Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-02-06

ing and distribution and
exhibition Of films, and the number of theaters
are counted. 1t seems hardly believable that
twenty years ago there were no moving pic.
lures. except few of the cruder sort that were
considered only as amusing novelties. No man
thought that these crude toys would rise to
the Importance in our daily life that they have
Twenty years ago the speaking stage was
dominant; today 1t is decidedly OF secondary
consideration. because the magic strips OF cell
luloid have given the people an amusement
suited to their tastes and pocket books
Today the man of family may take his entire
mock and spend two hours looking at the pic
lures for less than half a dollar. II he is not
the possessor of one of the old fashioned large
families
The young blade intent on amusing hirn.elf
and his sweetheart can take her to the neigh.
borhood picture house and witness the work
OF the greatest stars OF the stage for the same
sum he would have spent for street car fare
in the past.
The history of some of the great producers Of
motion pictures is most interesting. The house
II Pathe Freres is good example This great
business, which is interna tional in its scope
with factories, studios, selling and distributing
branches all the world, was started twenty
years ago by four brothers. who each contrib
uted his entire fortune, at that time. of $500
francs, less than $500 for each.
After three weeks two of the brothers horri.
fled at what looked like rashness, withdrew,
taking their money with them.
The two brothers who remained, Charles ana
Emile. are said TO draw a hundred thousand
dollars each salary per year, besides their
great profits from the business
In the early days, Charles Pathe had two Of
those primitive machines that the curious were
allowed TO look into for the charge OF penny.
All that could be was a succession OF tiny
photographs tumbling one another in the
stimulation Of life action
ha ripip t,1a
A. Edison's. but Mr.. Pathe was the first man
in Europe to the possibilities OF great
Things In the germ that has grown into ri.
6antic business He put his machines in a lit.
lie store. and the interest exhibited by II peo-
pie who dropped their coins In the m lines
showed him that II a profitable thing to
exploit.
There were no changes of program to the
little machines. but one picture to each, and
Pathe saw that to make the customer come
back he would have to give them a change of
program. Then and there was born the idea
that grew into the modern film exchange He
purchased twenty machines put them in twenty
different stores and switched his pictures In
weekly rotation.
From his profits he obtained Lumiere's mo-
ion-picture camera, then Just completed, and
began TO take his own pictures 10 or Is feet
at time. His wife feeding chickens a rail-
road train entering station, a man running,
sheep grazing; these were his early subjecta
The idea of projecting these strips OF nlm into
the screen helped the infant industry tremen-
dously.
Mr. Pathe took his fragmentary films in his
pockets to London. Berlin. Rome, travelling
third class because OF his limited means ana
sold them there. Gradually his films length
ened and his markets increased but for some
time he was his man, shipping
clerk, manufacturer. salesman and demon
strator.
one day the idea came to him that q story
could be worked out upon the screen-that
such film stories would possess a wider appeal
than the bare facts of everyday life which he
had been filming He hired Max Linder then
an actor OF limp purse. at 81 a day to work
In comedies, and Louis ]. Cashier a stage
manager and play producer of Paris. to direct
the taking OF these pictures.
Here was born the photoplay OF today ana
from this beginning have come the Cabirias,
the Births of Nation. etc. with their uni
versal appeal and gripping power.