Evening Star Newspaper, March 18, 1923, Page 73

3 USMOV BY JAMES A. BUCHANAN. I | HE lure of Hollywood has pass- | | see how the films look before send- to visit silver screen is no more, for Uncle Sam has brought to his family in Washington L the glitter and attractive features of movieland by installing a com- plete plant in one of the buildings that compose the housing facilities of the Agriculture Department. Down on C street, near the bureau of engraving and printing, is a studio that affords the movie fan an op- portunity see how pictures are taken, developed and shown on screen. Here one may see the very latest methods employed by the d Tectors; may the time the actors take their places until it is ready to be shown to the thousands of citizens who are anx- ously waiting to the latest thing the is duing for the ed, the desire home of the the to s ent must that govern 't imagine for a that Uncle Sam has competition with any of N who are in bu the pu of making money. the con the government s doing this for the benefits that will acerue the showing of the ms Tt that resulting a new ewpoint tivities and it sage that of conditions nto sreat for the nes ducers o from s n of carrying means the improvement the land 1 studio. while not as 1 of those in Californi s well equipped to do The handicanped the reel ork ving doing a is thousands gov is a me I aver The 1c A% some Yo rRe or New K k men are not whether money- in charge fear as to 11 prove result they can and hat are of real edu- the people « ar not “ a malker, as a » pr eational T is devoted to the exceutive office exhibit the dev to the developing of the exposed films; the printing, the finishing of the celluloid strips, the making of titles, the editing of the recl waking of the finish product ready for shipment; the repair shop, where reels that have been sent to different rarts of the country are overhauled when they have been returned to the department, and the room where ad- ditional positives are made. In fact, all the mechanical work is done on the first floor. . also, HE stud 4 two-story structure floor , the and on room, sectia g are the vaults in which thousands of feet films are stored, and these storehouses are the latest word in construction, as far as safety is concerned, for Uncle Sam of the | | just entered | plendid | the | ! The follow the picture from { there may 1€ room offers an opportunity heads of the different departments to ing them to different sections of the country. The second floor of the building is devoted to the studio proper, and here we find a large room, glass-topped, with a northern light pouring in through glass that allows just the proper amount to enter. At con- venient points are plugs that offer connections for the current that sup- plies the Cooper-Hewitt lights that are used when necessary, for every now and again it is necessary to em- ploy artificial lights. There may be something that should be emphasized; be a color condition that can be overcome only by use of these lights, and the director does not want to walit until the Ifsht conditions are what he needs. He must have conditions ready at all times, so he has artificial lighting effects at his disposal. One side of the room is painted In white, the other in buff, so that dif- ferent effects may be obtained: and ou see these sons of Uncle Sam at r work you will note that they have all the trade secrets of the best directors at their finger tips. In ad- dition, they have the great advan- tage of not belng so temperamehtal as to rave and tear their hair as do, or did, some of the old-time direc- tors who sought to impress the actor with the fact that he was but a worm, and the actor, becoming big-headed and haughty, passed this impression down to the public, with the result that some of the one-time screen fa- vorites are now but dim memordes. The directors of Uncle Sam's movie- land are not actuated by the hope hat the picture will be a “knockout,” 0 box-office standpoint. They of the careful professor desire that the product a message that will “get that will result in the of the country m a are rather type. who shall carry —one over’ people government them in their daily problems. ET take * * 14 Washington trip through wonderland Fred W. Perkin tng of the this with us a pictures. An order has come from the office of Secretary Wal- | lace that im sce ticipat they films are needed to show : of a pure miik supply rio writers have been an- just ‘such a request and the necessary outline ready iley are called into the office; the proposed picture is dis- sussed in its every phase; the man In charge of the “props” is notifled as to what will be needed: the camera- men are directed to hold themselves o learning how | is really trying to help | who directs the tak- | THE € = | quence, as many people have im- agined. There may be a scene on location, as the outdoor picture is UP P the the are This result Is accomplished by rapid taking of the picture. In ordinary picture 16 exposures CTURES are sent throughout the country, dif- fers from the cold, old-fashioned type It is so A, Department oi Ag‘riculture Provides Educational Films Which Give People New Realiza— tion of Work That Is Being Done by Official Agencies—Experts in Charge Have Trade Secrets of Best Directors at Their Finger Tips—All Parts of Country Touched by Subjects Presented, Which-Are Diversified in Character—Participants Have No Profesional Jealousy—Some Have Later Achieved Fame. : SUNDAY -STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, MARCH 18, 1923—PART 5. Studlo Sencls Cellulmd Meséages Over Country for the to make poultry MAKING A MOVING PICTURE FOR UNCLE SAM. THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS HOW THE GOVERNMENT CAMERA MEN MAKE THEIR CLOS| pay Jasper changed from a confirmed golf flend to an enthusastic gardener. The film does not emphasize that Jas- per secured his early training in digging from gouging great holes in the turf while practicing mash!s swings. That is left to the ‘magination of the spec- tator. The forest service has a collection of films that are intensely Interest- ing. Some of them show how the elk and other animals are protected from the ralds of