Educational film magazine; (January-December 1920)

Who were turning the handles to quit. They misunderstood me and started turning faster, and the miracle happened. The lamp lit up, and on the screen forty feet away appeared a perfect white light. I can only figure that the machine being new, some connection was painted over so that the proper joint was not possible, and in working with it 1 liad not been able to find it, until the boys burned a good connection by tiieir sudden burst of speed. It was completely dark when I had everything in readi- ness. I sent for Mrs. Johnson, and had her squat in the front row, with Nagapate on the one side and his prime minister on the other. Then I stationed guards with Win- chesters at the side and back of tlie screen, and others around the edges of the squatting crowd, all stationed so that we could handle a panic should one arise. I instructed six boys how to relay each other at the generating outfit, and then had them start it going, while I took on the actual projecting. ' If I live to be a thousand I will never experience such la thrill as I had on this night. First came a hundred feet of titles which interested them but. of course, they could not make them out; but the rays of the light from the pro- jector to the sheet interested them so much that they were constantly turning their heads, watching the machine and ihe sheet, and keeping up a running jabber all the while. I OsA Winked at Them I had judged it better to show them something they would lunderstand for an opener, and I found that I did right, for here was Mrs. Johnson sitting amongst them and on the ^screen she faded in with her head down, which she gradually raised, and winked her eve at them. She then burst out laugliing and faded out. V^'ords can never explain the lumult that broke loose. They made the jungles ring with expressions of wonder — half way between fright and laughter, then the whole bunch yelled "Osa-Osa-Osa!" They had heard nie call her by her first name, and by this lime they all knew it. Well, these savages turned into small children for the night; they yelled and screamed and pal)I>ered until I could not make myself heard whe.i 1 tried to talk with Osa. All savage thoughts were forgotten, and I noticed the thrill of the movies had them so worked up that they forgot their guns and knives and bows and arrows—they lay on the uTound beside them; and for the first time in their lives they had forgotten fear. After Osa's picture I showed the regular first reel of my "Cannibals of the South Seas." They showed that they appreciated to some extent by their niurnmrs when I showed '.lie Royal Palms in Hawaii. The Japanese children made ihem laugh, and whenever they saw Osa in a scene they shouted her name, and they nearly went into hysterics when the Samoan dance came on, entitled "Fidgitv Fred." Sydney to them was wonderful, and the bust pictures of the Solomon types made them yell. Movies Soothe the Savages Nagapate forgot the dignity of being a chief—he yelled as loud as the next one. I had turned the projection handle over to the captain of our cutter, a young Frenchman, and 1 stood in front of the natives and watched their expressions. Nagapate's powerful face never changed expression so rapidly. The savage seemed to have left him, he was all keyed up, and his mouth was open most of the time. All (Conlinutd on page 2()i 1. Typical four-foot pvgmv of the Solomon Islands. 2. Artificial island, eniirely man-made, in the Solomon group. 3. Moi'mers of the Southwest Bay tribe. Malekula Island, \ew Hebrides. 4. Three of "The Boys," Vao Isl .:id, New Hebrides group. 5. Cannibal of the Big Numbers tribe. New Hebrides group. 6. Male natives of Leunemva investigating Johnson's mot. .i picture camera. /. Mourners remain over the §''»^'« »* "'aj'^es from six months to ten years. Food is brought to them. Leuneuwa Lagoon. 8. Caambal of Owa Raha tribe. Eastern Solomon Islands. 9. Chief of Malekula tribe, New Hebrides group. .-V tine specimen.