The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23
~ CLEVELAND MOrrErr.

r. ARLY in February. 1913. James
~ Slevin. a young American Of
IL adventurous and enterprising
turn, arrived In Europe on the
kronprinzessin Cecilie, bent on a mis-
sion that was generally regarded Is
hopeless. He proposed to get q series
Of motion pictures of the Pope and a
series Of motion pictures showing the
intimate life Of the Vatican.
Many had tried to take these pic
lures. and all had failed. Large sums
had been offered and every influence
employed to obtain the Holy Fathers
consent. but h reply had invariably
been u~nfavorable. In one instance the
president Of ar important motion pic
ture concern, himself a Catholic, had
been communicated through over
zeal and importantly in this direction.
Nevertheless. Slevin was confident that
he could succeed.
Who was Slevin? A handsome,
strapping fellow from California,
rather a rolling stone. but full OF
resourcefulness. who for several years
had been a writer Of thrilling melo-
dramas and motion picture scenarios
and had finally become the
OF a motion picture company. But he
had tired OF this. he wanted to do
something bigger, and the biggest
thing he could think Of was the Pope
in motion pictures. To this idea Slevin
was the more drawn because as q
youth in California he had studied at
a Jesuit college and while there had
earned to speak Latin.
II had thought of the holy shrine
at Mecca" ne said to me. land shall
probably go to Mecca later with a
motion picture outfit. but that will re-
quire years. to master Arabic and per-
feet a disguise, so I started with the
Pope"
Slevin's confidence Of success was
based IN the American notion that II
il hard to stop a man. even without
money or influence. II he has a big
idea and works at 1t with persistence
and intelligence. No n questioned
that his idea was big enough, and he
had easily secured the backing OF a
motion picture company for his mis-
sion to Rome. He also had letters and
introductions to Roman Catholic dig
nitaries who might assist his purpose.
What the American chiefly relied
upon. however. was his abif?ty to con-
vince the Pope, II he could gain a
hearing. hat the progress Of the world
made 1t right and necessary that the
Holy Father submit himself to the
motion picture ordeal. Slevin had a
dozen arguments to prove this. but he
must be able to present these argu-
ments in person. which involved many
difficulties. n being that he did not
speak Italian and could not, therefore,
address the pontiff in his mother
tongue.
This was an important point, since
here was no task for a routine in
terpreter; here was need of a man
able to reason and persuade through
his own power. Accordingly Slevin
decided to learn Italian. and set about
this so diligently that within three
months of his arrival in Rome he
was able to express himself UNDER
standably In the language Of the
country.
Now he was in a position where
ne could talk to the Holy Father.
But how was he to make an effective
personal appeal?
The Californian trusted here to the
inherent value of the motion picture
itself. The Pope did not real re the
importance OF this new invention, with
all of its vast educational possibili-
tts. for the simple reason that he
had never seen a first class motion
picture exhibition. This the Ameri-
a had ascertained. the fact being
that Plus X. (who, of course, never
entered a theatre) had only had a
glimpse Of some amateur and inferior
motion picture entertainments organ
lied for the ervan Of the Vatican.
II he could now be induced to look
at the gorgeous film creations, the
pageantry Of the Durbar. the grandeur
Of Niagara Falls, the wonders Of the
Panama Canal, he would, Slevin felt
sure. listen willingly to further ar
guments, being already half convinced
by the silent eloquence Of the films
themselves.
II counted on the Pope's great in
telligence," said Slevn. ito assist me,
once he saw with his own eyes what
motion pictures really are and UNDER
stood what they mean to the world
at large in diffusion of knowledge"
As so much depended Upon this ex-
hibition the American spared no pains
to make its appeal to the Pope as
strong as possible. He made q special
trip to Venice to get the most effective
motion pictures of the pontif's former
home, and of his old churcn, 81.
Marks. and of the Grand Canal and
other places in the beautiful city
where Plus X. had lived 80 happily
for many years. Then Slevin visited
Malta and recorded In motion pictures