The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-03-30
MYSTIFIEO BY THE
MOVING PICTURES


Those who have watched with inter
est the moving picture scene put ON ct
bis exhibitions by V. X. Boniue "
number ~ little boys and dog doing
n toh0ggan stunt with NJ leaves will
remember that ut one stage Of the pic.
tute one Vt the utchins while dragging
himself up the slippery grass goes
pouf aud disappears. Those who are
nlarc on moving pietures seek no res.
son for the disappearance, but 1t was
different when this film was shown last
week 10 the people nj Kalaupapa. IL
seemed 20 be impossible for Mr.. Bo-
nine TO explain that at that particular
place in the film be had had TO chop
ont a piece This explanation was
listened TO, still the question came,
I" But where did the little boy go tot
We saw him start mp the hill; then hc
disappeared, IL il kahunaf"
Mr.. Bonnie returned from the Settle
ment on Saturday and is as delighted
at the way he was received there and
the intense enthusiasm the pictures ere
ated as the reports from the Settle
ment say the people there are at hav-
ing had the man with them who makes
the pictures that do things. 1huHy
ut would be impossible to tell YOU
in any satisfactory way how the pic
lures were received says Mr.. Boz
nine. "The first day i was there the
people serenaded me with their band
and assured me in word and action
that / was great man. Then, long
before dark, the people started to
gather for the show in front of the
screen that had been put up beside the
pol-house and laundry. They We'd with
each other to see who should be near
est the canvas. Those who could sit
on benches had them provided and for
Others, disabled, mats had been spread
on the ground. i had it explained that
the pictures could be seen better if the
people sat further away from the
screen, and many of them shifted back.
1T was barely dark when / turned
on the electricity and threw the first
picture on the screen. This was the
landing scene at Laupahoehoe. There
was moment or two of dead silence
when the crowd saw the surging wa
ter, then, as the boat was rowed into
| sight from the steamer, shout went
up that rose in round after round of
cheering through the early part of the
| ply unable to cheer any more. 1t was
great tribute to the pictures shown
and an eloquent expression of thanks
to those who had helped secure the
moving picture machine for the people
of the Settlement.
after / had been showing the pic
lures short while it began to blow
and rain. | was protected and under
shelter, but those who watched were
outside. l suggested calling the show
off for the evening, but this was met
with great shout to go on, and |
turned on reel after reel, until late
into the night, the people watching
spellbound and paying no attention to
the rain that fell and soaked them.
1.-The pictures that made the great
est hit were those of Hawaii. These
the people could understand and appre-
ciate to the fullest. / showed them
all had and then ran some of the
scenes over and over again. The
trick pictures puzzled them and did
not seem to be SO popular, although
they watched them intently Just the
same There was not the spontaneous
enthusiasm over them, however. as
there was over the scenes of things
they knew.
@ At the first show, when ] was run
ming the picture of the old woman
from the Lunalilo Home, the smoking
picture, the noise was very great. but
above all the cheering was shrill
command from one old woman in the
audience for the rest to, 'l1ulikuli. ,
Superintendent McVeigh explained to
me afterward that she wanted the
crowd to keep sin so she could hear
what the woman on the screen was
saying.
Nothing that have ever done has
given me the satisfaction that | have
in having been able to give the people
of the Settlement the pleasure they re-
} ceived from watching those pictures
, night after night during my two weeks
among them.''
F, Mr.. BONNIE states that the people at
, the Settlement are busy rehearsing the
: speeches they are going to make to
the Legislators who are to visit MololSai
}, on Sunday next. One of the things
t they are going to ask for is a building
for their moving picture shows.
a --.s-t-s.-