Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-15

beings taken at regular intervals we're
made in 1877.
Another story is told OF the first mo-
tion picture ever made i'm America.
Lyman II Howe, "A producer Of ami
mated scenes. declares he found the
evidence that makes America the scene
Of the making of the first moving pic
ture.
AS with many important things that
have made humanity wonder. the birth
OF the moving picture was an accident
The story Of just how wager was
made between the Governor Of CALI
fornia, Leland Stanford, and d friend
as to whether a horse ever has four
legs off the ground at the same mo
ment while running is now the i'm
pcrtant link in Mr.. Howe's record
which completes the history of th,.
moving pictures beginning. This was
in 1872.
Edward Muy bridge. WHO answered tho
question by an experiment an photog-
raphy, brought moving pictures into eN-
istence at the same time Muybr.dge Wa
in charge of the general pilot ographic
survey of the Pacific coast of California.
He an EneliShman born at kings
ton-on-Thames i'm 1880. and had come 20
America at an early age. He was asked
To settle the point. NJ the executive
Palo Alto ranch the manner Of operation
of four-footed animals in their various
gait. was made the subject. unconscious-
~ to Muybridge himself, of the mrs.
moving picture experiment.
Twenty-four cameras were placed In
line to cover each NOV emeni of a horse
and rider. The camera shutters were
moved hy connecting pieces of STRING.
which the animal broke as he passed.
The strings were stretched across the
path of the animal as he approached the
hurdle. jumped and ran on. The Re-
suit was a series of pictures show IN :
each movement of the horse. 1t scttl i
the argument, and caused Muybridgn to
think of what an important thing ~
would he to present the photos in mo-
lion.
To do this Muy bridge copied the meta
cd familiar ia those who remember the
toy known aS the ''Zoetropc." This toy WAS
a pasteboard cylinder with Sits i'm the
upper section. and when il reNolVed rapid
lv il reproduced drawing anparentlN II
motion No photos ever had been used in
ii. the effect resulting. for instance. from
a series of sketches made from the mag
nation OF man Chopping wood. each
movement of the man. from lifting the
AK TO its descent. having been drawn
separately. but acting as whole when
the zcetroyc reYoiNcd.
:.
To reproduce the effect upon a screen,
Using photographs WAS mechanical
feat Which was nnailE conquered. The
movements of the horse being shown.
but background MuyDridgc proved
by this that the conventional drawings
made previously % = horse in motion
were wrong. as the horse did not use his
feet and legs in the way the artists had
represented them. and that. except in
jumping. no animal ever had all fits feet
off the ground at one time.
This was before tie Introduction al the
rapid photography had been developed
MuyDridge lived to see the wonderful
moving PICTURES OF today. He must
have enjoyed the development % his
crude idea in general lines rather than
confined 10 the study of animals. Edward
Nuybridge died in 1894 at his home in
England. He left with the officials Of
the community and his friends the photo
graphs and much of The apparatus used
in his experiments.
One who now secs moving picture re-
productions. vivid scenes OF real life that
seem an open window through which the
man i'm the theater i'm his home city may
view the manner of living of huma nifty
on the other side of the globe. and NAV
witness news events often more com
pletely than If he had been at the places
depicted. has much To be thankful for. it
seems, in the argument in California in
1877 and the judge who found something
big in his methods OF decision.
copyright. 1911. 10y William l.. Altdorfcr)