Pure for Children

C=CHILE

Packing a dingy theatre by putting up the sign FOR MEN ONLY or FOR WOMEN ONLY is an old trick. Last week a new change was rung when the Mayor of Santiago signed a decree authorizing the expenditure of public money to build a theatre FOR CHILDREN ONLY.

Said Mayor Enrique Balmaceda Toro, short and stout: "It is the duty of society in general to guard children from unwholesome impressions. Love shown in the plays at our Children's Theatre will be pure. Affection will be found only in the form of parental regard and patriotic tendencies."

Passing cigars around and biting off the end of one himself, Mayor Toro concluded :

"Notwithstanding the intelligent censorship which Chile has established over plays and cinemas, parents cannot be sure that their children will see a type of performance designed to improve their morals and character. The average modern drama not only lacks good taste and educational art entirely but generally depicts robberies, disorders and the baser passions. The Municipality of Santiago will present in our new Children's Theatre plays especially written for children only. There will be some free performances so that the children of the poor, as well as the wealthy, may enjoy this wholesome influence."