the merit of 0 every film before it is shown to the public it is not at all improbable that picture theatre managers would not oppose such an organization for they only desire to give to the public lic what the public wants an and d the public can be educated to want good moral and educational entertain entertainment ment just as easily as it can call be encouraged to teed feed upon the opposite kind |
