New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-15

day whereby an answer to The Birth
OF Nation the photo-play dealing
SO harshly with the colorcd people, Is
TO be put into films and sent out as
a protest against the Impression that
this viewpoint Of the colored race
leaves on the mind.
Miss Elaine Stcrne. who has made
herself nationally known as one Of
our best scenario writer's. conceived
the idea Of writing film answer
Miss Stcrne first came into promi-
hence in the film field b.; winning the
FIRST prize in the NitaCraph scenario
contest with a picture drama entitled
The Sins Of the Mothers" Later she
won The Morning Telegraph" prize
for the best film. and several other
prizes as well. She is special scenario
contributor to the Nitagraph Com
pany and the Universal Company. and
has written many scenarios for other
companies also. including the Selig
PolyScopc Company, the Fox Film Cor
poration. etc She has won a Golfers
Prize with her short stories and CON
tributes. among others, tales of child
life to The st. Nicholas Magazine"
Perhaps her best known series of
films are those entitled Sonny JIM"
Of which she writes at least one a
month for the Nitagralh Company.
Miss Sterne, having felt the neceS-
slty Of showing the other side of the
negro problem. took her proposition
10 the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People Of the
time that this organization, und>r Mr..
Willard. Rabbi Stephen Wise and
others, was doing its utmost to have
some Of the Objectionable scenes in
The Birth of a Nation" eliminated.
The association was delighted with the
idea. and at once sen. Miss Sterne to
Washington and further South. where
she was put thoroughly IN touch with
the progress that the negro race has
made She visited practically every
institution of this kind, including the
Hampton Institute and Tuskegee,
where she spent some tine in consul
tation with Booker I. Washington.
Having collected her material, Miss
Sterne then proceeded to write her
answer, which she intends calling
"Lincoln's Dream" and which is 10 be
twelve reels in length.
The problem of financing this big
undertaking was undertaken by the
National Association for the Advance
ment Of Colored People. and Miss
Sterne, IN her enthusiastic co-opera-
ton, was called to Boston AID other
New England points to read her
. synopsis, this calling forth the APP
proval, in Boston, of Professor Hart,
one of the best authorities on this
portion Of American history, who COM
plimented Miss Sterne on the accu-
racy, as we'll as the interest, Of her
work. After considerable effort. the
money necessary for SO large a pro-
duction was forthcoming, and yoster-
day a contract was finally signed with
the Universal company. whereby they
agreed 10 screen the story, and also,
il is most likely, to allow Otis Turner,
whose production Of Samson" and
other large subjects entities him 10
this distinction, to produce it.
When completed. "Lincoln'S Dream
will be booked throughout the land as
a special feature am sent out, over
routes covered by The Birth of a
Nation" Every coiored organization
in the country has agreed 10 do its
share in giving this production pub
licity and the colorod people VINO have
been consulted before and after the
composition of the play are highly en-
thus!astic al the prospect. They
claim that the optimistic nature OF
the subject and the thorough Under
standing that Miss Sterne has put into
her script is the first, as they con-
slider il, fair discussion and exposition
Of their development that they nave
been given since the Civil War.