Motion Picture Commission : hearings before the Committee on Education, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, second session, on bills to establish a Federal Motion Picture Commission (1978)

152 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. It sometimes seems to those intimately associated with this work that in our excitement over the young women involved we lose sight of the equal danger to the young men. Is it a greater disgrace to -a family to have the daughter a prostitute than it is to have the son a procurer? This raises another ohjection to the exhibiton of these films. A well-known man in New York, whose very tolerant view of life has been broadened by his profession, in talking to me of one of these films, said: " I should not object so much to my daughter seeing these films as I should to my boys, for, after all, the girls in the films come to some bad end, but the young men sail along on seas of champagne with money pour- ing in and all the evidence, especially to the unthinking, of an easy, glorious existence. It seems to me that these tilms may well be called 'a business col- lege for procurers,' an even those who are already in the profession may learn some new devices from the exhibition.'" How will those who approve of th.ese films meet this criticism? And why regard this situation only from the stand- point of the women? WHEBE PICTURE INSTRUCTION FAILS. In no narrow-minded spirit, in no desire to shut our eyes to unfortunate facts and then say that they do not exist, are the objections contained in this letter made to the exploitation of the social evil by sensational representations. Were it possible to show what was the real after-life of these girls, there might pos- sibly be s(ime excuse for theii' exhibition. It is not a sudden nor a dramatic end which comes to the great majority. The films can not show the slow disin- tegnitiou of nervous tissue; it can not show the insidious advance of anemic diseases, even though those incidental to the profession are avoided; it can not show tlie liojieless. heljiless longing for a return to normal conditions after it is too late; and these things constitute the real and unavoidable tragedy. Taking the brighter side, the pictures will not. because it is not interesting, exciting, or dramatic, show the narrow, thorny path which leads back to life. I firmly believe that, given a normal intelligence, restitution to ordinarily life and re- storation to normal social relations are always possible; it is nevertheless unwise to minimize the difl[iculties ahead. A picture showing girls washing dishes, scrubbing floors, making beds, and all without even the relaxation of a day out by themselves until they have absolutely proved themselves trust- worthy—none of these things lend themselves to sensational exploitation, and yet these are the really important factors. Even when work is procured for these girls, and it is easier to obtain than is usually represented, they have still the struggle of reverting to regular hours and the steady discipline of a busi- ness organization. No sentimentality, no emotionalism over our " dear unfortunate sisters," is going to be of the smallest use to them or to the persons who, by indulging in these emotions, fancy they are displaying practical sympathy. Only an open- eyed facing of the problem, a problem as old as the world itself, can avail to do even the little that it is humanly possible can be done. The one inevitable result of overemotion.-ilism. o\ ersensationalism. is a reaction, and the very people who have been ready to look on every young woman brought into court as (he \i(iim of a wicked white sl.-iver, l»ei-oming disillusioned, will switch to the other extreme and regard all these girls as victims of their own inherent viciousness. Either extreme makes the work of the really sincere and thonght- ful in this field infinitely harder. Therefore let us not, in our desire to appear broad-minded, encourage sen.sationalism which reaches so vast a nniltitude of the unthinking as do the moving-picture films. Dr. CiTASE. Such con.siderations as Mrs. Hazard, a worker among fallen vv(;men, here present.s, make it clear that the ordinary police- man, judge, editor, or th.eatricai manager is not qualified properly to pass ui)on tlie moral ell'ect of motion pictures. Trained experts are needed. This can l)e illustrated again by the history of the Traffic in Souls in Chicago. The censor in Chicago j-efused to license this film. The owners of the film tried to induce the public to ask the censor to withdj-aw his ol)jections. The Motion IMcture World, of Mav 2, lOU, under its columns en- titled "Chicago Letter:"