The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23
Staging a Motion Picture Show in the
Vatican With the Holy Father
and Cardinals as Spectators

talks at dinners and social gathering
Slevin sedulously avoided any refer.
nee to his motion picture purpose
To some sympathetic Archbishop OF
Monsignor who asked II he was max.
ing progress he would shake his head
and say. mo, there is nothing 10 b,
done. the matter has been decided
And he would add quite sinc,rr',
that 1t seemed a pity the world should
be deprived now and in years to ON,
Of the animated image. the motion p.c,
ture memory of so great and holy a
man as Plus y. What more pr.,.alt
treasure could the Vatican Hy,
among is relics Of departed saint b,
would suggest. than these wolI,r,,
living photographs that sciru., ii.
made possible? Would it not lave
been a crime against posterity !! 20,
Catholic Church could have had 30
ton pictures Of st. Paul and =. Peter
and had failed to get them?
Such seed for serious Tia. -a'.
Slevin sowed with delicate persI-.,a.,
whenever the occasion offered. II. lid
this in a resigned, impersonal w. d,
il he were not pleading his Own . ,'
but rather that of humanity, and '..s
amiably, u~nobtrusively and .ais'
couraged he let the weeks pas
Finally one day in the early IN.
mer OF 1914 the American calico .IuH
Cardinal Merry del Val and ann.ur ID
his departure for America. IL w.I.I
walt for the approaching con ry
when new cardinals were to r' made
then he would say farewell ~. II.
fectionate memories of the Vatican
And he begged the Carolina. 2. &C.
cept a little souvenir whicl D. ie'
sired t offer to his Holiness.
There is no need of a '.r'
said the Cardinal, you will u. ,s'
antly remembered here
The American insisted. i.. .,r
that he wished to spare his b ,>-
future annoyance in connec,.u. N'a
motion picture exhibitions a'. Lad
collected from various motion 20
companies in America n lar-r p E -
of the best films that he could 'fl
on all suitable subjects. Til. "'
tthey were worth THOUSAND , -
lars) he was presenting Co :., N.-
can with gratitude for k.uG.,. IaI
honors, together with a very g.. .'
jecting apparatus. The Iu'.
now have his own motion p. p.
tertainments.
The Cardinal was much
with this generous gift and '"0
his enterprising friend tina g ,I
been possible to grant ill.,, 'r
picture privilege TO any Oh, I'D
have gone to Slevin. Whrr. 'a'
American expressed himself rs
at his mark of confidence 49,. Ia
drew.
Il had done all that ! cu...
of for the moment" explain.
and If my efforts had f. '
smiled eagerly-"I suppos,
have found some other va.
those pictures"
But his efforts did not fl'
spirit of progress vas not ir-
MED any longer. and a few 3t .'r.
a note came saying that If NJ Ni
would present himself at a .'
door of the Vatican at a c,r.. .'
with his motion picture app II
was possible there would ID, pc
ments Of a nature that W.. .
interest him.
The developments were tia. s
allowed to take a motion p %
Plus y. in an imposing
And on subsequent occasi. H.
given similar opportunitI,~ .
other scenes in the \di
motion pictures of his II %
other ceremonies, and To- i.h
pictures in st. Peters and IL. SO
tine Chapel, motion piCtU'
Pope addressing vast au0..l '
the balcony Of the Vatican
lures of cardinals. arChh!~l" '
chair bearers. mace bcaro'
ers, chamberlains of the So
Cape: also the famous SW
the Palestine Guard and o.
Guard, marching and dr.'."
papal court. In short, he ~.
to get the pictures that III, b. mol
to Rome to get and that ~
had been able to get.
Il don't know exactly hoH "
about" explained Sleyin, 'N
say that | never had formal
sion to take those pictur,s
went ahead and took them
n objected or pad any a,'..
me.
IL was never obtrusivc AMI
asked for anything, but thin
to happen in a wonderfu, w..
would open and proCcssiu.
come along and the Pope "a -
pear, just as l had my p..'
chine ready.
II think they saw that !
GER and they felt the fo'. ."'
arguments, although ,h"y 10
say officially and, summine
| CUES 1t was "a ease Whti,
quer by yielding"
(COpyri0hf. 1915, on the 60
NCrSDuDCr SUUdiCut