The theatre of science; a volume of progress and achievement in the motion picture industry (1914)

17S Ci)e Cl)catre tions, taking geographical scenes and animated pictures of Spanish-American Hfe. Pictures have occupied an important place in the affections of the human race from the earliest days, and there has always been a demand for pictorial representations of familiar scenes, which at once evince and satisfy the natural human instinct. These were the first indications of refinement. The Egyptians, perhaps the greatest, learned to depict in vivid strokes and with a lavish hand the daily life of their people. These pictorial representations, as may be readily seen by reference to Egj'-ptian antiquities, were by no means equal to those we have to-day, but such as they were, they represent the natural craving for pictures, and v/ithout a doubt the Egyptians would have been the first to appreciate our filmic representations of life. The motion picture m^ay, furthermore, be considered as a brain stimulant, and, if em_ployed in our schools, would develop the brain in a natural manner and sooner than by the text-book method. The cinematograph is a modern instance of the magic carpet of "The Arabian Nights" transporting us to the uttermost parts of the earth and showing us the wonders of the world. Of course, the m.anuscript is the cornerstone of the moving-picture structure. In addition to the stories supplied by the staff of writers in the Lubin Scenario Department, scores are received every day from amateur writers. These are faithfully read by the readers in the scenario room, and such as show originality are selected and placed before a committee of expert writers, perhaps to be rejected, but in most cases edited and put into acting shape to be turned over to the directors for production. The scenes are photographed on the negative film in the studio, which is a large