GIVES ADVICE
AS TO MOVIES
Ignore the Bad Ones, Says
Lecturer at Tivoli. Mrs. Speed Talks About Better
Films-Co-Operative Committee to Be Formed.
Mrs. Phillip Speed, of the national
committee for better films, of New
York, lectured at the Tivoli theater-
yesterday morning, under the auspices
of the welfare department of Kosmos,
on the subject of "Better Films."
"Better films committees are increasing throughout the south, and their influence is already felt in those communities in which they are firmly established," said Mrs. Speed," and within
the next few weeks probably all the largest cities in the southern states
will have committees of men and
women actively engaged in the interest
of better films, working in co-operation with all agencies for the sole purpose of promoting the production and
exhibition of better films.
"One of the principal achievements
of these committees you already have
here-and there are but 60O cities in
all the United States who have them--
is your Saturday morning matinees for
the boys and girls, which give clean,
wholesome but none the less fascinating, delightful entertainments for the
children. Parents may send their sons
and daughters to see these programs
without fear that there may be objectionable features. To be sure, it is
often said that adolescent boys and
girls very strenuously object to pictures
that are for children alone, but this is
the result of too many highly-seasoned
menus, and will in time be overcome.
"There are three audiences always to
consider-the children, the adolescent
boy and girl, and the adults. There
are also divisions of the latter class,
the ignorant, the average and the above
the average, or the very highest class
of patron. The latter was primarily
the basis of the national board of reviews being formed. Pictures that
were condemned at once by what in
common parlance are known as "high
brows" were not at all harmful, according to the viewpoint of the average
people, and one incident after the other
occurred in clashes between the two
factions. At length, in desperation,
and through the advice of the People's
Institute of New York, which is a
clearing house of invaluable information regarding people and things, a
happy medium was reached in the
forming of the national board of reviews. The board is composed of
broad, liberal-minded men and women,
who give due consideration to every
point before rendering a decision. This
board has been of untold value to exhibitors.
of Kosmos.
"The better film committees obtain
best results not by knocking a picture,
but by telling of the best points in it.
To knock it is to advertise it in the
best possible way. Exhibitors would
all rather be praised than abused, and
would far rather show clean pictures.
However, the great majority is their
best patron, and to that patron they
have to cater if they support their
houses. Therefore, we must work to
the end in view, the general support
of the public of better films. To that
end we must work most assiduously.
The music clubs have here a.splendid
field for their work by looking out for
the music that is heard on these occasions. A band of truth, of beauty,
may be placed around the world
through the right sort of pictures, and
it may be shown by the light of the
torch of education that is carried in
the hands of the states. Through
school and church the knowledge may
be diffused by the pictures of educational films; there are geographical
films—films of centrifugal nature that
will, in a few minutes teach the boy
and girl more about the ethereal
bodies that are swinging round us into
space, more of the worlds that are
fixed or movable planets than could
be taught them in a whole term of
plain old-fashioned teaching.
"Tuberculosis films have gone far
on the road as successful missionaries
of health and hygiene, and every branch of science has done its share
in later years, a far bigger and better share than ever before because of
moving pictures.
"The family group is the best medium for better films. Strange as it
may seem, unless a picture is high-
priced, parents do not minutely inquire as to the how and why of it.
Let a picture be priced away above
the average, and before parents give
the money for it to the boy or girl,
they will find out a little about the
nature of it. Some very beautiful les-
sons may be learned from pictures—
but other things may be, and are,
learned from the wrong kind of pictures. Form your better films committees, and be sure to make them
broad, have one member from every
organization in your city, church and
school included, especially from the
Parent-Teacher associations. Make no
mistake here, for there must be no
narrow minds on the subject. Three
out of six pictures shown may be good
ones. Boost the three, but let the
ones that are not good remain unmolested. This is far the better way.
Every one cannot like the same picture- point out the best you can find
in all."
There was a very good attendance
at the lecture, and at its close there
was a strong indorsement of what
Mrs. Speed represented. During her
visit through the state, she has organized many committees, and experts
to continue the work, but always
along the broad lines of the board of
national review. Mrs. Speed left last
night for Virginia, but returns to East
Tennessee in a week's time. The
formation of a better film committee
is to be effected at once. All interested in the work of the committee
are requested to communicate with
Mrs. M. N. Whitaker, president of
Kosmos, or Mrs. Harry Wise, chairman, or Mrs. D. F. Beckham, vice-chairman of the welfare department
of Kosmos.
