The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-25
aeTha Birth of n Nation. !"

n. w. Grif'ith's mighty spectacle.
THE Birth of Nation plays It's
fcrewell engagement at the Academy
Thursday, Friday and Saturday with
daily matinees at 2:S0 P. NJ.
Nothing like this wonderful attrac-
ton has ever been seen upon the To-.
cal screen.
Tt covers wide range OF American
history and touches only the highest
points OF interest in the great events
that led up to and terminated the CIV
II war. The force thai sia very played
in producing this crisis Is traced from
its inception 20 its abolition. While
the basic theme is historical in Its
foundation it's intent is the fundanen-
tai one Of true drama,
The forces which make for these
results have been marshaied upon n
larger scale than was ever dreamed
OF before. Where directors of vast
spectacies have dealt with hundreds in
the past, GrifFith employs thousands.
Eighteen hundred people fill his stage
which has a vast territory for its
background. Three thousand horses
pass before your view In wild dashes
over miles OF country roadway. The
decisive battles OF the Civil war are
reproduced in faithful detail and you
see these conflicts fought again Just
rs they were staged fifty years ago.
Cities were built up only TO be de-
stroyed to lend force and verify 70 the
dramatic narrative.
One enormous battlefield 81 shown
stretching over an area OF ten square
miles and upon these plains and
trenches 10. goo soldiers clash In a
mimic warfare that ia as real as IL you
xNf be ae@Ys "A.
currenca Holding the great effects
in tether is a story az tender and true
as love and romance can be pictured.
There are tears and smiles, noble sac
rificea and heroic deeds OF personal
vaior. Youthful dreams of loves
fruitfon are rent assinder by the dem
ons OF war; home ties snap osfcre the
call to arms and suffering such as
cannot be imagined In depicted in the
crude manner that history is made
when men surrender reason 20 pas
sion and engage in a deadlock OF arm
ed resistance.
You SEQ the war start after being
shown the causes which preetpitated
H. You see the great generals OF
the contending sections playing their
desperate games OF human pawns
moved into the neid Of slaughter.
Then comes the agreement for peace
and lincoln sets about his superhu-
man task OF healing the wounds by
the application of that great love
which made him the towering figure
of his age. A fanatics bullet stills the
heart which beats so evenly for all HUI
mainly The South Ii thrown back
into q worse fate than war. Their
lands are overrun by hungry horde
OF vengefui politicians and Erafters.
The poor negro IL cajoled into false
understanding of liberty and In his
ignorance In led into excuses by these
scalawags of fortune Out OF 1t comes
the ghostfy CARRIED crusa ders of ter
rible era to once more set things
Alright and return the lands and lib
critics of peace 10 their rtghtful owners
and over the lands mLserere SOUNDS
the chorus of brotheriy love in an al
legorical dream which visions the re-
union OF the divided sections and the
welding of that national spirit which
has made this nation so great after
its baptism in it's own blood.
A wonderful score Of operatio
reaches accompanies the narrative.
It is all done upon most stupendous
scale. NO detail has been overlook
ed The drama is outlined and told
in the most graphic form that has yet
been devised by the brain OF man for
such n purpose. No wonder this work
is appeal making. 1t has set up new
standards which 1t will be difficult to
equal for many year to come.