Civic improvement; Urban women; Women in public life
“I like love-making picture best. It is exciting when two men want to
marry the same girl.”[23]
A study of moving pictures has been made in other cities by women, and
all over the country they are giving serious attention to the problem of
securing the exhibition of high grade films only. Upon the suggestion of
club women, the Board of Education of Parsons, Kansas, has undertaken to
give two free moving-picture exhibits each month to the school children.
The films are selected by the superintendent of schools assisted by the
manager of the theaters and the subjects are confined to history,
geography and science.
The Mayor of Wichita, Kansas, has asked the club women to appoint a
board of three members to serve without pay as censors of
moving-picture shows, inspectors of theaters, reading rooms and
street cars. Suggestions for correction of evils will be received
and acted upon by the Mayor. The board is to be permanent.[24]
In Pittsburg, Kansas, the club women are working out a censorship
plan for moving-picture shows, which is proving successful. Mayor
Graves appointed a commission of women, headed by Mrs. Harvey
Grandle, president of the Pittsburg Federation of Clubs, which
confers with the managers of all five- and ten-cent vaudeville and
moving-picture shows. A most cordial spirit of coöperation is
reported upon the part of these managers, in eliminating all films
depicting scenes of crime, drinking scenes, and suggestive “love
scenes.” If all mayors would appoint similar commissions, whose work
would be as successful, it would not be long before the
manufacturers of moving-picture films would take the hint, and cease
to put out films of the tabooed classes. Wichita is working out a
similar plan through a commission, and this seems the most practical
plan. A commission, being clothed with authority, is received with
courtesy and acting in coöperative not antagonistic spirit, receives
the assistance of the managers. Local federations or clubs should
make it a point to bring this work before their city council or city
commission.[24]
_The American Club Woman_ declares that “women’s clubs are wisely
deciding to coöperate with the film companies to make them a good
influence upon the millions of young people who patronize them. The
censorship plan is proving successful in many cities. Volunteer boards
of club women who serve without a salary, find that it is not difficult
to secure the rejection of pictures which create a bad impression. Some
tact is useful in persuading the managers of moving-picture shows to use
the right kind of films. Censorship is rather a formidable term, but is
robbed of many of its terrors to managers, when they find that the
approval of the censors means increased business for clean shows.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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