Motion Picture Story Magazine (Feb-Jul 1912)

142 THE MOTION PICTURE STORY MAGAZINE To that large class who are advocating "Early to bed and early to rise," Motion Pictures are useful as a means of evening entertainment. If one goes to a regular theater, one can hardly expect to get home before midnight; whereas if one attends a Photoshow, one can begin at any hour and get back home at any hour. Furthermore, where one play is seen at the regular theater, four or five are seen at the Photoshow, and in half the time. Superintendent Friedman of the Government Indian School at Carlisle, Pa., objects to the Motion Picture Indians, and says that these films are creating a wrong impression of the red men. Perhaps the Photoplay does exaggerate the Indian's badqualities, but at the same time it emphasizes his good ones. It might be a good plan to show less pictures of Indians as they were, and more of the Indians as they are. Cleveland, O., has three-cent car fares, and now there is a movement to have threecent Motion Picture shows. "Children Who Labor," the story of which film was printed in the March number, is a fitting companion to "The Awakening of John Bond," in the educational series produced by the Edison Company. Every theater should show this film, and everybody should read the story, also "For the Commonwealth," the story of which is in this issue. Moving Pictures are soon to be added to the curriculum of the Los Ang-eles Public Schools. The number of letters, poems, inquiries and manuscripts received by this magazine every week would fill a bushel basket. It takes time to go thru them all, and our readers must not be impatient if letters are not answered, or poems not published in the next issue. Some magazines are made up five months prior to the date of issue, and no magazine with a circulation of several hundred thousand can get its material set up, printed and distributed inside of thirty days from the time of receipt. Thus, if an inquiry is received on, say March 10, and it required ten days to correspond with some company in order to obtain a correct answer, the query would probably not appear in this magazine till the May issue, which will be on sale about April 20. One of the greatest problems in theater building is the acoustics. The best architects often fail to produce an auditorium in which the actors can be heard from every point, and even in some of the best theaters it is difficult to hear plainly all that is said even when sitting far up in front. To the deaf, and to the hard of hearing, this is a calamity ; but no such objections can be made to Motion Pictures — the silent drama. To see a Shakespearean play requires about three hours, and then you cannot hear half of what is said. The same play may be seen in Motion Pictures in half an hour, and the words may be read at home, as they should be. The Williamsport, Pa., Bulletin says : "Already private schools are installing projecting machines. A new public school building in Connecticut has a special Motion Picture hall attached. And elsewhere the attention of educators is turning seriously to this new weapon of instruction." On February 14, President and Mrs. Taft posed at the White House for The Vitagraph Company of America. Commenting on this, the New York Sun says : "The campaign is approaching and many politicians think the day is coming when the Moving Picture method of campaigning will be the most popular." Those who think that Moving Pictures are but a fad, or an amusement for children and workmen, are very much in error. We are now witnessing the decay of the drama, and, if our vision is clear and we are observing, we are also witnessing an institution that is destined to replace the stage. If you have not seen "A Tale of Two Cities" by the Vitagraph Company, or "The Battle," by the Biograph Company, or "Martin Chuzzlewit," by the Edison Company, or "Arrah-na-Pogue," by the Kalem Company, you will not know what is meant by the statement that Motion Pictures are to replace the drama. In the South and West, they have Moving Picture theaters as commodious and as splendid as our regular theaters ; and it is no uncommon thing to see carriages and autos draw up before them and discharge wealthy passengers in opera cloaks and evening clothes. We have not got that far yet, here in New York, but the time is coming. Motion Pictures have only been in existence for about twenty years, and they are now just developing. The drama is over two thousand years old, and is now on the decline. The sun of Motion Pictures is just rising.