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342 SOUND MOTION PICTURES
offset the opposition that looms ahead in the distance. All this, mind you, without panic or pessimism; for although it is the opinion of some observers that the cinema may be quite seriously affected by the perfection of the newer device, there are not lacking others who insist that television will be an adjunct to the picture trade.
They base their prediction on the saving thought that television may develop new audiences for us. Nor need this reasoning seem utterly paradoxical. In the beginning radio broadcasting was considered a serious competitor of motion pictures; and in the beginning its perfection did affect box office receipts. Eventually, however, as the novelty of wireless wore off and it became part of everyday life, it helped the motion picture by cultivating a taste for entertainment in many who had not been entertainment minded before. In a like manner it is conceivable that motion pictures sent through television may act as a stimulant to cultivate a taste for the theatre in people who now visit us only on rare occasions. It is really not to be expected, after all, that the American family will be content to sit at the fireside at home and be entirely satisfied with the entertainment that may be sent through the air by means of television. Without arguing the point further, let me say merely that this fact is recognized by even so important an organization as the Radio Corporation of America, which is conducting laboratory experiments with television. Only recently the corporation has become interested in a theatrical enterprise involving many millions. It is thus only fair to deduce that those who are closest to television apparently feel that the motion picture theatre is here to stay.
Why not ? People like to be seen by others, and enjoy being in public places. Here is a refined instance of "mob psychology," one which perhaps accounts for the universal preference to go where the crowds go. In every city, most