Note 3 — Chapter I · The Case Against the Puritans

A foreigner who goes to the American “movies” would not contradict Mr. Mencken on this point. The policeman, as a deus ex machina, to wind up a plot and bring in a happy ending, has no rival on the American screen except perhaps the young girl, acting as Salvation Nell. A squad of police rushing to the scene of a row or of an assault, provided it arrives on the psychological moment, is sure to raise the enthusiasm of the audience to the limit. Moral rescue by the police is the most popular form of the Aristotelian catharsis in America.