Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/57

Rh 3. The use of chains, whips, or other cruel devices.

4. The morbid picturization of dead bodies.

5. Stories and pictures that tend to anything having a sadistic implication or suggesting use of black magic.

6. Portrayal of mayhem, acts of assault, or murder.

7. People being attacked or injured by wild animals or reptiles.

8. Stories or frames which tend to affect the war effort of our Nation adversely.

Very objectionable 1. An exaggerated degree of any of the above-mentioned acts or scenes.

Fhese criteria are inteuded to serve primarily as guides and check-paints in the evaluation of comic books, rather than as complete standards which must in all cases be applied literally and rigidly.

They should be used by the reviewer in the light of his best judgment and regarding good taste, the intent aud the spirit of the story, and the context of the individual frames of the story,

Mr. . And, finally, I would like to introduce a reprint from the Parent's Magazine entitled "555 Comic Magazines rated."

The. Without objection, the material will be included ithe record. Let it be exhibit No. 7.

(The material referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 7," and reads as follows:)

[Reprinted from Parents' Magazine]

55

AcceptableQuestionableBad

This community went to work and did something about the comics. Here are their recommendations

By Jessie L. Murrell, Chairman, Committee on Evaluation of Comic Books, Cincinnati, Ohio

Many parents, teachers, communities are upset about comic books and the in- fluence they are having on children today. But in most cases, although parents, teachers, and communities have done a good deal of talking, they have taken no steps to evaluate the comics vow on the market. Not so Cincinnati; that city made up its mind that talk was not enough, so they organized and went into action,

One of the ministers in the Cincinnat] mnetropolitan area is credited with start- ing the profect when he addressed his congregation during Nutional Family Week, In the course of his sermon he mentioned the undesirable influence on the family of certain types of comie boaks,

That portion of his sermon got into the Cincinnati papers the next day and was picked up by the broadcasting stations. Mail began pouring in and the minister's phone rang incessantly. Whereupon the Council of Churches set up a committee with this minister as chairman and asked it to see what, if uuything, could be flone about the comics.

The committee uppreached the organizations in greater Cinciunati that wark with and for youth, inviting them to send representatives to a meeting, The response was excellent and the Committee on Evaluation of Comic Books was formed. It immediately went to wark.

The organizations represented on the commiitee were the University of Cin- cinnati, Xavier University, the Women's University Club, the parent-teachers associations (publie and parochial), the Boys Scouts, ihe Girl Scouts, the YMCA, the YWGA, the playground group, the juvenile courts, tlie Council of Church, the libraries, the private schools, aud the three major religious