What risk does any manager run
in producing such works as Sweet Lavender, Peter Pan, The Silver
King, or any of the 99 per cent of plays that are equally neutral
on controversial questions? Does anyone seriously believe that
the managers would continue to pay the Lord Chamberlain two
guineas a play out of mere love and loyalty, only to create an
additional risk in the case of controversial plays, and to guard
against risks that do not exist in the case of the great bulk of
other productions? Only those would remain faithful to him who
produce such plays as the Select Committee began by discussing in
camera, and ended by refusing to discuss at all because they were
too nasty. These people would still try to get a licence, and
would still no doubt succeed as they do today. But could the
King's Reader of Plays live on his fees from these plays alone;
and if he could how long would his post survive the discredit of
licensing only pornographic plays? It is clear to me that the
Examiner would be starved out of existence, and the censorship
perish of desuetude. Perhaps that is exactly what the Select
Committee contemplated. If so, I have nothing more to say, except
that I think sudden death would be more merciful.
LORD GORELL'S AWAKENING
In the meantime, conceive the situation which would arise if a
licensed play were prosecuted. To make it clearer, let us imagine
any other offender--say a company promoter with a fraudulent
prospectus--pleading in Court that he had induced the Lord
Chamberlain to issue a certificate that the prospectus contained
nothing objectionable, and that on the strength of that
certificate he issued it; also, that by law the Court could do
nothing to him except order him to wind up his company.
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