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)

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MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. 165 The protection which the children and adults need is not merely from openly vuglar or (>bscene pictures, but from those \Yhicli in- sidiously present various forms of crime in such ^reat detail as to give instruction in crime and which depict crime in an unreal way, such as to make crime attractive but conceal the punishment which never can be escaped. It is sometimes claimed that a picture which is largely occupied in describing vice and crime is a good picture, because the criminal is caught and punished in the end; but the film may be so constructed that the spectator feels that the criminal was caught, not because he was a criminal but because he was care- less or slow witted. He will be attracted to a criminal life by such a picture. Such a picture will produce crime. It is more dangerous to the community than adulterated or poisonous food. The public needs a board of expert commissioners to protect it from such moral poison. Now. that is my attempt at a solution of the question that is before us. It seems to me that the care of the children is the primary con- sideration'that should be before this committee, and yet we can not ask that the standard be adapted absolutely to the children's intellect unless we have two standards, one which shall ajjply to the adults and one to the children. But Ave can urge you to use the sovereign power of the people which has been committed to you, to protect adults efficiently from motion pictures which morally degrade adults. We urge you to do this not merely for the welfare of mature citi- zens, but especially that tlie children of our land may be protected from overwhelming temptation to crime and in order that the youth of our country may be morally educated to become citizens worthy to conduct the Government of this Great Republic and able to trans- mit its blessings unimpaired to their descendants. I thank the committee for the very careful and courteous attention to my long remarks this morning. The Chairman. We have been very much interested in your pres- entation. (Thereupon the committee adjourned to meet Wednesday, Mav 13, 1914. at 10 o'clock a. m.) Committee on Editcation. House of Representatives, Wednesday, May 13, 1911^. The committee this day met, Hon. Dudley M. Hughes (chairman) presiding. The Chairman. The committee will come to order. We will be glad to hear from Mr. Brylawski. STATEMENT OF MR. AARON BRYLAWSKI, OF WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. Brvlaavski. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I thank you for the privilege of submitting my views on the bill before you. When I attended the first hearing it was to listen, but on ob- servino' the desire of the committee for knowledge of facts in order to determine their action, I decided to express my experience and views on the subject of authorized censorship. This subject has