The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1910-04-08
Teaching by photography


ceived certain limited recognition.
But it is equally apparent that the
art may be adapted to giving in.
structon in any branch Of learning
Which demands action or motion.
The teaching Of history is one Of the
latest developments Of photography.
1t is production of the Caumont
company, the film being entitled
The Battle of Austerlitz. The
plan followed is that of throwing on
the screen not successive pictures Of
an event of action, but successive
charts on which are represented, for
instance, the movements Of armie
during an engagement.
The history Of great battles has
been written with care from docu-
ments furnished by the various gen.
eral stats and by eyewitnesses. The
battles of Napoleon |, are notably
the subjects Of numerous documents
in the archives Of the French Minis
try Of War, which still serve for the
instruction Of French and foreign
officers. The study Of one Of these
great contests, which often spread
over very great extent of territory,
is long and detailed; the student
must map out in thought, at different
m oments of the day, the emplace-
ment Of bodies Of troops, must follow
the movements Of each, deduce the
elects produced by the enemy's
troops or by encounters with them,
etc. If an observer, placed at very
great height, say in an airship, could
have taken moving picture Of one
OF these great battles what a means
Of instruction such document would
have been for military schools! But
what could not have been done, and
will never be done directly, may be
artihcially produced; and moto-
& aphic projections thus obtained
,nstitute very modern method OF
instruction, at once precise, rapid
and fascinating.
1t is interesting to examine the
process by which the makers pro-
d ice films on which bodies Of troops
are seen to move, attack, retreat and
reform. The technique is similar to
that Of trick pictures. For example,
picture will show a box of matches
on the screen; it opens and match
jumps out and stands up by itself;
another follows and stands by the
first, and third places itself across
the others, forming a letter H.
Little by little, an entire word is
formed, or sometimes a geometrical
figure. The process is simple. On
a horizontal table, above which
moving picture camera has been
vertically arranged, is placed the
closed Matchbox, and then one turn
is given to the handle Of the appara-
tus; thus we have on the film series
OF several images of the box. 1t is
opened half way, and another series
of images is obtained; then it is
opened wide for the next series.
Then match is taken out halfway
then completely; it is placed sue
cessively in all the positions that it
must occupy in order to stand finally
in the chosen place; in each new po-
slton a turn Of the handle is made,
taking series Of images in that par
ticular position. So at length all
the matches, one after the other,
form the desired word or figure.
1t may be easily understood that
this succession Of images, when pro.
Jected on the screen, will reproduce
the illusion Of matches going by
themselves from the box to their
several positions.
Such a film requires a very long
time for its preparation-the longer
as the illusion is to be the more CON-
plete and when consequently the
successive positions, photographed
separately, are to be nearer together.
1t is this principle that has been
utilized by Gaumont in representing
the movements of troops at the
battle of Austerlitz. The technical
data were given from works of Com
mandant Colin, known for his
special studies of the battles of the
First Empire. His indications have