Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-24
HUNS USE MOVIES
FOR PROPAGANDA


was taking" the trademark of a
well-known rubber manufacturing
concern in the United States and
foisting' the spuriously labeled
goods off on the people of the
countries with which she maintain
ed commercial relations.
Germany is the pastmaster-me-
chanic in trade trickery. This is
not her first offenSe at this sort
of thing. For some time she has
been carrying on her propaganda
in neutral countries through the
medium of motion pictures, mas
querading under the trademark Of
Pathe, the famous French con-
Germ. .
We quote from an interesting ar
ticle on Germany and the Gin
ema," appearing in La Renaissance
paris, April Is, 1879:
Since the first months of the
war Germany understood the SUI
perior advantage that could be
gained through this marvellous in
strument of propaganda mo-
ton picture.
She handled the proposition
with her customary perfidy and
organization During the first
year of hostilities Germany made
use of the Pathe studios at Berlin
to inundate Europe and the two
Americas with films stamped with
the celebrated trade-mark-the
chandelier and reproduced under
this. fine French standard series Of
scenes and pictures taken at Char
luxembourg. showing the so-called
outburst of joy with which the
French villages and Belgian ham
let's greeted the entry OF the Ger
man armies.
This deception was quickly I'M
masked. 1t had this advantage &c
France that the government soon
recognized that moving picture
propaganda was an all-pOwerful
agent of persuasion and was re-
sponsibIe for the creation of that
useful Service cinematographiq
del Armee, which very happily
counterbalanced in the belligerent
countries the influence which Ger
many and her motion pictures
had begun to exercise.
But Germany is reso1rceful in
her perfidy Here is her latest
activity in this line. For several
months the French, being in touch
with affairs in the neutral nations,
have learned that in all the impor-
tant cities of these countries Ger
many has just bought with the eX-
penditure of huge sums of money
all the important motion picture
theaters-in the wealthy sections
as well as in the suburbs.
To-day, in all corners of the
earth where the motion picture
penetrates, there is hardly a thea
ter which escapes the control of
this despotic Berlin society. There
are some countries where French
companies own certain theaters
and have stoutly resisted all the
monetary temptations of the
bOches. Beaten on this score, the
G erman agents have purchaser
the ground on which the theaters
were built and informed the
French proprietors that they would
have to get out when their leases
expired.
The consequences of this Ger
man campaign will result in the
French film and the French
thought being banished from the
world market except in the allied
countries. This great national in
dustry was one of the most Hour
ishing before the war 1t seems
that it will never again attain it's
previous standard
The government has taken steps
to prevent this monopoly of the
film market in neutral countries.
An appeal has been sent out TO
French manufacturers, requesting
them to join in d syndicate of the
four nations of the entente and
contribute an equal sum of money
to combat the German activities.