Show New Nevi York Offers Bills to toi i Purge Plays Sheet Music and Magazines M of Sex Stuff Propose Measure to Curb Printing of Details of Cases Like Peaches Affair Would Stop Paying Ali Au- Alimony Ali Alimony mony One Year After Divorce Censorship of Theatres Sought By Br y DOROTHY DAYTO Special Corri of ot Standard Copyright 1927 1921 by Press Association NEW NEV YORK Feb G- G or 5 6 For or ears the Methodist board of ot temper temper- temperance Anco ance and public the W Vi C CT T r U ministers and women's clubs over the tile country havo have been condemning New ew york They have han been condemning Its Ite theatres Its Hs books booke Its Hs ml And Its speak castes They have called it t the moral cesspool o ot of the nation and have clamored for tor ceo ceo- censorship hav blamed the for Or corrupting youth destroying tho sanctity o ot of the home the ala ala- sa sa regard regard ot of marriage the for or pure womanhood and faith In God New cw Yorks York's stock answer has been that Its most salacious plays Its musical comedies Its bawdiest night clubs are support support- supported supported ed principally by 11 out towners out of who seek here what they cannot get and would not tolerate on Main lain street NOW V ron RESULTS But whoever has been responsible responsible ble SIc for tor the growing wave Of ot sen- sen sen whether whether It be the visiting butter and egg men or the city's populace New New York lork has de- de decided de that It has gone too far tar New York has gone cone on a ceo ceo- censorship cen censorship rampage The thunder thunder- thunder thunder-Inga Ings ot o the hinterland and of the thc local clergy are bearing fruit Mayor Maor Walker Wallter ha has Joined the cam cam- campaign campaign bills are being Introduced at Albany tor or the tho censorship not only of the theatre but tho the pre press pressas pressas AS well and this week producers authors and actors themselves or- or organized or organized what they hope ope will Ye- Ye receive re receive legal leeal sanction as a licensing committee wIth authority to bon ban obscene and objectionable plays and musical comedies before they ar are opened to the public Winthrop Almes the producer who was wag responsible for the revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan light operas opera many Shakespearean playS and other classics Is chairman of the general committee There must be some somo form torm ot of supervision Sir Mr Ames said auld Even producers themselves admit that things have gone too far But flut the must looked be-looked upon as us an anart anart anart art a serious art not merely to provide entertainment but to re- re reflect reflect re reflect and Interpret life lite as It reali really is and ond the problems of ot life lire AGAINST AG An unbridled and Intolerant censorship or a political censorship such as wo we are in danger of call call- callIng call calling ing log down upon ourselves would prove pro a serious handicap to the untrammeled development of o an anart anart anart art in which American genius Is begInning to receive world wide world recognition By Its censorship from within producers playwrights and anC actors are trying to stave ort off of attempted legislation to place theatres under the motion picture censorship corn com committee Such a bill already has haa been introduced inthe In he the assembly but there is a question whether Governor Smith will III approve It even if It It passes In the meantime Mayor Maor Walker alker i Is working out some plans plane of his own for tor municipal censorship or the licensing of plays after the English manner District Attorney Jacob A A Ban Ban- Banton Banton ton Ban ton on the other hand Is talking about direct action Declaring that the citizens jury plan of ot test test- testIng testing ing log plays which be he has tried out has been proved wholly unsatisfactory unsatisfactory factory Mr fr Banton announced that from now on he proposed to censor Broadway productions by bythe bythe bythe the simple expedient expedient of prosecutIng prosecuting ing the the producers of ot obscene and Immoral plays The Tho prosecutions he promised would be bo pushed so swiftly that the tho attendant public public- publicity fly ity would bo scant solace to the box of ot offenders ASSAILS ASS SEX ILA PLAYS YS I One Immediate cause causo of the pre wave of indignation In New NewYork NewYork NewYork York Is s the seasons season's rogue ogue for plays dealing with abnormal sex ex subjects The Captive to which many objections have been raised as 88 least attempts to deal with it subject in a serious manner It 11 Itis Itis Is one ono of tho plays rated th the best beat ot of othe the season in a recent poll at Har liar Harvard Harvard vard yard and But Dut The Tho Drag which deals with the same subject lightly and humorously has been vigorously condemned even by the tho profession Itself Itsel As Asa Asa a 0 result result-It result It Is la playing to crowded houses in the suburbs and if It It reaches New York safely It no flO doubt will prove an enormous suc success cess cesa Another outburst of ot public In- In In Indignation followed the recent Peaches Browning trial a stOry which even en the more conservative New York newspapers printed In much detail and which gave the tho tabloids an opportunity to scale new peaks In smut purveying As a a result a bill has been Intro Intro- Introduced at Albany Albouy by Assemblyman which would prohibit publication of o the details of all divorce separation and anil an- an an actions His bill is based on the English law on tho the same sante subject In the meantime news newsstands newsstands newsstands stands of ot Princeton have barred the tho sale of two New ew York tab tab- tab tabloids lods Other communities near New York have h taken similar action Some ot of the New York assem assem- assemblymen assemblymen assemblymen would go 0 further and con con- censure cen censure sure the activity ot of gold diggers One of them went ent so 80 far tar as to of- of offer ot otter for ter a bill to prohibit the payment ot of alimony to physically able M am Women omen omen under 40 for tor a a pe- pe pe period nod of ot more than one year after divorce CLUAN X f Still another clean up move ot of the week came when the New ew York Association of ot Piano Plana Merchants adopted II a a resolution putting the ban banon banon banon on the sale sala of ot sheet music or 1 play lay lay- piano Iano records s of ot songs having o Ott cone or ar suggestive titles or ora orn a And mean meantime the campaign to purge the news stands of ot art magazines specializing in nuditY has hils spread pread from New York to several suburban cities clUes The ultra ultra- ultra defenders of ot al ci liberty are re fighting against the whole campaign declaring it woul would mean an the end ot of freedom of ot speech and of ot thought But Dut a II bigger and bigger per percentage of o the tho population tion Is adopting the tho attitude nde sus sug- sug suggested ested by Bishop Manning that the tho called called so-called new morality Is la Just a anew anew anew new name tor for the old immorality |