We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
5 11 ■I s The Final Word on Censorship By JOHN COLLIER General Secretary of the National Board of Censorship A supplementary article to those of "The Great Debate" between Canon Chase and President Dyer on Censorship A humorous lecturer tells a story of travel in the Far East. He was in Palestine, or Egypt, or some Old Testament country, and his guide spoke English. "Sir," said the guide, "on this very spot David with a sling killed Goliath." "How do you know that?" said the traveler. "Why," said the guide, with vehe- mence, "I can prove it. Here is the very rock David threw." Canon Chase reminds me of this guide, or of the queen of France who asked why the angry mobs were break- ing down the walls outside. She was told, "They are clamoring for bread, your Majesty." "Then why dont we give them bread?" she asked. "We have no bread." "Then let us give them cake," said the triumphant queen. Motion Pictures are not perfect; there are many abuses in the film business; films are at present not real- ly just what they should be for any- body. Therefore, says Canon Chase, censor them with a legal pre-publicity censorship. But Canon Chase ought to show how a legal censorship would cure the specific ills he complains of. I 101 claim that legal censorship would have no effect whatever on the evils Canon Chase is attacking. Also, as to many of Canon Chase's statements of fact, "I have me doots." For ex- ample, if seventy out of seventy-one members of the New York Board of Aldermen favored legal censorship, why did they not pass legal censor- ship over Mayor Gaynor 's veto ? Only a two-thirds vote would have been necessary. In fact, the seventy alder- men who voted for an ordinance with a censorship clause tacked on, voted knowing and desiring that the mayor would veto this ordinance, and when he vetoed it that was the end of the matter. Again, has Mr. Robert 0. Bartholo- mew, of Cleveland, really forbidden fifteen per cent, of the films exhibited to him in Cleveland? If so, he is a record-breaking censor. Again, where did Canon Chase get his figures to prove that crime is de- creasing in every great Christian nation except the United States? As a matter of fact, crime is increas- ing thruout civilization; but what bearing has the question on film cen- sorship, inasmuch as Moving Pictures are more censored in the United States today than they are in any