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218 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY Not more than 2 or 3 generations ago, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter was regarded by many educators and most parents as questionable reading for young people. This generation is con- fronted daily with sordid stories of rapes, abortions, and heinous sex crimes in the news columns of daily newspapers. Best-selling novels concern themselves with themes of sexual aberrations and revolting brutality. Hit plays on Broadway deal openly and frankly with plots and situations which would have been regarded as licentious 20 years ago. Widely read and reputable magazines carry articles on sexual and social behaviour patterns among adolescents in Sweden and France which are at great variance with acceptable practices in this country. Publications of tremendous circulation with these and similar articles in the medical and scientific field are part of the every-day reading habit of millions of our people. I want to say as emphatically as I can that the motion-picture industry has strongly resisted this trend. We are not at the head of this parade, nor indeed in the middle of it. We are, in fact, far be- hind and are rather proud that we are. Our people, our producers, our writers, our directors, and our executives have been lambasted by some critics for being namby-pamby, for being pollyannish, and for failing to produce mature entertainment. Our production companies through the production code and the advertising code, have placed upon themselves definite restrictions of morality and decency. We have over the years adliered to these self- imposed restrictions, and have thus eliminated from motion pictures many types of material which are openly treated in other mass media and entertainment forms. Moreover, I repeat, this was the first industry to impose on itself these standards of decency and we remain as the only non-Government regulated enterprise to continue this practice. From all of these things two facts must be apparent. The leaders of the motion-picture industry have shown their desire to make this medium a constructive social force in the United States with particu- lar emphasis on its impact for good on the J^oung people of America. The second fact, perhaps more significant, is that the reaction of public leaders and national organizations to the motion-picture indus- try's product and their use of it is the best evidence that our contri- bution has been fruitful. So long as creative works are produced by human beings, there will, of course, be unevenness of quality and value. Not all books were written by high-minded authors; not all Elizabethan plays were written by Shakespeare; not all religious leaders have necessarily always pointed to the higher life. We must expect that our young people will be confronted with some nonconstructive experiences which must be offset with many other experiences which will overcome with good effect those influences which have had bad conotations. I was very much interested Wednesday afternoon, Senator, when Mr. Sanders, Mr. Lindquist, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Wyley stressed over and over again that the thing that they felt was important was that those who are socially impaired or socially maladjusted shall have many many experiences of a constructive kind that will be offsetting influences.