The Moving Picture World (September 1907)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. 419 Published Every Saturday. World Photographic PoMlshiiag Coaipaay, New York. ALFRED B. SAOHDEnS. Editor. J. P. Chalmers, Associate Editor and Easiness Manager. Ol. 1., SEPTEMBER 7th No. 2j. SUBSCRIPTION: $2.00 per year. Post free in the nited Statea, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico and the hilippine Islands. CANADA AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES: $2.50 :ryear. . All communications should be -addressed to 0. BOX 450, NEW YORK CITY. - ADVERTISING RATES: Whole Page..'.. . $50.00 Half Page 25.00 Quarter Page. 1 12.50 Single Column (next reading matter).. 20.00 One-Eighth Page ; 6.25 One-Sixteenth Page 3.25 One-Thirty-second Page. 2.00 SALE OR E XCHA NGE, 15c. per line; minimum, .00 per issue. HELP WANTED: 10c. a line; mini- am, 25c. EMPLOYMENT WANTED: (Operators ily) No Charge. IMPORTANT.—We go to press on Thursdays and pies are supplied to the wholesale trade on Friday arcings. All matter, or advertisements for insertion current issue should reach our offices not later than e FIRST POST THURSDAY MORNING, and if cofs are required, not later than NOON MONDAY. Hemit by express money order, check, P. O. order or fistered letter. Cash enclosed with letter is at the of the sender. EUROPEAN AGENTS: INTERNATIONAL .NEWS COMPANY ^ . Breams Bonding, Chancery Lane, London, E. C. Cheap Song Slides and . The reader can fill in the blank spaces to suit himself. In our "Trade Notes" there is a clipping relating to a firm of slide makers who are putting out a series of illus- trated songs, with an idea of cheapening the already too low.cost of production. A. firm of music dealers is at the back of the concern, and we read with surprise that a firm like this should be the pioneers of a cheap and nasty grade of work, such as lithographed slides. The public is long suffering and puts up with a large quantity of shoddy, simply because they will not take the trouble to complain and make a bother about it. But, if these slides take the place of photographic productions, there will be such a rousing of indignation at the insult to an intelligent audience, that the makers and exhibitors will be glad to withdraw such rubbish as it is proposed to manufacture. Not only this, but it will bring stereopticoh exhibitions to such bad repute that the people who now patronize them will either hiss or execrate trie exhibition, or stay away altogether, and tell their friends why; and the proprietors, vocalists and operators suffer in prestige and pocket.' Apart from this we hope there is not an operator who would demean himself by exhibiting the ridiculously grotesque productions. It was our misfortune to be present on two occasions when lithographed slides took the place of photographic transparencies. The first neither the lecturer nor we will ever forget; it taught us both a lesson. The lecturer (one of the Cambridge professors) had prepared an elaborate and scholarly oration with slides, but unfortunately broke four at the last moment. A hasty visit to the slide deal- ers could not replace them, except with lithographic ones. He remarked, "Oh, well, they won't notice these," and took them. When the first one appeared the audience gave a quiet hiss. The second caused distinct disap- proval, and at the third one-half the audience left. The professor then explained and apologized, but this did not alter matters; the effect of the lecture was quite spoilt. The second instance was at a sacred service, the renter, being out of the regular set, sent a lithographed one of a hymn, which was so crude it quite spoilt the whole of the service. Instead of cheapening the cost, the dealers ought to increase it and get still better results and effects. Some of the illustrated songs now on the market are badly posed, poorly photographed and the coloring is a disgrace to those who turn them out. An artist told us that one of the largest makers of song slides in New York paid her the magnificent (?) sum of seven cents a slide for.-color- ing, and the most she could turn out is about fifteen to