Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-07-08

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with excitement the morning Of Octobe
8, 1889. Two men, one young the athei
older were keenly interested in black woodeI
box about I'VE feet high Near the top was peep
hole, and the young man. with an air OF triumph
urged the older man to peer into the small
opening.
Inside an arc light sputtered. There was a noise
Of machinery, and there came into view trans
parent strip of celluold bearing the prints Of
many photographs. AS the strip began to move,
the photographs came TO ife II was q moving
picture Of the younger man. walking. smiling. hat
In hand. approaching as il to extend a greeting.
AS he came nearer there was heard the phono-
graphic reproduction Of the young mans voice.
saying:
"GoOd morning. Mr. Edison Glad to see you
back. hope You are satisfied with the kineto-
photograph"
This was the remarkable demonstration which
greeted Edison upon his return from the Paris
exposition. The proud young man Yves william
X. l. Dickson, an Englishman who FIVE years be-
fore had come to study under the tutelage of'the
Wizard Of Menlo Park. Edison had entrusted
Dickson with the development OF certain ideas.
and this was what the young man had to show
for his labors
The Motion Picture Il Born
The birth Of the motion picture is marked on
cially by this demonstration. From this crude be-
ginning, In less than thirty-seven years It has
a
viding employment for more than a million per-
sons throughout the world, and giving entertain
ment to more than 100000 persons weekly in
every civilized and many uncivillzed lands
Following the formula that the time to write
history is while it is happening. an American,
intimately acquainted with the hlm industry. has
produced, after FIVE years OF careful intelligent
research, a two-voume history which bears the
title, "A Million and One Nights the History of
the Motion Picture" He is Terry Ramsaye. for
mer newspaper man, screen editor and executive.
The original edition. Of which there were only S27
sets, each bearing the autograph Of Thomas A.
Edison, and selling for $76 was launched by
Simon & Schuster, those two young men whose
success with the cross-word-puxxle books startled
the publishing world In 1924
Mr.. Ramsaye set out about SIX years ago In
search Of his material. The pursuit took him to
all sections Of the United States and many parts
OF Europe Dickson was found living in retire
ment in France. He interviewed the real inventor
OF instantaneous photography on Cape Cod In
all he talked with more than 400 individuals who
contributed TO the growth and Development OF the
art Court and corporation records were made TO
give up their stories, while letters and original
papers were still available, as they may not be
TO later historian.
Starting as far back as he could 20, Mr. Ram
sage traces his picture history from Aristotle to
Edison. be shows US the camera obscura the
magic lantern, Stamfer's whrllng disks, the spin
ming coin Of Herschel, but the two most impor-
tant developments. he says. were the camera by
Daguerre the Frenchman, In 1929 and the incep-
ton Of wetplate photography in 1850.
70 Settle a SIS, 900 Wager
The credit for the discovery Of instantaneous
Is given TO John D. Isaacs q civil
engineer. working for Leland Stanford In 1872.
Stanford maintained. that artists were all wrong
n their pictures Of horses In action. Their legs
md made bet Of $4,000 that he was right He
Engaged a San Francisco photographer, Eadweard
duybridge, who later received the glory, to catch
trotting horse In action By employing battery
# cameras. Muybridge failed Isaacs, knowing
something about photography. realized that the
ems shutters then IN were too slow for the job
md 80 he attached rubber bands with hundred
ound pull to the shutters This gave an exposure
4 one twO-thousandth Of second and caught"
he motion OF the horse. Muybridge who was the
gained the fame.
Isaacs went on about his own business attain
ng success and rarely referred to the incident
afer the task performed by the battery Of cam
ras was done much more efficiently with a single
amera, a spring taking the place Of the rubber
ands In 1856 LePrince. a Frenchman living in
he United States used sensItized strips OF paper
place Of the old-fashoned wet plate. and soon
fter Carbutt substituted celuoid for the paper
gorge Eastman, a photograph supply man Of
colchester. N. Y, produced much thinner cellulold
rips and put them on the market in the form Of
y plates for his kodaks. Dickson. In September.
$50. bought small supply for use in the kineto-
.ope Edison called his new device
Edison sold the exploitation rights to this device
a Arms consisting OF Norman @. RnfF, a west
n capitalist Frank Lombard, president OF the
orth American Photograph company and Frank
ammon, hlgh-powened young business man. In
IN they marketed state and foreign rights TO
cir toy. Edison. at his West Orange laboratory.
reed to produce the pictures.
Edison obtained patent on his MICROSCOPE In
81 Learning that foreign patents would cost
out $780, he told his attorney that they were
t wowEh IT, A patent more or Iesa meant moth
to EdEsnn He failed also 10 pEnfeez his inxsms-
n for disk record fOr bis phenograph, prs
ring the cylinder type. How many millions
re lost because Of this neglect only Be
essed at
The nrst mofion-plcturs actcr IN ths world. Sc
riding TO DIR. Ramsaye'a findings. was enc Fred
. mechanic IN EdIsou's laboratory. He
sased Ia absurd clothing snd made funny