The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

410 The Educational Scree Pictures and the Church Conducted by Chester C. Marshall, D. D. \ IN a recent symposium on "The Young People's Problem in the Church," conducted by the Homiletic Review, one of the leading magazines for clergymen, there was a tabulation of the principal causes for the worst conditions which are discernable here and there among young people. Eighteen per cent of the letters reflecting this attitude assigned to the "immoral suggestions of the movies" first place among the causes for these conditions. I am inclined to think a similar symposium among active laymen would assign an even larger influence for evil tendencies among the youth to motion pictures. Twenty-eight per cent of the letters regarded "bad example and lax discipline of parents" as the greatest cause of bad conditions, and another twenty-eight per cent ascribed to "modern dancing" first place. Accepting the careful judgment of these well-informed clergymen as being as near to the truth as we shall ever be able to arrive, it is indeed disquieting to think. that the motion picture, the development of twenty-five years, should come to be thus quickly so proHfic a power for evil. We are probably not far from the truth in saying that the motion picture contains the greatest power for either good or bad of any invention or instrumentality of modern times. That it has done untold harm scarcely any churchman would care to deny. As to why so many pictures emphasize the suggestive, the prurient, the salacious, the immoral in so many aspects is an interesting question. We are apt to say the low taste of so many who flock to the immoral or low-toned pictures has been developed by a long series of that kind of picture. I presume the producers of such pictures would say they found the taste and deman for such pictures most prevalent and, be ing purely commercial, they made the kin of picture demanded by their patrons. Ur doubtedly there is a great deal of truth i both statements. What we must recognize is that this tast for low-toned pictures is very prevalen whether the taste prevailed before the pic tures were forthcoming or whether it wa developed by the producers. It is a preser condition that must be dealt with. The pertinent question is this: How ca youth be safeguarded from seeing evil pic tures ? On first thought we should probably sa that censorship is the only remedy streni ous enough for the malady. Now if this i true, then in spite of the fact that censoi ship is in my judgment, thoroughly ur American in principle, we should all advc cate it for the simple reason that somethin must be done to give to youth a more whok some kind of picture. However, I do not believe censorship : the only remedy. As a matter of fact, I d not believe censorship is any remedy at al Censorship begins at the wrong end of tli problem. If we are to have good picture the real work of making them good begir with the preparation of the scenario and tl^ production of the film. The picture is con pleted when it comes to the censor. A the censor can do is to delete objectionabl scenes and titles. Nothing he can do wi change the atmosphere of the film, and iY atmosphere can easily be the most insidioi and harmful thing in a film. One migl say that the censor should in such cases cot demn the film in tofo. Perhaps so, but a censor had the sweeping power to resQ