282                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 202

and shall approve and license such films or views which are moral and
proper, and shall disapprove such as are [sacrilegious,] obscene,
[indecent, inhuman or immoral,] or such as tend, in the judgment of
the Board, to debase or corrupt morals or incite to crimes. ALL
FILMS EXCLUSIVELY PORTRAYING CURRENT EVENTS OR
PICTORIAL NEWS OF THE DAY, COMMONLY CALLED NEWS
REELS, MAY BE EXHIBITED WITHOUT EXAMINATION AND
NO LICENSE OR FEES SHALL BE REQUIRED THEREFOR.

(b)   for the purposes of this Article, a motion picture film or view
shall be considered to be obscene if, when considered as a whole, its
calculated purpose or dominant effect is substantially to arouse
sexual desires, and if the probability of this effect is so great as to
outweigh whatever other merits the film may possess.

(c)  for the purposes of this Article, a motion picture film or view
shall be considered to be of such a character that its exhibition would
tend to debase or corrupt morals if its dominant purpose or effect is
erotic or pornographic; or if it portrays acts of sexual immorality
lust or lewdness, or if it expressly or impliedly presents such acts as
desirable, acceptable or proper patterns of behavior.

(d)   for the purposes of this Article, a motion picture film or view
shall be considered of such a character that its exhibition would tend
to incite to crime if the theme or the manner of its presentation
presents the commission of criminal acts or contempt for law as con-
stituting profitable, desirable, acceptable, respectable or commonly
accepted behavior, or if it advocates or teaches the use of, or the
methods of use of, narcotics or habit-forming drugs.

19. If any elimination or disapproval of a film or view is ordered
by the Board, the person submitting such film or view for examination
will receive immediate notice of such elimination or disapproval, and
if appealed from, such film or view will be promptly re-examined, in
the presence of such person, by two or more members of the Board,
and the same finally approved or disapproved promptly after such
re-examination, with the right of appeal from the decision of the
Board to the Baltimore City Court of Baltimore City. There shall be
a further right of appeal from the decision of the Baltimore City
Court to the Court of Appeals of Maryland, subject generally to the
time and manner provided for taking appeal to the Court of Appeals.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1955.

Approved April 1, 1955.

CHAPTER 202
(Senate Bill 26)

AN ACT to authorize the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to
issue the Certificates of Indebtedness of said corporation to an

EXPLANATION: Italics indicate new matter added to existing law.
[Brackets] indicate matter stricken from existing law.
CAPITALS indicate amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken out of bill.