Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-09
Reviving the War Spirit
BY Frederic ]. HaskIn

1 '''-'ssssH S1ts H. 1st TStD. u nv mo-
ton pctiire industry has come 10 Wash
inRton and asked for patriotic work To do
1t has expressed the opinion that there il
need of patriotic morale in thcrc trying
days of reorganization, no lcas than there
WAS need OF II during the war. II has
volunteered To help create that morale.
It's SERVICES have been acccpted, and tho
| hrst evidence of its work rs TO appear
during this, the week of the celebration
OF the anniversary Of the birth Of Lincoln.
Back in December c. g. Pettijohp,
| associated with the ScIxn:ck Pictures,
led u. group OF volunteer producers 10
| Washington. He laid his case before
MAJOR Raymond w Pullman, ex-journsl-
ist and chief Of police, and asked guidance
toward governmental cooperation. Major
Pullman ran the Rasnut of governmental
agencies tn find one Interested IN the
morale OF the people and soon found his
man. Franklin X. Lane, Secretary Of
Interior, had organized gospel Of Ameri-
canization IL had begun with the idea
of reaching out for those immigrants who
had failed to fuse into the body polite,
who had proven themselves alag at the
smelter, and working them over into
useful nation-building material. Now
AInericanlzation has broadened its scope (;
IT has come to mean the teaching of an
appreciation Of our form Of government,
and the development Of a wholesome
support ot II among our entire citizenship.
CONFERENCE or Bro MEN.
Secretary Lane called a conference Of
The big men In the motion pictures btlsi-
ness. Iukor, Griffith, Brady, Selznick,
Fox, Friend, Hess, Elliott. Rowland,
Powers, and others came 10 Washington
for n conference. They all volunteered
Tor service. They wanted, however,
some official sanction They wanted to
do this work upon the invitation Of The
government. The Americanization cam
paign was unofficial. They wanted
official invitation and authorization.
A dinner was given them in Washington
at which Vice-president Marshall was an
Official guest. There also attended Senator
William $. Kenyon, chairman of the com
mittee OF education Of the Senate, and
investigator of the conditions back Of the
steel strike Representative Simeon ID.
Fess. chairman Of the House committee
on education, was also present
As result of this dinner Joint meeting
of the two committees on education Of
Congress was called for that very evening.
These committees extended the invitation
10 the motion picture industry in the
following joint resolution:
BE IL resolved, that IL is the sense
of Joint committee on education Of
the Senate and the House that the
motion picture industry 0f tho United
states be requested to do all that is in it's
power to upbuild and strengthen the
spirit Of Americanisfn within our people
Following this action committee was
appointed to carry the spirit of the reso-
luton into actual operation On that
committee were Franklin X Lane, repre-
senting the federal government: RAYMOND
W. Pullman, representing municipalities;
Adolph Iukor, representing motion pic
ture producers; Lewis j Selznck, repre-
senting the distributors: Harry Gran
dali, representing the exhibitors; and
William A Brady. president Of the Ma
tional Association Of the Motion Picture
Industry.
MAKING LINCOLN PICTURE.
On January / / there was held in New
York meeting to discuss ways and means
and outline a campaign. IL was pointed
out that the two patriotic occasions of the
near future were the birthday anniversaries
Of Lincoln and Washington. Here was
an opportunity for an immediate begin
ming. Was it possible to produce a Lin
coin picture IN time for distribution and
exhibition on February II? Could a
scenario be secured, a company chosen. /
the picture filmed, the film manufactured (
and distributed in less than a month?
The eelznIek organization undertook
to deliver the goods. Within forty
eight hours the picture was being filmed f
In two weeks It was complete and shown
IN the office OF Secretary Lane IN Wash {
ngton. Lewis Allen Browne. q news 4
cof.0.a4 r. 4.
lte of Lincoln. and converted It into a 4
over night 4 clubman who /
denounced his government IL shown the .
error OF his WAYS, IN The Land Of 0ppor- 4
tunity,' by an old waiter who tells the
story OF Lincoln and the time he broke MS
schedule to defend q friendless
BOY who Was accused OF murder.
The distributors worked with no less
'peed 10 reach every corner of the land in
time for Lincoln week. Now the exhibitors
IRE busy arranging their programs for the I
holiday. All America will. on the twelfth
Zee the lrst evidence of this move OF the
notion picture world 70 improve the
morale of the people. The exhibitors will
lccentuate the OCCASION with patriotic
music, with speeches by members of the
american Legion. and other patriots.
Ii is hoped that all who see this first
picture IN the series viii feel a greater
owe of country, and viii show more appre-
,iation of the land that today possesses
more than hundred million people
he best educated, best fed, best clothed
,eopie in all the world.
The present plan IS the production of
me and two reel pictures by all the leading
These pictures VIII not be
he major feNures of entertainments,
L
or educational films which
experience has shown are so difficult 10
,opularize They will be dramatizations
4 fundamental ideas of government.
that have all the grip of
omance and accomplishment
The producers and distributors will
make no money out of them, and they will