Churchmen for Churchman

Long before the Roman Catholic Church deployed its forces for a well-publicized attack on the cinema industry and launched its Legion of Decency, U. S. Protestantism had produced many an able independent warrior. One such was Dr. Guy Emery Shipler, editor of The Churchman, liberal Episcopal fortnightly, oldest (131 years) religious journal in English. Munching popcorn and pounding out Churchman editorials on his typewriter, Dr. Shipler called Tsar Will Hays a "window-dresser" and "office boy'' in 1929, later smoked out the fact that on the Hays payroll were two employes of the Federal Council of Churches. In November 1931 The Churchman editorialized as follows: "Will H. Hays, Adolph Zukor, Gabriel Hess, Charles C. Pettijohn and numbers of other individuals and film-producers have been indicted in the Province of Ontario for conspiring to prevent competition in that portion of Canada. This is a criminal prosecution, the results of which can only be moral, as the gentlemen are not likely to place themselves within reach of provincial prisons."

The Churchman's editorial was based on the unchecked say-so of Harrison's Reports, cinema trade paper. Actually, the persons mentioned had not been indicted in Ontario but merely mentioned in an indictment brought against others. Harrison's Reports and The Churchman, which promptly published a retraction when it discovered its bad blunder, were sued for libel by Gabriel Hess, general counsel for the Hays organization. From the cinema paper this spring Mr. Hess won damages for $5,200. Last month a Supreme Court jury in Manhattan found Dr. Shipler and his fortnightly jointly guilty of libel, assessed them $10,000 for punitive damages, $200 for actual damages to Lawyer Hess.

As out of place as a mouse in the communion cup is $10,200 in the till of a church paper. Viewing the jury's verdict ruinous, Editor Shipler this month splashed an announcement of his predicament on The Churchman's front cover in place of the usual cut or table of contents. Editor & Publisher's Marlen Edwin Pew, good friend of Dr. Shipler, helped launch a money-raising drive. The Christian Century, exclaiming "This Shall Not Happen!'' devoted its lead editorial last week to the matter. And other religious papers fell in line, unanimously convinced that they were facing a new and dangerous crisis in the battle against Hollywood. Excerpts from editorials:

Christian Advocate (Kansas City): "The ending of The Churchman might easily be the end of all social independence and courage in the religious press of this country. . . ."

Presbyterian Tribune: "If the producers are really interested in the good will of the church press, it would be to their advantage to forgive this legal debt. . . ."

Christian Leader: "The Sunday School children of the U. S. ought to pay the amount of that verdict with pennies. . . ."

Reformed Church Messenger: "We do not believe it will pay the movie company attorney to exact this pound of flesh.''

Expositor & Homiletic Review: "The Church has hurt the income of the motion picture barons. . . . Retaliation is only to be expected. . . . Take a special offering, enlist your adult and junior organizations. . . ."

This week The Churchman defense fund stood at $1,800.

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