Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-09
LUBIN, MOVIE KING,
BUSINESS GENIUS,
YET AN ALTRUIST
Amazing Growth of Estab-
lishment in Last Is Years.
Statistics Show Vogue of
Photo-play.

This Is the story of the King of the
Movies. 1t Is a story Of hard work, in
ventlve genius, pluck and perseverance.
1t tells of the rise Of siegmund Lubln
from a little opticians store In Eighth
street between Market and Chestnut, to
the head Of the Lubin Manufacturing
Company, In 1S years. And here be II
stated that the same Siegmund Lubln Is
now worth some 10 or II million dollars,
ell made in the manufacture of moving
picture films.
"He took life as he found IT, applies
literally to Lubin-both in the actual and
the Photographic sense. Eighteen years
ago he Nisuallzed a horse eating hay and
caused sensation and some patent-in-
fringlng suits on behalf of Thomas A.
Edison. Then he pictured the Corbett-
Fitzsimmons fight and made money and
he has adhered to the latter habit since.
But there is much of the altruist In
Jublns makeup. He Is not content to
keep his money Some men collect post
age stamps; others gather curios and
paintings. Dubin gamers the affections
Of those who work for him. Go out to the
big plant at goth street and Indiana ave-
nue. and ask any one employed there. Go
to Betzwood, near Valley Forge and ask
there. 1t will be the same story.
WORLDS LARGEST MOVIE" FAC
TORY.
The two plants of the Lubin Company
constitute the largest moving picture
mandatory in the, world. The business
fs valued at six or seven million dollars
which isn't much when you say 1t fast
About 100000 feet Of film are turned out
weekly. The payroll is $1,000 a day. The
employees number 1000 The property at
Betzwood is worth about s2,5C0,OOO
There 1t Is in a nutshell, but not the
romance of the thing; the struggle to at
tain success; the work-the executive
ability and brains. Defeated in his orig
tnal attempt to produce movies, after the
Edison Company had won its patent suits,
Lubin started all over again. His knowl-
edge OF optometry stood him in good
stead and naturally blessed with mechan-
ical ability, he managed to wrest success
from lnanimate things.
Then came the beginning of his real
career as movie producer He start
ed the Lubn plant on Indiana avenue
small at first, but growing almost daily.
Soon he became factor In the movie
world and prosperity came to him in
leaps and bounds. His business grew
and doubled and trebled. To the fur
thermost ends of the world Philadelphia
made films went to spread the fame of
Lubln broadcast
But Lubin never forgot that his en-
ployes were human beings. Work hard /
and necessarily they did, but they were
well paid and better trea ed. Injury and
ill-health did not stop pay. Lubin footed
doctor and hospital bills. Lubin sent suf
ferers to better climes. Lubln took care
of his children"
One day the estate of Betz, the brewer.
two miles from Nnlef Forge cam nto
the market It was one OF the most beau
al fn Of
nifcent wooded and pasture land. wi h
splendid buildings with streams and
hooks and babblng brooks. Luhin paid |
$780, 900 for II and straightway erected a |
modern factory building, installed an i'm
mense studio and promptly staged the
soldiers, lent by the Government, and
1000 eupernumerari II e.. m sS5J q /
day for a week, but he had pictured the |
greatest battle scene ever shown on a
screenl
Betzwood is open to public inspection
any day In the week. See for yourself
what the genius OF LubIn has done. Note
the 100 heao % fns tHe d !
COWS, the homing pigeons. the ducks.
the bronchos-even an aeroplane is there.
And note too the happy looks of the
employees. for happier family It would
be difficult to find
GROWTH OF THE MOVIES
Since Lubin began his career the NOV
ing picture business has grown to amsz-
ing proportions. There are some 10000
moving picture houses In The United
States, with a daily Tendance OF bl0,-
600 The annual impost extracted from
willing public amounts TO s275.0O0,OO0
There is 1900 invested In manufac-
turing plants, $5O0O0,OOO In Aims. sI25,-
600, 900 in the movies theatres. More than
200, 100000 feet of films were made last
year-400O0 miles, or nearly enough to
reach twice around the world.
"REEL" FELLOWS MEET.
The Reel Fellows Club of this city have
arranged to make their headquarters for
the present at the Franz Schubert Club.
1416 Arch street. The club is composed OF
men prominent in the photoplay field In
this city. The organization will give a