poachers, while others show scenery and recreation. Several films give one an idea of the wondrous beauties of the great na- tional parks, and those who are con- templating trips to Europe, if they view these films, are expected to change their itinerary, for America affords far grander sights than does the old world, and these beauties may be seen with far greater convenience and at a much reduced cost to the traveler. It is doubtful if many people in | Washington have heard of the ox | warble, but there is such a thing, and it has played a tune that has cost the people of the United States about $50,000,000. A film indicates a drop in the milk production of the coun- try. An ox warble is discovered in | Farmer Smith's cows. The govern- | ment “bug man"” is called upon to explain methods of controlling the | ox warble, which is one of the major pests attacking American cattle The bee Is shown working, to the | end that we may have delicious honey | for our morning cakes. Cotton, wheat and other staples are depicted by means of films. * % % X HE work of the bureau of public roads, a very important factor in this day of automotive transportation, is shown by films that demonstrate tne correct methods of road construction. One of the pictures has as its ending & race between a railway train and | a motor truck on a concrete road. Nearly every method of road con- struction is shown. The old-time | road is revealed as the most expen- sive as well as the most annoying that any community can have, and farmers and motorists allke have de- clared that this series of films has done much to awaken the cltizen who has old-time ideas to the fact that he is standing in his own light when he opposes good roads. | There are fllms that cover every phase of the department's activities. The scenes are humanized, so that they will not tire, and the lessons taught are such that they bear fruit. most useful fowl. How to select a| laying hen, how It is a radical departure from th methods that formerly obtained, but the present-day scheme of thus pre senting a subject carries greate; welght by far than the traditions lecturer, who, as a rule, was so fiile{ with his subject that he forgot i audlence had not given it as muctk etudy as he had and as & consequencs was too technical. One could describe for hours tiu different subjects covered by thiu form of education. Chapters coul( be written about the films that have been taken by these government men who are every day searching fo something new and instructive it character to present to the people of the country When you go on location with an) of the men and women you note the earnestness, and, strange as it n seem, there is lacking that profes sional jealousy that has marred man) a picture taken merely for cial purposes. R HE division of motion pictures does not in any way compete witk the business of commercial It has not a thought as to the of gain. Some of the t 4 throughout the country have permission to show these films, they saw the Interest that was being taken, and as a result mar of the scenes that were taken by goverr ment operators have been 1¢ paying audiences all over the lan Despite the fact that the charge of the taking of these tures have confined themselves short reels, evidently with the idea that the public appreciates a story that is not too long in the telling the vaults contain over 225,000 feet of film With the exception of the Army and Navy, this is by far the greates! amount of footage of any department The fiims taken by the Army and Navy comprise those stot for the pu Pose of preserving war will be seen that the Department Agriculture is by far the greatest leader in the motion picture industrs 80 far as governmental takings concerned. The question as to who some ! the actors are is a secret that onlt those connected with the taking o the pictures know, and it must by held in confidence; but it is knowt that several of those who have achleved fame on the screen, on tid stage and in beauty contests had the initlal success on the cellulofd strt that were taken by the men who are working for Uncle Sam, the best movis man in the business. sommer- piciures asked ar shown a men i te in scenes, so it ar |that merely tola a lesson. |filmed as to hold the interest of the spectator and the lesson sought to |and the embryology of the egg are | | some of the pictures that have been shown in different parts of the coun- called, then an interior, or vice versa. | made per second, but in order to On this particular occasion the day |the motion” of an object et “slow the Where Our Names Come From J. oF €. McDOWELL OF THE DAIRY DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT AGRICULTURE TURNED OUT TO BE JUST THE TYPE NEED- ED FOR A FARM PICTURE, SO HE PLAYS THE PART OF THE TILL es not like to run any destroying films that have taken and time to secure. Iways been the bug chance of a aboo of the directors of motion pic 10 one and so eve can sur vent for the chances are a thousand hat the retake will never be isfactory the first “shot”; y precaution that possibly »und a reel is taken to pre- 1o of the original nega- the tive N On this same floor the exhibition [ R OF THE SOIL IN ONE GOVERNMENT FILM. in readiness for a hurry call; the cameras are “loaded” with the cellu- oid strips: the actors, both male and female,” are selected, and the “loca- tion” expert is told to find a place where the outdoor scenes can be taken At last the time arrives and the first “shooting” of the picture starts. In the event that the day is a poor one for outdoor work, the interior scenes are taken in the studio; for motion pictures are not taken in se- is just right for outdoor work and the principals are bundled into auto- has been selected. The location man has selected an ideal spot. Content- ed kine are browsing; pastoral scene has been created; | part that is to catch the eye of the | | youngsters has been caretully pre- | pared: the beautiful princess stands near the forbidding iron bars of the place that serves as her prison and the gallant Sir Galahad is in costume, ready to show the world that he will save her from the But that is | part of the script. The director again goes over the ‘action” of