Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1915-04-15
N Aae, Tue FlRsr MAprYR

"A visit to the Photo Drama of Creation
will help the cynic to bring his IDEAS moro
into harmony with the actual facts. There
he will find a comfortable seat, pleasant
music, and picture-story of absorbing
interest, and he may have eight hours Of
it-all for nothing! The exhibitioneincludes
twelve reels of film, besides numerous pic
lures and panoramas, which have been
divided into four sections, the different
parts beingoshown in rotation.
A Hefculean Work.
The promoters of Creation have every
reason ITO claim that their pictures por-
tray the greatest drama that the world
has seen, because it. Is the story of the
world itself. From star nebula to perfec.
ton the history of creation is told as 1t
has been revealed to scientists and to
students of the Bible. and prophecies of
the Scriptures are used to reach concu-
sions regarding the future, which are. to
say the least not little startling The
theory underlying the whole story is thai
each of the seven days composing the ere
alive week was an epoch seven thousand
years in length, which makes the full
week of creation equivalent to $4,000 years,
that man appeared toward the close OF
the sixth epoch: that we are NOW living IN
the seventh epoch and that as 5000 years
have passed since the creation of Adam
enth epoch, is near at hand. 1t is with
this last day Of 1000 years that the pic
lures mainly tiestf;- however, the gradual
Transformation of the earth is traced from
q gaseous confusion to a proper conditi IN
to support human life; and then follows
the old story of the fall of man. with ali
its consequent miseres. hopes. joys and
fears.
Realistic Religion.
The complete photo-drama occupies eight
hours, two hours for each part and is
shown to the accompaniment OF eXplana-
tory lectures and choice music from 4
powerful talking machine. The First part
traces creation to the Deluge, its, causes
and on to the time of Abraham The sec.
ond part begins with Mechisedec and de-
scribes the experiences of the Israelites
down to the Babylonian captivity and OF
to the advent of Jesus Christ. Part three
gives the life of Christ. His boyhood, hap
tism. ministry, sufferings, resurrection
and Qualification. The fourth part illus
trates the gradual completion of creation
from the close of the Jewish Age through
the Dark Ages down to the present tim,
and on into the future.
This exhibition marks new departure
in the methods of the evangelist; 1t is tho
first serious attempt to utilize the drama
for a religious purpose. pure and simple
Sacred subjects have been staged before
today, and have brought the promoters
handsome returns in hard cash. But the
object Of the present project, which would
prove an undoubted financial success II
treated as "a commercial proposition, is
rather to enrich than to despoil the pub
lie; at once to educate and entertain
1t is story of the greatest human In
terest The subjects chosen for treatment
are the great events of Bible history
They deal with the elemental passions O.
mankind, and, taken from the profound
est book the world has seem touch deep
er note than anything else the motion
picture has produced. The Bible is thu.
seen in a new light, and it's incidents as
sumo a reality which is not always con
veyed by the written word
This association is surely the stranges
religious society in the world. Its mem
bers have never taken collection! Pas
tor Russell. the famous lecturer, author
and newspaper contributor, president o.
the organization, under whose supervision
9sfcible style which is peculiar to hin
that the Gospel Is free and that he woult
be ashamed to beg or solicit for 1t under
any pretext, Thousands of men In al
parts of the world are at one with hin
IN this point, and that is why the PHOTO
Drama Of Creation" IS today being shown
gratuitously to the~people of half dozei
different countries The Bible students
of a particular locality make themselve!
= responsible for hall; the mother society
provides the outfit and operator, and al
sorts of men make up the audience.