void that
theatre in the future, if not, indeed, to eschew moving-pictures
entirely.

During 1911 and the early part of 1912 several pictures were released,
both by European and American manufacturers, which were so objected to
by Roman Catholic picture-patrons that not only were they suppressed
but the whole film-manufacturing industry was aroused and put on its
guard against producing more pictures of this kind. Here is a rule of
photoplay writing that you must not violate: Do not offend the
religious beliefs of a _single patron_ if you wish to retain the good
will of the editors and manufacturers. And have you stopped to think
how broad that statement really is? Have you taken into consideration
the many different nationalities, with their widely different creeds
and religious convictions, which see the pictures daily put upon the
market? As one critic says: "The photoplay film goes to Europe and
Australia and South Africa. Some of them even get to China; so you can
realize that what may seem foolish to you may be sacred to someone
else, and exhibitors have to be careful."

To say that you must be careful not to write stories that will be
likely to arouse the ire of certain photoplay patrons because of the
way a political theme is handled does not mean that you cannot
introduce political themes at all. If, for instance, you have a
particularly good suffragist story--one which contains both heart and
human interest--there is little doubt that it would sell. Several such
pictures have been shown in the past year or two. Or if you have a
story in which the leading male character is a Socialist, it may be
appreciated by many photoplay-goers without giving offense to those
whose views do not coincide with the hero's. But, to quote the editor
of _The Coming Nation_, stories are not wanted "where the hero arises
and makes a soap-box speech on Socialism, converting all by-standers."
And at all times you must keep in mind that, no matter what political
theme you exploit in your story, heart-interest must predominate if
you wish it to sell--another way of saying that unless you are sure
that you have a very strong and unusual story, it is best to leave out
politics. That form of journalism which is best known as muck-raking
is also out of place in the pictures.

Few films, however, outside of the sectarian subjects which were the
cause of so much disturbance a year or so ago, have given displeasure
to so many people as tho