The Washington herald., 1915-08-11
Battle Cry of Peace" In Press Club
Premier, Shows DefenseleSs u. S.
Sensational Motion Picture
Argument for Adequate
Armament Seen by Not
able Assemblage of Gov
eminent Officials, Army
and Navy Representatives
and News Writers.

Americas defenselessness against Al
j enemy's attack and the horrors tha
| would follow an actual invasion Of tn,
United States by a foreign foe wer,
| graphically portrayed to an audience o.
high government officials, officers Of tn,
! United States army and navy. and Wash
ington newspaper correspondents, gath
| cred last night at the National Press Clut
| to see the first presenta ton of a decided
Iy sensational film production, THE Bat
| tie Cry of Peace" written by Commodore
]. Stuart Blackton and made by the Wit
agraph Company of America.
Evidence of governmental assistarIl
| in the preparation of the mammoth pic
| ture play were to be seen throughout the
nine elaborate reels, and credit for mate.
rial aid in the development Of the film
was frankly given to Cabinet officials and
ranking officers of the army and navy
Four members of the imposing list OF
sponsors are Secretary of War Garrison
Admiral George Dewey. Gen. Leonard
Wood and DR.. Lyman Abbott, and these
four, it is explained, were singled out to
represent the army, the navy, the church
and the state. Moreover. all four were
members of the gigantic cast of profess
si--al and amateur actors who posed for
the film story.
THE Battle Cry of Peace" aside from
its spectacular features and its enter
tainment qualities, is undisguised propa-
sanda for vastly bigger navy and a
greatly augmented mobile army. During
the first intermission the author, Com
modore Blackton. announced that follow
ing three days showing Of the screen
story this week at the Navy War Col
leg, in Newport. before the officers and
men of the North Atlantic Fleet It would
he aYhibifed fn he 80
tional Senate and House, to the governor
of every State in the Union, to members
OF all State legislatures. and to the in
habitants of every city, town, village and
hamlet in America. He added that the
plan of campaign was so complete that
more than 50.oo0,0OO men, women and chill
dren in the United States would see the
story before the convening of Congress
in Washington next December.
Land Forts shown.
Credit is given by the author and pro-
ducers TO Hudson Maxim's book, DE
fenseless America and the inventive ge-
MUS appears as one of the prominent ac-
tors in a cast that includes in addition
to stage celebrities some of the FORE
most men in American public life. The
prelude to the play shows Maxim lectur-
ing to an audience in Carnegie Hall,
we" 1oTh, anu tne speaker most telllng
denunciations of this countrys lack Of
preparation against war are visualized
by flashing scenes. some of which are
interior views of the country's most ia
nous land Notifications, not ordinarily
accessible to the camera man. and which
made some of the army and navy men
present utter comments Of amazement
This prelude Is followed by the story
Of an imaginary invasion Of America
through New York City. The approach
Of enemy battleships. which outdistance
the guns Of New York's land fortifica-
tons. the appalling effect of their big
shells in the congested districts Of
New York City: close range view of hos
tile airmen dropping bombs over the heart
of the city. and realistic views of the
effect Of the explosives on the most
famous skyline in the world" the march
of columns of the enemy through the
streets of the city, preceded by panic
stricken crowds of Americans, and
scenes of violence and rapine in Ameri-
can homes are some of the features
of the vivid story that gripped last
nights audience.
The film story is punctuated with
startling assertions; such, for example,
as the statement that Americas avail
able mobile army is only twice as strong,