The Daily Missoulian., 1911-10-21

Now that, In the, main, the church
and social workers have determined
to help uplift the motion picture and
to use It as an instrument for good
rather than to oppose and antagonize
1t, not so much Is heard from these
quarters In opposition to the movies"
as they are known among the street
gamins
Much more serious, in strictly
business way, Is the enmity of the re-
tail liquor dealers, who have. in some
cities, .harassed and hampered the
moving picture exhibitors by the use
OF political influence. The saloons
object to moving pictures because the
theaters now get nickels that used to
go for beer The workingman who
formerly was wont n repair after his
supper to 1.-THE poor mans club" to
drink two or three glasses of beer.
now takes his wife and child and goes
to the moving picture show. There
can be no doubt but what the wife
and child approve the change.
Another feature, of new but rapid
development. wherein the moving pic
ture Is worsting the saloons in COM
day rest. The lunch hour Is now a
rush hour for the moving picture the
aters In down town districts. man
who has 20 or 80 minutes to loaf dur
ing the lunch hour now drops into
moving picture show where he actual
ly rests and Is amused and enter
tained. Formerly he walked about the
streets. stood on the corner and often
drank glass or two of beer partly
because he lust had to have some
thing to do"
| Perhaps the moving picture show
finds its greatest assurance of the
future In It's Inherent democracy. It
! s the most democratic form Of en-
tertainment ever known. A newspaper
man. standing. In front Of a certain
5-ccnt theater bn Pennsylvania avenue
In washington. once saw a justice OF
the supreme court of the United
States. q United States senator, an
Italian street laborer, n Chinese laun-
dryman. and a street ear conductor go
into the show In the order named.
The newspaper man followed. This
particular supreme court justice
formed the moving picture habit be-
cause he was importuned by his o.
year -old granddaughter to take her
to see the pictures. He did 1t once
and became regular"
The Pennsylvania avenue incident
is duplicated. In essentials. daily in
thousands Of moving picture shows
throughout the United States. Mo-
ton pictures appeal alike to young
and old, to the cultured and the crude,
to the educated and the ignorant: In
short. to all sorts and conditions Of
men. If those who are responsible
for the course taken in the commercial
control of the business will hut recog-
nize their obligation to society as well
as their opportunity to make money
they will so order the character OF
the films placed on the market as to
increase their patronage. and. at the
same time. disarm their enemies. The
future of the moving picture business
depends upon the wisdom of the NOV.
ing picture men.
Thus far the future of the moving
picture has been considered only II
its relation to its amusement anf
business features. What will be Tho
use of moving pictures as instrument.
of instruction and as historical rec.
ords cannot be surmised. Already tn,
great museums of the world ar,
storing away In their vaults for tn,
future generations reels of film.
showing in moving pictures the grea
events of our time.
1t has been proposed that In tn,
public schools of the city of New
York every lesson in geography shal
be accompanied by moving pictur,
illustrations to fix in the mind of TIN
pupil the actual characteristics of tn,
country about which he Is studying
1t was argued In support of this plar
; that the use of moving pictures II
school would at once and forever pu
an end to that classic amusement o
boyhood known az playing hooky."
These are but suggestions. Th,
moving picture. as we know 1t, is onl,
15 years old. and IL 1t shall accom-
plish half as much In the next l!
years as It has in the past. 1t vii
go far beyond the imagination of tn,
} world OF 1911.
TomorrOW-poultry Rutter ant