Moving Picture News (Jul-Dec 1912)

26 THE MOVING PICTURE NEWS violinist comes in and sits down in front of the fire. Madeleine creeps in and again persuades him to play the favorite tune. The mother, upstairs, hears the violin and commences to sing the refrain. Hermann hears it and demands of the child who is upstairs. The child replies that it is a woman. Hermann recognizes the voice; he rushes in and drags his long-lost wife out, covering her with kisses. She has returned, as he knew she would. The mother embraces the child frantically, then puts her to bed again. The scene closes as Hermann tells Marguerite to go and get one of the child's stockings. They nail it on the mantelpiece and Hermann goes to a bureau drawer and gets a lot of toys that he has laid in. The two fill the stocking, then sit down by the fire as Hermann loads up his pipe and takes his recreant wife to his arms. EDISON ANNIE CRAWLS UPSTAIRS (Deo. 10).— Annie, the daughter of the janitor, who wears a brace and is three years old, is neglected by her parents. They quarrel. She finds the door ajar and crawls out and up the stairs. A young girl on the first floor is tempted to go out for a wild night; her mother has been unable to dissuade her. As she opens the door to go, Annie crawls in. In a few minutes the girl goes back to the mirror and takes off her finery. Annie, neglected again, crawls out and upstairs again. On the second floor an ex-convict is contemplating a burglary. He is making ready when Annie knocks at the door. When she comcf in the man takes her up and kisses her. He puts away his burglar's kit and Annie crawls out and up again. On the third floor there is trouble between a pair of lovers. The girl does not want to marry, she wants a career, so the young man says good-bye, but as he opened the door, Annie crawls up. He picks her up and shows the lame leg to the girl. The girl hugs Annie and Annie hugs them both together. Naturally the young man puts her down and turns his whole attention to the young lady. Annie crawls out. On the fourth floor a seamstress is sewing at the machine, and her little girl, a child of about Annie's age, is trying to attract her attention. The woman gives the child a slap and the child cries. Annie crawls in and the two begin to play together. The woman notices this, picks up her own child, hugs her, and feels her little limbs which, unlike Annie's, are sound and whole, and so neglected, Annie has to go out and climb on. By now she is so tired that she can hardly crawl up the remaining stairs. On the top fioor a young man, a stranger in the city, is contemplating suicide. He is alone, without friends and in despair. Annie comes sleepily in. He picks her up and she falls asleep in his arms. Very gently he carries her downstairs again. The janitor and his wife are still quarreling, but when the young man appears with Annie fast asleep, they are silent, look at the sleeping child and draw each other close. The young man nods his head and kisses the sleeping child. A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN RURAL ENGLAND (Dec. 11). — Many people realize that they only become acquainted with their own country or place of abode when strangers come who must be shown the sights. This scenic film was all taken within a short distance of London, but it is doubtful if many who live in the metropolis have ever seen many of the places which it shows. It carries us into the beautiful rural district of England, through quaint little villages and past wayside inns and speaks of Shakespeare and Dickens. Along the river and past some of the flowerdecked locks whose blossoms rival California's garden spots. Then there are delightful little, old, flat cottages with rose vines clambering all over them and half hiding the diamondpaned windows. It is a peaceful, restful and exquisitely beautiful picture which is likely to prove all too short to those who love England and to those who love the picturesque wherever it is found. On the same reel: NO PLACE FOR A MINISTER'S SON.— In a letter from college Cyrus Brent tells of a play to be presented by the fraternity. His parents, a country minister and a plain, oldfashioned wife, determine to pay him a visit and be present at the rendition of the play. They arrive at the college town the evening before the play is to be presented and manage to locate their son's boarding-house, only to find that he and his chums are attending a dress rehearsal of the play. The landlady, however, ushers them into Cyrus's room. where they decide to await his return. As soon as they are alone they begin to scrutinize and plainly show their disapproval of the photos of actresses and playing-cards which they find upon the table. In the meantime we get a glimpse of Cyrus and his college chums struggling with their final dress rehearsal at the local town hall, also the stage carpenters, who are very busy building the scenery. Their hammering finally becomes unbearable and the stage director calls off the rehearsal for one hour, m the hope that by that time they will have finished their hammering. Cyrus and his chums avail themselves of this opportunity to finish the game of cards at his room in the boarding-house, where the old tolks rn eknown to him, are patiently awaiting his return. At tne sound of the boys' footsteps on the sta.rway the old folks conceal themselves in an adjoining room in order to surprise their son. They see Cyrus and his chums enter and throw off their overcoats, disclosing their stage costumes. One young man represents a gay young thing in a harem skirt, and another, a ballet dancer with a short gauze skirt. They resume their game of cards, the old people watching them from their hiding place. When, however, they see the "ladies" smoking cigarettes, they are filled with indignation at their son's downfall and burst into the room upbraiding him and his brazen associates. Explanations follow and wigs are removed to the satisfaction of the old people, who decide that college life is too deep for them. THANHOUSER BRAINS VERSUS BRAWN (Dec. 15).