International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jul-Dec 1929)

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crime waves. In fact, statistics should show that none of the common reasons given are the real cause of the crime waves of the large cities. « Such studies as I have made lead directly to the movies as the basic cause of the crime waves of today. Furthermore, when one considers that ten million people (largely young people) in the United States alone attend the movies every week, their tremendous influence in all ways must be admitted. In view of statements by psychologists that impressions through the eye are very much more powerful than those which come through the ear, it is evident that the movies are the greatest force today in moulding character for good or evil. In fact, I sent a questionnaire to the school principals of New England asking which of the following had the greatest influence in moulding the character of our young people today — the school, the church or the home — and 70% scratched off all three and replied : « The movies ! » « If you — my reader — have any doubts as to the very evil influences of the movies, go to a movie house in the poor quarters of your city and see what is there being portrayed. Clients should not make the mistake of judging the movies by the pictures which are being shown in the good theaters which they attend. Such pictures represent only a small fraction of the pictures shown every afternoon and evening of the year. « This better type of motion picture is both educational and recreational. I believe that educational motion pictures will play an important part in the future education of children. But at present, the greater percentage of pictures are crime-breeding and plant seeds of vice and deceit. Why we American people will continue to spend thousands of millions on schools and teachers to train the children of our cities and then permit a bunch of irresponsible men to exhibit each night crime-breeding pictures within the shadow of the school building, just to make a few dollars, is beyond my comprehension. wSuch pictures in one night uproot all the good seed which the schools can plant in a month. It is exactly like appropriating money for a fire department and then permitting anyone to set buildings afire just to collect insurance ». In an open letter of May 13 last, Dr. Frederick L. Hoffman, cited by Roger W. Babson, stated that in his statistical studies edited by the Prudential Life Insurance Co. he had never expressed the opinion that the cinema was the principal cause of the increase of crime in late years in the United States. He even maintained that the figures he had published might have justified the deduction of the opposite conclusion, because cases of murder were more common in rural zones; especially in the South, where the proportion of moving picture shows was considerably lower than in the North or West. He therefore considered it opportune to make the following remarks. A systematic study of murders stretching over a period of several 305 —