Criticism

Speaking English at a luncheon given by the English-speaking Union, Lord Lee of Fareham, the rich soldier-states-man who gave Chequers Court to the nation as a country home for her badly paid Prime Ministers, was expected to make some encouraging references to the satisfactory relations which governed Anglo-Saxons in Anglo-Saxondom.

The expectations were not wholly realized. Lord Lee, than whom no other Englishman is alleged to know more about the U. S., which, perhaps, is not surprising, for he married an American, began by suggesting the adoption of the eleventh commandment: "Thou shalt not gush."

But the main purpose of Lord Lee's speech was to warn the English-speaking peoples against American cinemas:

"I associated with what I think was representative social America when I was there, but I have never met in the course of my travels in America with the circumstances shown in American films as indicative of social life. It is a fact that, in almost savage countries, American films which are supposed to represent American social life are used in the most evil way by Bolsheviks and other propagandists. I found this true even in India, where I have heard it said in the bazaars: 'Is this the way the sahibs live when they are at home?'

"This state of affairs cannot be attacked by counter-propaganda. We have no English films.

"I think if the English-Speaking Union both here and in America fosters films representing the actual national mind they will be doing a great work."

A favorable situation having been created by Lord Lee, a memorandum was sent to Premier Baldwin pointing out that England alone has 4,000 cinema theatres with a weekly audience of 20,000,000, while less than 5% of the films shown are British, the remainder being mainly American. An inquiry into the film trade was demanded, it being charged that many of the present productions were inferior, unpatriotic, psychologically unhealthy. The memorandum was signed by Lords Burnham, Carson, Dawson, Newton, Riddell; Robert Bridges, poet; Thomas Hardy, novelist; J. R. Clynes, Sir Sidney Lee, Gordon Selfridge, department store man; Mrs. Philip Snowden, wife of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer.