SCOURING THE CINEMA

Evidently the attacks on the patriotism of the International Council of Women which met recently in Washington have whetted rather than diminished its zeal for reform. The Council plans a five-year campaign to improve motion pictures artistically, morally and educationally. A committee of eight women will concentrate on a few large producing centers, and the work will be extended as soon as ways can be found to assist in purging films of objectionable features.

But the zeal of the reformer always involves a desire to undertake more than can be accomplished, and the International Council is no exception to the rule. Even by "concentrating on a few large centers of production" the women can do no more than utter a few feeble protests at what they consider wrong. The motion picture industry, is too strongly intrenched to yield, unless it encounters more serious opposition than eight women can muster. The International Council is making a brave gesture, but like most brave gestures, it is also quite futile.