Show Kathleen Norris Says The Crime rime School for Children Bell Syndicate Features Futures I i 1 I r III 1 I II I U IF C I 1 I A New Mexico boy of 1 15 got his mother to lean over the be bathtub to 0 look lookdown lookdown look down the Ibe drain drau for something some then cracked her over the bo head I I By KATHLEEN NORRIS T T SEEMS to me that it is isI I writes I IT about time I I JL Mary Pierce from Minneapolis Minneapolis Minneapolis Min Min- neapolis for the mothers of America to do something about the crime wave on the radio radio The late afternoon II hours and early evening hours children children children chil chil- are the times when our dren are free to listen to air programs and those are the times when crimes of every description are exploited and featured rough and vulgar voices sound through my house and my children are prepared to chatter eagerly of fashions in which poisons can be administered murders murders murders mur mur- ders concealed lies and theft used to further this purpose or that The other night her letter continues continues continues con con- my husband who is a professor professor professor pro pro- fessor of English and I settled ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves to listen to the program our two sons so much enjoy The boys are 8 and 11 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 gangsters gang gang- gangsters 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 programs programs programs pro pro- grams were accompanied by their delicate refined sweethearts or wives who casually joked over the murderers who fell dead or wounded wound wound- ed over their feet and commented wittily to such victims as were destined destined destined des des- tined for the electric chair Pirates robbers prostitutes thugs gunmen gunmen gunmen gun gun- men vile schemers of all sorts personalized personalized personalized per per- these dramas the language language language lan lan- guage was almost all vulgar abbreviations abbreviations via or those phrases now so dismally familiar to us all stick sUck em cm up come clean sing get yourself a mouthpiece A Movement Has lIas Begun Surely Mrs Pierce goes on all this must be having an upon our children Why accustom them to gentle voices all day long correct their grammar even try to Instill into them some of the rudiments rudiments rudiments rudi rudi- ments of ot 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 wedo wedo wedo do Yes we can do something about it I say in answer A movement is already on foot to curb this dangerous danger danger- ous excess of sensationalism and with your help and the help of your club and church it may well gain a I valuable importance within the next few months Something was done do e to clean up the movies some years ago ngo it wasn't done completely but no human effort ever is per cent successful To control the radio situation will be simpler because we can decline to buy the products that are at present actually contributing contributing contrib contrib- to the delinquency of ot our children Forbid the to use the radio sounds reasonable advice But it isn't For many of these programs programs programs pro pro- grams are especially designed for children the products they advertise advertise advertise adver adver- tise are arc to be used by children and andin andin andin in childrens children's hours of leisure it is only fair that they should be able to look ook to the radio for entertainment They might well look to it for for- much more they might well be helped and inspired by it But if that is looking too far ahead and too hopefully hope hope- fully at least we may insist that i V I That Tha delicious fite old five car eld girl EVIL ON THE AIR The radio is a great avenue o of f co communication on as everybody everybody every ever body knows klows It is a marvelous instrument o of f education news entertainment culture Unfortunately Un Un- fortunately fort it is also a source of evil Lurid detective story programs are doing extensive harm to the impressionable minds of children Many i recent recent recent re re- re- re cent crimes have bave been traced directly to inc incidents Jents drama drama- dramatized dramatized drama drama- tined on the air A situation similar to the movies before the Legion of Decency ste stepped ped in ill has developed developed developed devel devel- on the radio Vicious criminals are portrayed almost almol as heroes Vile deeds are the basis o of f every plot and the conversation is coarse slang and the tough argot of the underworld Even though the criminals always end up dead or in jail the lesson that crime does not pay is somehow somehow some some- how bow lost on many matlY young yo lis lis- tellers They hear bear h r too how bow stu stupid id the police are compared compared comp com com- p pared red to so some e. e f flashy shy private de detective who solves the be case casein casein casein in a jiffy This sort of education education education tion does not make for good citizenship certainly A mother asks Miss Miss' Norris what can catl be done about these these- crime programs Miss JUSS Norris replies that an all organization has bas been formed to combat this evil I If f it can attract enough members it can Catl change the kind of stories that are being broadcast the crime school doesn't open up as soon as the regular school closes and the small receptive minds and souls dont don't plunge into the underworld underworld underworld under under- world for an hour or two every night of their lives Evidence E of Damage Ill tell you how he poisoned her said a year seven boy to me enthusiastically a few months ago She take aspirin tablets see So he just just- just And just that one on man killed four of them and the police pollee couldn't get a clue a demure little girl remarked re re- marked They tied her and they told her they were going to kill her and my little sister Joan got crying In the night about it Two Portland girls of 12 went into a drugstore last December and tried to buy strychnine They didn't get it and they didn't want it but they thought it would be fun to try and perhaps to have to sign in the druggists druggist's book A boy of 15 in New Mexico got his mother to l lean an over the bathtub and look down t tie the e drain for something cr cracking her over the head when he got her into that position because he had heard hear l of ot this particular method If giving them helpful and constructive constructive constructive con con- and moral thoughts really is good for the rising generation the then supplanting these with a a famil famil- familiarity familIarity familiarity with the lowest and most dangerous characters and situations situations situa imaginable just as truly is bad It is as if iI you gave that delicious deli dell cious year old girl her supper of spinach milk ginger cookies and followed it with lobster newburg newburg newburg new- new burg cocktails cocktails and a il dash sh of ot cyanide nide aide of potassium If youre you're interested write to Mrs Charles Hartigan 1063 Thomas Jefferson Jefferson Jef Jef- ferson street Washington 7 7 D D. D C. C and ask for Information as to what is being done about this danger |