Las Vegas optic., 1914-09-29
THE MOST novel
MOVIE HOUSE
IN WORLD
NEW MExIco's EXHIBIT AT SAN
DIEGO TO CONTAIN SOME
STRIKING FEATURES

er that the appellation is correct
Unique? Why? In the first place
the massive structure is a church,
cathedral, not an ordinary sanctuary
either. for it is replica of the more
than 300 years old Franciscan mis-
sion church on the famous Rock OF
Acoma, church combining with 1t
a convent and having also the char
acter of a fort and castle. From
the mission church at Cochiti a feat
ure is taken, balustraded portico,
for embelnshment to break the Sc
yeritv of the exterior outline. There
it stands. an echo of the days of THE
Conuuerors, who won the southwest
for the crown of Spain. Admired by
all who see it, distinct from every
other type of building on the great
exposition grounds, it is a building
whose creation is hailed as an archl-
tectural and artistic triumph.
ne NCW MSNlNS 'eaSN
This then is the motion picture
house 1t is unique also because IL
is the first motion picture house ever
built by one of the great common
wealths of the United States 1t has
the sanction of the state legislature,
the governor, the exposition commits
sion. 1t embodies the so-called New
Mexico idea," an adaptation of the
motion picture film to a comprehen-
sive plan of advertising not only the
states resources but also it's beauties.
The idea" came from the resource
full brain of Colonel Ralph E, Twitch-
ell, president of the exposition COM
mission.
Let us send our biggest pumpkin
TO the exposition" is the first thought
of the farmers when speaking of an
exposition. No" replied Colonel
Twitchell. Let us show the visitors
to the exposition your farm, your
home, your orchards, your stock, your
surroundings, your schools, your
churches, your every day and your
holiday life, That will bring the
home seeker, the capitalist, the tour.
ist" There is only one way to dc
this and it was done. The motion
picture machine got to work and lc
and behold, New Mexico farms and
farmers, orchards and fruit raisers
stock growers and stock ranches will
pass daily review, as if by magic, be
fore the astonished eyes of the visit
ors to the New Mexico building, fol
the grand auditorium has been trans
formed into a motion picture theater
At former expositions New Mexico
coal industry was represented, per
haps by huge lump of coal. At San
Diego the motion picture machine will
show the colleries, the coal seams
| the modern camps equipped with the
latest in machinery, safety devices
well built homes.
Similarly, the cattle, sheep, Angors
goat ranges and ranches will pass il
review in the most graphic form pos
sible. In former years, when these
important industries had any repre-
sentation at an exposition at all il
was through a few animals in evi
smelling stock pens or by means o.
charts with dry statistics, where the
fact that New Mexico pastures si1
million sheep did not make near the
impression that the picture Of flocl
of two thousand sheep grazing peace
fully on the plains will make.
Thus the cities and towns, the cliff
dwellings and Indian villages, the
very life history and achievements o
the people of the state will be pre-
sented-beautifully, artistically, con
sistently, comprehensively. Indian
| dances, folk festivals, patriotic cele
brations, professions by bright. hap
py school children, maneuvers of the
national guard, county fairs. political
and educational conventions, every
feature that will demonstrate to the
outside world that New Mexico rs g
good land in which to dwell, work and
invest, will pass on the screen.
New Field for Films
The motion picture is taken out oi
commercialism and becomes purely
artistic, educational. It opens a new
field of vast usefulness to the maker
of films. 1t is the New Mexico idea
applied to the use of the state and its
people.
1t was difficult to make the great
motion picture houses understand the
possibilities of the idea and the New
Mexico commission therefore had to
organize its own company which
erected its own laboratory at Santa
Fe. the capital of the state; purchas
led the most modern equipment and