— Among the suitors of a wealthy widow was a middle-aged scientist, and while the woman was glad to regard him as a friend, she did not see how she could ever accept him as a husband. He was so absent-minded, so impractical that no one could ever rely upon him. The widow was a great lover of athletics, and one day dragged the professor to witness a meet. He had a perfectly dreary time, and his cup of misery flowed over as they were about to return. An effort was made to rob the widow, and only because of the bravery of one of the young athletes was the crook captured and the pocketbook recovered. In a few days it dawned upon the professor that while he might be a big potato in the field of science, he was only a small lemon in the garden of love. Drearily brooding over this one evening may explain why he dreamed that he was transported to the time of the Cajsars, and called upon, as an unhappy slave, to fight in the arena. Brute strength could not save him for he didn't have it, but he called the resources of science to his aid. He astonished C;esar by offering to fight a gang of gladiators single-handed, the only proviso being that he should select his own weapons. The boon being granted, the scientist constructed a number of neat little dynamite bombs, and literally wiped up the arena with his opponents, much to the amazement and satisfaction of Caesar. When the scientist awoke he regarded his dream as a warning that only by scientific management could he hope to win the lady of his heart. _Soon the chance came for him to distinguish himself, and he availed himself of it. The rich widow received a letter signed "Black Hand," calling upon her to pay over $10,000. The young athlete swore he would defend her and personally capture the criminals. The scientist promised to rectify matters, but did not go into details. He laid a little scientific trap, and astonished the widow by nabbing the criminal and several policemen while some distance from the scene of action himself. The athlete was confounded, for he was the criminal, and he passed out of the widow's life and entered the service of the State. The widow decided to marry the scientist, for she told one of her dearest friends: "Some people may think the professor is behind the times, but he certainly is a live wire when an emergency arises." THE OTHER HALF (Deo. 17).— According to men who have devoted years of study to the subject, there are three causes for abject poverty, one is sickness, another inability to obtain employment, and the third drink. Sometimes, and, in fact, very often, these three cases are combined. There are two ways used to remedy these conditions, one indiscriminate almsgiving, and the other organized charity. It is claimed, and with much reason, that the latter is the only effective cure. A laborer, who lived with his family in a New York tenement, was in better financial cond'tion than most of his associates. He had some money sa\'ed up, while most of his fel low workers literally lived from hand to mouth. Misfortune came upon the man, however, and as the result of an accident his arm was amputated. When he recovered and applied for his old position he was turned down because he was physically unable to perform the work. Desperate and hopeless he soon degenerated into a common drunken tramp, while his family were on the verge of actual starvation and his wife was very ill. Indiscriminate charity aided this man, but the coins that were tossed to him went for drink, and his family did not benefit. Then he came under the attention of organized charity and matters soon assumed a better aspect. Investigation was made, which developed that he was weak rather than worthless, and with proper encouragement might be expected to really reform. His sick wife and several of the children were taken to a country home run by organized charity, where they speedily regained their health and strength. The man secured work he could perform, the wife and eldest daughter were taught how to keep their home in order, and in a short time the family was again on its feet. Helping the other half to help themselves is work that has brought happiness to many persons w-ho seemed headed for the prison or the almshouse. ECLAIR WHEN AN OLD MAID GETS BUSY (Dec. 17). — Abigail is an old maid and a confirmed man hater. She carries her hatred to the extent of turning the faces of all the portraits of her male relatives to the wall. She is informed that she has fallen heir to an immense fortune. In her joy, she invites her old-maid man-hating friends to share her home with her. They come, each one bringing her pet — a cat, a dog, a parrot — aijd some even mice. These pets become intolerable and her life is made miserable. In her despair, she resolves to marry so as to get rid of the annoyance. She visits beauty parlors, arrays herself in gorgeous attire and has small photos of herself taken — six for 25 cents. At her first party, she gets busy by putting a photo inside the watch of a married man and one, also. ' in the watch of an engaged man. The discovery of these photos are productive of trouble to the respective victims. Abigail is found out, and confesses that being an heiress she was desirous of getting married. After the ladies concerned have given her a piece of their minds, she is left alone. Her maid brings her the cat she has discarded and she hugs it affectionately. And, once more, the portraits of her male relatives are turned to the wall. SEA ANEMONES (Life at the Bottom of the Sea) (Deo. 22). — In certain seas, the corals, madrepores or authozoaires form immense multi-colored forests. In the numberless species of zoophytes some are very curious to observe. For instance, the Asteria. or star-fish, which moves very slowly. The Acinia, commonly called the Sea Anemone, on account of its brilliant colors and its resemblance to that flower. In fact, the Sea Anemone, like the living coral, draws to itself, with its thousand tentacles, and by learned evolutions, the prey it ^ is seeking, then closes up as soon as the victim is within its grasp. Which is it — animated vegetation or animals which vegetate? On the same reel: AN UNFORESEEN EVENT.— Fickle and faithless — like all noblemen of his time — our Marquis even tries to make love to his pretty laundress, Margot. He dreams of making himself handsome to please her, and for that reason alone goes to the barber every day. Now pretty Margot has a lover who cannot endure the presence of a rival, even though he be rich and noble. The Marquis, one day, entrusts his valet. Lucre, to take to Margot a bouquet in which the following note is concealed: "My_ dear Margot: I will expect you this evening in the grove by the park." Unfortunately, Lucre meets the Marchioness on his way. She takes H9RR9ROFSIN ONE REEL SPECIALLITHOS AND THREE SHEETS ASK FOR IT In writing to advertisers please mention "MOVING PICTURE NEWS"