The Washington herald., 1909-06-13

New York. June E.-While baseball IN
doubtedly deserves its title as the na-
tionaI sport OF America. II IS far from
being the most popular OF our national
amusements. That position. II figures
Of attendance are accepted as the de-
termining standard. belongs 70 the NOV
ing picture show which. IS a result of
the craze that has carried II over the
country. daily entertains more persons
than any other form of public diversion
ever devised
While 100000 persons paid admission
20 baseball games in the record-breaking
season Of 1905 the moving picture show
draws an audience Of A000000 daily. a
total attendance OF more than billion a
year or an average OF one visit a month
10 this form Of amusement for every
man. woman and child IN the whole
country. This is a vastly larger attend
ance than the regular theaters ever have
been able 20 draw.
Already This infant industry has de-
veloped TO a point where S5o.coa000 is in
vested in it and 7.010 moving picture
houses are scattered over the country
OF the larger cities. Chicago has al pres
El-L -la Ll-oAAAE lllAAAG 1lLlAe anu NArA~
ably viii have go before the end Of the
present year. Kew York has go; s.
Louis DO: Philadelphia. 1ss. san Fran
cisco. I2l. Pittsburg. q. and Boston. 81.
Hundreds OF smaller cities and towns
have from one 20 dozen and the craze
has extended 20 Mexico. Central and
South America and the Panama Canal
izone.
An Enormous Business
Nearly 100000 feet. OF 10 miles. OF
films are shown every day in the United
States. At the average rate of speed
D fourteen -s5f,sr-te. pictures pass the eve
r every second that the machine Is in no
j ton, so that every day the public sees
D more than l5.Oa0Oo0,oeo separate photo
. graphs The making of these Aims IS IN
itself an enormous business The orgs7i-
{ zation which controls them not Only las
! agents photographing scenes in every
I part OF the world. but also maintains
s theaters and Out-Of-dOor establishments
k where complete plays and al sorts q
$ other activities are presented before the
/ camera
T. But the most significant and interest
s ing phase Of the moving picture show IS
Z the national amusement Is the revoiutiou
j. il has brought about in providing enter
e tainuent for the masses al their very
d doors. ID 10 very recently the rheaters
r were as a rule segregated in certain sec
ti0ns OF the large cities Cities such as
s New York. Chicago. Philadelphia. and
I others among the largest ones, cover
;, such areas that the working people had
O little or no time after returning from
their days work 20 travel 10 a distant
part Of the city for recreation Besides
il was expensive. To a man who has
70 support a faniiy on small earnings.
every nickel counts and carfare Is a Sc
n rious consideration
Shows Come TO Them.
% Instead Of the millions Of these people
= having 10 go 10 the moving picture show.
% II has come 10 them In every neighbor-
. hood in the large cities moving picture
- shows have been established IN the
. swarming sections OF the East Side and
i other districts IN New York City there
< are many Of them. They are really fam
o iIy theaters: they are most numerous in
) the thickly populated parts ef the city
r This ease OF access makes them Tery
h convenient and popular; from enc 20 a
Y dozen are to be found within a short
walk CT almost any part OF any OF The
e larger cities. The moving picture ex-
hibitor does not have 70 go 10 TIE ex-
= pense OF constructing a theater- His
: equipment IS so simple that all that is
necessary is 10 rent a store or han. 10
!. comply with FIRE regulations and 70 orna-
" ment il ineUpensively- The cost is insiE-
uifcant conpared 20 that OF euuIpplng
!, the regulation type Of theater. while the
" charge Of nickel or a dime brings
within the reach of millions OF persons a
a form OF entertainment which formerly
they could not afford
This is a very different situation from
that of FIVE or six years ago, when NOV
-i ing pictures. as a means Of amusing the
: public were taken up grudCingly ard
p rather contemptuOusly by the vaudeville
p managers. These managers introduced
them in their theaters simply as "hilers-
II in or ~chasers." They were used either
le in filing up the gap between the regular
vaudeville acts OF as a means of chasing
IS out the audience at such intervals as The
lt management decided that the crowd had
2 received its moneys worth OF amusement.
Growing in Public Favor.
!, The moving picture show kept growing
and growing in public favor Il could bs
d. produced az cost bringing 81 within ths
" reach OF the p0cketbook OF The American
Y masses. Shows could be established AZ
= comparatively inexpensive outlay. and
continuous performances given at an ad-
.- mission fee OF Eve or ten cents The con-
N sequence has been that within the last
s. year al least thousand theaters in the
he United States. which formerly made an
exclusive specially OF vaudeville. have
been forced 10 abandon that style q
amusement and have taken Up moving
pictures. Where. hut q year OF two ago
x vaudeville in these theaters was the I'M
he portant feature. and moving picture
,- scenes incidental. the condition IS now
!. reversed. II a remnant OF vaudeville re-
mains X is merely confined 20 singer or
two who carols an accompaniment 10
u pathetic or humorous picture thrown
70 upon the screen
i II rs because the moving picture show
has become 50 firmly established as a na-
~ tiOnai Institution Of amusement for Tie
IN masses. that movements are under way
e ia many cities 70 improve the quality ~
the pictures shown To Is now fully real
is ized what an immense influence for good
sh CT eyil the moving picture show can Re
r. made 10 be. Some Of these movements
proceed from. public-spirifed citizens and
{. organizations, others come from some II
III the leading 6lm manufacturers them
selves. There has been such a tre-
mendous demand for pictures that nat
Erally some og the subjects dealt with
have been Of a dem0raiizing character.
er while others have been pure fakes. The
re leading manufacturers Of Aims. however
IL have realized the danger 70 their bush