El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-19

m HE increasing popularity or mo-
ton pictures is due in no small
degree to the growing recognition
of their value as an instrument for both
direct and indirect instruction. The
chief function Of the acknowledgement at
this time Is to amuse, but yet motion
pictures designed and exhibited solely
for amusement have actually a potent
educational influence.
Even the cheapest moving picture
theaters. those that display an unusual
" large proportion OF comic pictures,
two or three times a week put on reels !
of travel pictures. The amusement az
forded by such pictures is Intellectual,
and the result of looking at them is to
increase ones stock Of knowledge.
Fiction in Moving Pictures.
The increasing Use of standard fiction
as a basis for photoplays also has a re-
markabIe effect One school teacher
took the trouble to investigate the re-
suits of the display IN half dozen
moving picture theaters IN small
western city of a photoplay based on
The Tale Of Two Cities she Iouno
that a large proportion Of the patrons
of the shows never before had neard OF
Dickens or his masterpiece Most OF
play, and during the week the reel was
displayed and the following week Jne
book stores Of the town reported ne
Tale of Two Cities" as the best sell
err" The immortal heroes Of the works
of Homer, Shakspere, Dante, Goethe,
Dickens, Thackery, and scores or olner
great writer's have been revealed 10
hundreds of thousands of persons VINO
never would have known Of them DuL
for the five cent moving picture snow
While such films are prepared prlmaIl-
~ TO amuse, Indirectly they instruct
The use of moving pictures Tor dlrecL
instruction is increasing rapidly OF
the past two years patrons Of the mo-
ton pictures In France nave oeen IN
voluntary subscribers 90 weekly NOV
ing picture newspaper reel showing
in motion pictures from five to u Inn
pOrtant events Of the week gathered
from all over Europe This feature mas
lately been transplanted to the united
States, a Weekly being issued by the
American branch of French film man
ufacturing concern The American com
DetitOrs of this house Immediately took
up the idea in modified form, until
now almost every moving picture thea
ter runs new pictures at least once
week
supply Lecturers With Pictures.
The general film distributing agency
of the licensed film makers has es-
tablished an educational department
which undertakes to furnish lecturers
school teachers social workers anu
/
an evenings motion picture entertain
ment covering any desired subject IN
natural science, physical science &c
ographv historical subjects, travel or
literature. Films designed for such pur-
poses are also placed on the genera
market
one educational film that has proved
popular in the five cent theaters SHOWS
the advance in agricultural implements
and methods of cultivation from the
primitive pillow made of pointed stick
and the hand sickle still IN use III
Egypt to the great steam gang plOWs
and motor reapers and thresners OF the
northwestern plains Of America
Another popular educational film was
entitled ''Bob's Aicroscope-' Bob rs
the son Of college pIoLesSOL
who gives him a microscope and shows
him how to use 10. The film picture IS
transferred from the boy to the IelQ
Of the microscope and many WonderIul
things are shown The working OF yedsl
in drop of ale, the minute animal lie
in a certain kind Of cheese, enlarged
until they appear like Holsters ana
, crabs, make the boy shudder to think or
what monsters he may have eaten The
I perpetual action going on in growing
seaWeed; the flow of blood In tad
poles tail (by the way, the first photo
graph ever taken Of blood In clrcula-
tiOn), the development Of life I'm decay
! ing vinegar, and the action Of salt dis
solving in water, are some Of the inter
esting things that Bob sees through the
I
sons have seen these pictures who prob
ably never would have the opportunity
I to see microscopic life In any other
way.
Films Illustrating the dangers OF neg
leCt and proper methods OF care OF the
/ teeth are being prepared in response
I to a demand voiced by the National
Dental association 1t is planned TO use
/ these films in the public schools.
| Teachers and social workers who nave
/ been working TO combat the white
plague of tuberculosis and for the de-
struction Of the typhoid carrying fly
I have found the moving picture power
/ ful ally. The white plague films, show
ing the ravages Of tuberculosis ana
how to combat the disease as Well as
! how to prevent it, have been shown all
over the country and In this way many
/ persons have been reached who never
would have paid any attention TO mere
lecturers The famous lily him, pre-
pared under scientific direction, has re-
suited in enormous additions 20 the
army of fly swatters.
The church is beginning TO use NOV
/ ing pictures for the propagation OF the
/ gospel. Missionary workers seeking
I funds to be used for the support of for
( eign missions have found moving pic
lures to be the most convincing argu-
ment they have ever had. Missionary
/ societies in churches all over the cOun-
I try have had their zeal renewed by ac-
/ tually seeing the daily life of the peo-
niCkels are donated.
As Used In Philippines.
In the Philippines the school teachers
at work among the savage tribes Of
/ central LuzOn never were able by oral
I instruction to impress upon their wards
I the meaning of civilization until they
brought the moving picture into use
Z Then, by teaching the eye instead of the
I ear, they were able TO do as much work
I in a week as they had hitherto done in
I two months in bringing the savages TO
| realization Of the advantages of cleanll-
ness, the manual arts, and other prl-
mary benefits OF civilization.
The interest manifested in education
al films by the general public is little
I less than remarkable. With a few eN-
ceptions, such as the Roosevelt African
{ pictures. the most popular films ever
put in the moving picture shows in this
! country were those showing the work
/ on the Panama canal. Where an Ordi-
nary comic phOtOplay is run once and
/ is forever dead, as far as that particular
! theater is concerned, the canal pictures
/ were recalled and recalled, sometimes as
many as 10 times 20 one five cent the
ater
Pictures Used in Capitol.