Picture Show (May-Oct 1920)

IS The Picture Show, May 15/7*, 1920. More Adventures Among the Cannibals. ON THE BORDERS OF CIVILISATION. By MARTIN JOHNSON. World's Famous Explorer and Photographer. CIVILISATION BY CINEMA. MY experience among the cannibals and natives of the South Sea Islands has impressed me with the belief that one of the greatest factors for spreading the benefits of civilisation is the cinema. With savages seeing is believing. You can teach them more in five minutes by showing thorn a thing than you could in a month by trying to explain it by words. You can get things home to a savage •much quicker through his eye than through his brain. As a matter of fact, they are wonderfully adaptable to visual teaching, and, in some respects, are quicker than their white brethren when it comes to picking up new ideas. To See is to Believe. ON my return visit to them — which I am arranging as I write these articles — I intend to carry films from the Western world, showing how the white man benefits by civilisation. These films will, of course, be carefully chosen, and will be progressive. There is only one way of teaching a native, and that is the slow but sure route. I feel confident that these films will help my good friends the missionaries as no other resource of civilisation can. If my efforts succeed, a I teel sure they will, " Civilisation by Cinema " will be another answer to the cranks who are always attacking the moving pictures. The one fear that the savages may think the pictures are faked can be got over by taking pictures of them in their own islands and showing them alternately with Western ones. If possible, I intend to run these pictures in pairs, in such a way that they will be forced to see the advantages of civilisation. Take, for instance, the making of a boat. I shall contrast on the, film the laborious method of the 6avage hollowing out the trunk of a tree with the quicker and more satisfactory system of modern boat-building. I shall, as far as possible, confine myself to showing the making of things used by savage and white men alike. One pair I think of running will demonstrate the different methods 6t "cooking a family dinner. The natives heat stones in a fire to get their initial heat, and when they see the modern method, of cooking by stove, they cannot fail to recognise the advantage of the white man's way. I feel that such advanced subjects as electricity and potrol power would be far beyond them for these first lessons, but I intend to be guided by the manner in which they receive the films. It may be that they will be quicker to grasp than I anticipate ; in which case I shall have all the material at my command to move with them. Since these ideas have come into my head I have thought that the subject is one which merits sxipport from the Governments of all civilised nations, but in the meantime I am quite happy in the thought that J shall be a pioneer in civilising the savage by the cinema. One thing is certain. I shall get some fun out of the job. I can picture the astonishment, not to say fear, of the natives when they seo a screen express apparently coming right on top of them. There will be a stampede to the doors then, but they will be sure to come" back, for one of the greatest characteristics of the savage is curiosity. Christianity, Justice, end Charity. IN many respects they are just children. Yon who are parents will know if you are trying to amuse the baby by playing a game — say imitating a bear with the hearthrug over you — the child may -at first be frightened, but in the end will come the little one's command : " Do it again." And so it is with savages. You must first get into their confidence, and you must treat them fairly. It is given to few nations to be colonisers in the best sense of the word. There have been empires founded on ' fear, but they have not lasted. If civilisation is to found a dominion in the South Sea Islands there must be the triple foundations of Christianity (in the fullest sense of the word), Justice, and Charity. (More about Martin Johnson's adventures with the Cannibals next week.) "MIRANDY SMILES." (Ca"«^.{wm someone might see her blushes caused Hose to run up the steps of the house. " I will let you know soon," she whispered. And the rector went on his way with a smile, for lie felt sure that Rose's answer would be " Yes." As Hose weHt to her room she saw the rector's surplice which she had been mending for Mrs. Judkins, and a thought struck her. " I will 6end my answer pinned to lus surplice." she said. Pitting down at her table, she wrote: " Two minutes ago you asked me a question. My answer is that 1 love you better than anybody in all the world." Tinning the note to the inside of the surplice, Ehe sent it round to Mrs. Judkins by her maid, Jceling certain that the rector would pet it. For the knew that was the day Mrs. Judkins sent back the laundry to the rectory. But, alas, for Rose White's romantic post I When the surplice got into Mrs Judkins's hands the note had become unfastened, and it slipped to the floor. There it was found some minutes Liter by Fido, who picked it up and tame trottina to Mrs. Judkins with it in his mouth. " It must have dropped out of that Mouse," said Mrs. Judkfns to herself, referring to a blouse that Miss White had given to Mirandy ; an 1 she put the letter in the inside pocket of the' Mouse. The next day, when Rose went to the church, she could not understand w hy the Rev. John Kenneth looked at her so stonily. He had not received her note, and his sensitive nature was hurt that she elrould not have even replied to his proposal. Rose could not understand his attitude, and could only think that he regretted pro|>osing to her. She was as proud as she was shy, and she would not for the world have asked him if he had received her letter ; and so began the misunderstanding between these two that gradually widened i:iu> a complete breach. And as troubles seldom come singly, bad luck fell on the Judkinses. Little Tommy" was struck down with scarlet fever, and the whole family were put