The Washington times., 1914-10-10
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Io1o School Children
Can Help Build
Up Exhibitors
Business.

brand new idea for enlisting
Z aid of the school children in
,ilding up the business of a NOV
4 picture theater has been
aunched and II it is worked in
C junction with the mothers
iC "a that was advanced by this
paper some months ago. II would
Sc en- TO be a winner. 1t will be
r membered that suggestion was
n ade that some exhibitor should
& ke the mothers club Of his neigh
bNrhood into his confidence as to
tie kinds of plays he would pro-
ice and enlist their help in build
! 3irg up patronage. The interest
G the mothers clubs in the pic
res is growing and several Of
lem have committees appointed
L look after the moving picture
houses in their neighborhoods.
nese mothers clubs are becom-
Ing big factors in the school
management nowadays and are
ranching out into other fields
that affect the daily life Of their
children. The mothers have found
"a " properly DTlHS up lnelT
1 illoren they must interest them
Z. ives in the things that interest
The children.
here is nothing that so inter
ests children as moving pictures
d IL is to the interest of the
Il gthers to see that the shows their
ildren patronize are the right
= Ids of shows for them to see.
erefore the interest of the moth
the n
I rest overtures were made to at
: st one exhibitor last spring to
/ liZe his house for the produc-
I n OF programs that would meet
IN the entire approval of the
others. A little difficulty was
perienced here-much more diff
/ Ulty than the mothers under
Dod and much more than can be
perienced again, under the i'm
owed conditions for obtaining
/ rtures. The exhibitor now is in
much better position to work
: TINS scheme than he has ever
en- before 1t is not unreasonable
10 suppose, therefore. that before
J. any weeks have passed there will
D. several enterprising exhibitors
" 10 will see the business value of
J. uniting the mothers to help
en- with their programs and will
y .lunteer the use Of their theaters.
The new plan, which is to work
{ onS with the mothers club idea,
j. now being tried out in Hopkins
e. KY. by the manager of the
k"N theater, and up to date he has
had great success. 1t will be re-
Uembered that some months ago we
Eave in this column the result of
an. investigation made by a school
'eaeher as to whether her pupils
y re more interested in pictures
tHan they were in their lessons.
She had them write compositions
about the last picture they had seen
or the picture which had made the
deepest impression on them. She
found that there was greater inter-
est in the pictures than the lessons
I she set about making the les
"2s interesting also. The new plan
ntemplates making it something
an object for the children to take
crest in their lessons by giving
en- free use of the theater as n
> ward
The manager of the Rex theater
used a number of cards to ha
J tinted and distributed to the school
Hi!dren. through the teachers. offer
.'g each child who made a percent
Ee in studies and department over
= certain figure a pass to his theate-
Gat was good for one month
Nlonthly reports OF the standing {
.-c children in studies and depoTt-
Eent are made in most schools.
some of these the reports are
N percentage basis, 1t is the
Ian of the Kentucky manager to
give each child who made an eS-
"!lent percentage a reward in the
, ape of pass good for the sue
aediRg month. His idea is that the
lid will strive during the month
has the freedom OF the theater to
arm another pass for the next
0Onth. And that the good luck Of
Ge child securing pass will spur
hers to make an effort to win one
The idea seems to us to be very
ane and sensible one 1t is
roke of very good business policy
Or the exhibitor. He issues a num-
@r of free admissions TO his theater,
is true. But he also issues an in
.itation for other business, as he
ypects that most Of the children
ming into the house with passes
rlll bring some one with them who
sys. And his theory has been found
practice to work out satiSfactor-
= II the idea is worked out with
IT mothers club scheme, il will do
20 big thines-it will bring further
Q tronage to the theater from the
arents and their friends. as we'll as
ne Childreu who come IN free. and
will work UP friendly co-opera-
We feeling between the theater and
2 school teachers. which does not
ow exist. and which cannot fail to
clip the theater G. NJ