The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-30

Whether the movies are improving
from an artistic viewpoint Is .
matter bitterly debated. but that
they are improving in the mechan-
ical way. and that still greater I'M
provement in that line lies IN tneir
immediate future. seems to be iu-
disputable.
II the screen drama ever gets
away from its missing-twin plots, IL
sloppy endings. its custard-pfe
throwers-if it sver emerges from
its infancy Of tears and horseplay
and melodrama-it will have . fine
mechanical foundation for 1t art
istic superstructure.
This fact is impressed upon you
when you talk to some OF the en-
gineers who have studied the mo-
ton picture from the mechanical
point Of view. They see . great
future for the movies both as .
means of amusement and Of educa-
ton.
Chief among these is Henry D.
Hubbard, assistant director OF the
bureau OF standards, who reveals
q few of the achievements not only
possible but probable. He foresees
piano instruction By the aid OF nov
ing pictures of Q masters hands
accurately romping the keyboard:
dancing. taught by movies thrown
from under a glass floor, that the
pupil may literally follow each step
of an expert-a multitude Of nov
ell usages to which the films have
not yet been put.
1t is fascinating to follow Hub
bard as he talks of an individual
protector by which one may OBJ
serve any film at his desk or IL
brary table, protector using thin
ner film and smaller pictures, 80
that one may use it as he uses a
book or pencil, slipping 1t into his
pocket and carrying It much as
we carry the camera of the present
day.
Automatic Theatres
Coming picture theatre manage
ment and operation will be largely
automatic, this scientist believes.
), The form of the theatre must re-
ceive radical treatment. Todays
crowding resembles the days of un-
regulated street traffic. Establish
ment of one-way aislas and the ap-
p1ication Of every device of traf.
fic management to insure easy en-.
trance and exit will undoubtedly
follow. Seats will be designed by
correct posture experts for per.
feet comfort and health, with two
independent arms for each per
son. The seats, Of course will
fold automatically as soon g va
Gated, to allow easy exit Coin.
operated vending, machines will dis.
pense disks which In turn will op
crate easy-working turnstiles &C
cOrding to seat location. eliminat
ing both the box Office and the tick
et-takers. A tiny lamp would
light showing for each row wha
seats we're available, the color in
dicating the number vacant, thu
largely replacing the usher.
The theater size will range from
the little theatres" to the hug
theatres for master productions
The little theatres with lower mag
nifications will be better for high
ly specialized films requiring per
feet definition. Little theatres vii
also be suitable for Innovation
3. which must meet the challenge O
popular taste before being assim
Hated into appreciated art At tn
other extreme vast circular theatre
may be erected, having concentri
circles of seats facing the cente
! where each sector will be provide,
with its own screen and protector
all operating with one film. Man,
l times the present crowds could b
served and all the advantages O
5 large scale production would ob
tain.
Motion picture engineers hop
soon to control at the optimun
l value every item such as cooling o
heating, drying the air. increasing
. the air pressure or decreasing il
adding the healthful touch of ozone
7. ensuring air purity by f1ltering o
l by labyrinths of mercury arcs t
; give the ultraviolet radiation neces
, sary. atomizing the essences of per
!, fumes such as the odor of the pine
l woods, the tang of the sea, tn
fragrance of the flowers, or tn
spicy odors Of Araby.
All OF these elements are toda
: separately realized In actual ser
= !, vice and need but the unifying han
Of the engineer to bring them int