into quarantine by the medical officer of health. That meant they could not do any washing, «nd Mrs. Judkins's meagre savings were' coon exhausted. Joe Tebh advanced some of his hardearned money to tide things over, and one dav Teddy Lawrence came with several dollars tlia't had been collected for Mirandy by the char ladies at the Opera House, to which he r.dded five dollars lrom his own pocket. " It's wonderful good of them and you to remember us raid Mn .i -1y " l think we must be a powerfully mil ifkj tiinwl), hut there's one good thing. If tho i. -i o; us do catch thefever, we can starve it, for v< ain't got nothing to cat." ft was Mirandy's smile that kept the family together in the dark days that followed. She acted as nurse to Tommy and general comforter to the " I don't know, what I should do without you, Mirandy," said her mother. " I wonder where you got that beautiful milk from ? " Mirandy flushed uneasily. " Pon't worry about the milk. mam. I got it honest enough to please St Mark himself." But in her heart Mirandy wondered what the rector would liave thought of the way she had got the milk She had sneaked out and taken it from a large, well-fed cat tliat was looking at the big dish disdainfully, probably because he had liad more than sufficient food already; and Mirandy, thinking of little Tommy crying out tor milk, had not hesitated to take it. " I'll give that cat something real nice when we get some money ! " she said to herself, to salve her conscience. But at last the day came when Tommy was declared to be cured, and the family. After being fumigated, were released from quarantine. And then Joe Tebb electrified the household with a bit of news he had been keeping back till brighter days had come. " I've fixed it with Anni» May to get married,' he said sheepishly. " Mr. Kenneth is going to marry us " " Ooh ! " cried M irandy. " A real wedding ! Can I be a bridesmaid. Joe ? " " Annie May wrote saying I was to ask you. Like me, she's aH alone in the world I was wondering Jle stopped abruptly and looked at Mrs. Judkins. " I know what you mean, Joe," said that lady. " You can have my house for the wedding, an' welcome. There should be two bridesmaids, though '" Bhe went on reflectively. * Little Susie wouldn't do ; she's too young." "I know mam!" cried MiranTlv. "We'll nsk Miss White. She'll be glad to be a 'bridesmaid with me." Sirs. Judkins and Joe Tehh protested against the idea of a lady like Miss White being asked to be a bridesmaid at a i>oor man's wedding, but Mirandy would not listen, and ran off to Miss White. That lady felt a little choking sob come into her throat as Mirandy told her the news. She had honed that the first wedding she would be present at would be her own, but she readily consented to act as bridesmaid. '' And I'll get you a dress, Mirandy," she said. " so that we can both be dressed in white." In the excitement that came with the preparations for the wedding, the trouble over the scarlet fever was forgotten. Mirandy was in the seventh heaven of delight. To be a real bridesmaid in a real white dress was a dream she had dreamed many times, but had never dared to hope it would come to pass. The bride came to the Judkinses on the morning of the wedding, and it was while she was talking to Annie May in her bedroom that Miranda experienced her first unhappy feeling since the scarlet fevtr eptodc. " 1 ain't got no white dress to be married in, Mirandy." said the bride. " Vou see, I knew Joe was saving tliat hard to buy the farm that T did not care to spend the money on a wedding dress. I thought it was just going to be a plain wedding." Mirandy's heart went out to the bride without a white wadding diess, and her eyes filled with tears. " I'm so sorry, Annie May ! " she said. " Von could liave mine il ii would fit you, because Miss Rose wouldn't mind . but it would be much too small for you." Then her face brig! i~-icd. "I know!" she cried. "I'll lend you a white blouse Mi«s Rose gave me. It's all beautiful lace. It will make a lovely wedding dress." She rushed to the wardrobe and got out the blouse, and as she handed it to Aunie May she saw the note. Mirandy's mother came in at that moment, and the sight of the note brought back recollection. " I reckon that note belongs to the rector." she said. " Miss Rose was asking me the other, day something about a note. You'd better take it to the rectory at once, Mirandy." And in this wry the misunderstanding lictwecn Rose and her lover wa< healed, for the Rev. John Kenueth lost no time in seeing Rose White and exnlaining matters. It was a happy party tliat sat down to the wedding breakfast. The ructor and Rose White gave away their secret by their smiling faces, and Teddy Law renee, as he looked at Mirandy. realised that the friendly leeling he had had tor the " littlest cliar lady," as they calted her at the theatre, had ripened into love. ■ But it was more good news that changed Mirandy's smiles to tears. Mrs. .Indian had been nursing a, surprise tor her daughter . ,Z' The insurance company had paid her a sum of two hundred dollars that had been in dispute for a long time. An' I've put the money into flic .Toe Tebb's farm, Mirandy, an' we're all going to live there," she explained. To her surprise, Mirar.dy burst Into tears and rushed from the room. " It's the good news that's upset her." said Mrs. Judkins. " She's crying because she's so happy." But Mrs. Judkins was wrong She would have understood, could she -have heard Mirandy sobbing out her grief to Teddy Lawrence. '" I don't want to live in the country ! " she wa* saying, between her sobs. " If I live in the country I -in 'i i be able to hear you play the big org;:n. and I shan't be able to go to church nor the «•;•••> * house 1 " " Don't cry, Miranda." said flic young musician " I heard Miss White and the rector talking about fending you to school, and when you liave finished — well, never mind. 1 shall have something to say to you, then ! " And Mirandy understood. (Adapted from incidents in the ParamountArtcraft photo-play, featuring Vivian Martin as Mirandy.)