BIGGEST INFLUENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 7, 8 July 1931, Page 9

BIGGEST INFLUENCE

iPOWER.OF THE CINEMA

EFFECT ON CHILDREN

"The biggest influence upon the.lives of.the people to-day is not the home, it is not the church, it is -not even health-giving sport, great and beneficent though this usually is. It is the cinema —potentially a jmost powerful influence for brightening and enriching the lives of the people, potentially an equally powerful engine of national demoralisation, " said His Excellency Lord Bledisloe, when,addressing the mass meeting of the League of Mothers in the Town Hall yesterday afternoon. q

""What," he asked;■"are -the mothers of New,. Zealand doing about it? The patriotic slogan of to-day'(and iet us all act upon it) is 'wear, more wool' for the clothing of our bodies., Aro we to rest content with dirty rags for tho clothing of our children's minds? Let us frankly admit that things are. improving and express our heartfelt appreciation to the producers, of wholesome films—especially, wholesome British' films —for ,the improvement. One of their strongest groups —actuated largely by Lady Alice Fergusspn's appeal, has undertaken to stage tins winter wholesome and thoroughly entertaining films on Saturday afternoons for,children and their parents, commencing tho experiment in Auckland. Let us.do all in our power to make this experiment a success so that it may spread to other centres of population in the Dominion. "We are apt to condemn the makers and producers of films forvthe unsavoury banquet which they sometimes provide for us with consequent moral dyspepsia. But surely we should also condemn ourselves. As Charlie Chaplin truly said to ,me when T visited his studio at Hollywood four years ago, '"We want to produce something.better.. But ours is a business and not a philanthropic undertaking. It must be mado to pay. Whatever tho public demand, we are jjrepared to supply! Lot us make au earnest concentrated effort to create the right demand, always making due allowance for tho weakness of human nature and the natural and laudable craving, especially in days of trade depression, for mirth, humour, and occasional excitement," (Applause.),