the picture, members of the cast take their places and the first “shot” is made. Then come the other pictures lunch, and back to Unecle Sam's ctors and work longer hours than the petted favorites of Hollywood The ma- jority of them are government em- ployes or friends who have the in terest of the department at heart, and they are not bothered as to whether or not the picture will make their fame and fortune. They are work- ing in order that the dairy conditions of the colintry may be improved and that the kiddies may enjoy drinking pure milk. So goes the work until the last scene has been recorded for posterity. The film is developed, titles are in- serted and other mechanical work done. At last the reel is ready to be shown, and then those in charge of the tribution see the finished product on the screen. * %k ¥ *x “pum-: we are waliting for the film to be brought from the vaults, Director Perkins, as if to show the the studio; for actresses done in this branch of the depart- ment, has a wonderful action picture thrown on the silver sheet, which, by the way, is not silver at all; but a screen that has been covered with aluminum paint. The title of this masterplece is “The Horse in Mo- tion,” and it is most interesting, as it shows the horse in many galts, and after each perfod of normal speed a “slow motion picture” is shown. Here you see how the animal walks, canters, gallops and runs, but the camera shows them so slowly that the eye can, with ease, follow every movement. _ MAKING A GOVERNMENT MOVIE IN. THE INTEREST OF THE GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT. THE PIC- TURES ARE PLACED ON SCREENS IN COMMUNITIES WHERE -THE MOVEMENT..FOR .BETTER ... ROADS IS BEING AGITATED, mobiles and taken to the spot that | an attractive / the | followed by a bite of | camera is speeded up to a point where The film has made a great hit whenever shown, and several prin of it have been ordered by the Arm: for use in instruction work. One of the equinine actors in this reel horse that belongs to Gen. Pershing The motion pictures that have been taken by the Department of Agricul- ture are diversified in character and each one of them has been taken with the sole view of bettering conditions i diversity of the work that is being | 128 pictures are taken every second. | |be put over is carried in the mind | because of the manner in which the story has been told The “Red Enemy” is another reel that has attracted much attention. It shows the terrible loss and great dangers of forest fires, and the lesson taught has resulted in many bodies of campers sending in for the film, | in order that they may ald in pressing the facts on the minds of people who thoughtlessly throw matches on the ground or who leave | try. | that showing where Uncle Sam raises | It depicts a Agriculture | poultry. | partment of near Washington, exemp! proved methods of handling poultry, | | and shows brooders, pens, houses, use of trap nest Some of mal spection, sheep on One of the most Interesting ie visit poul , ete. the classificatio: im- | pictures taken are as follows tuberculosis, swine, the farm, federal sheep and poultry, GOVERNMENT PHOTOGRAPHERS FILMING A SCENE IN ONE OF THE NATIONAL PARKS. throughout the country, more par- ticularly as they affect the farmers, but as the department says, and rightly too, if the farmer is given the aid that will make his industry a success, the entire country will benefit, for it has been proved by earch that whenever the men of the soil are prosperous, the rest of the country enjoys good and when the agriculturist has poor vear, business fallures lhroughout the country materially in- One of the outstanding features of the film service of the department is the ever-increasing demand that is made on the department for plctures from colleges, schools, churches, communities, extension bureaus and dozens of other organizations. This condition .proves beyond doubt that the era of the educational film is not around the corner, but that it arrived some time ago. In preparing a series of fiims, the department takes care to have them so balanced. as to give to the entire nation the benfit of th work that has been done. Care was taken when the work started that the films jshould be of such a character that an the states would have an oppor- |funity to see something that con- cerned them directly as well as in- directly. One of the most popular reels is that entitled “Out of the Shadows.” It deals with the appearance of ani- mal tuberculosis on the farm of Henry Benton and its communication to his daughter, Mary, through the milk of a tubercular cow. The clean- up of the farm and Benton’s acquire- ment of a herd accredited as free from tuberculosis is an excellent les- son. The final scenes show Mary's return from a sanatorium after three years, to join a happy family ecircle. It emphasizes the importance of strict supervision and cleanliness on a dalry farm.. . Thb fim, as do all the olhetl that places where they have been camping. I 'HE “Honor of the Little Purple Stamp” is one that depicts the protection afforded the people by the government against diseased meats. For those interested in poultry there are reels that deal with this SCENE FROM: GOVERNMENT FILM, “LACTEUS, ries from plant diseases, etc. under this classification “Garden Golf,” and burning fires when they depart from [parasite and dairying. of Under bureau of plant industry are films|alds, the MacHenrys, the MacDavids showing the production sweet potatoes and potatoes, gardening, wheat harvest, seed to shortcake, shows how to the De- ry es the ap- farm the Ani of meat i wool, cattle the dates, | home strawber- apples, One of the films is entitled John THE GOOD MILK *~. KNIGHT,” ONE OF-THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S IN- ITH respect to the English- speaking world it may be pointed out that not until a period between the vears 1050 and 1250 that people were calied anything more than plain John, Wil- liam, James or Richard. There was | nothing in the world by which to ndicate who the kin were or to what family they belonged. Sur- names had not yet come into vogue. | A man was in those days In con- | stant danger, so far as his life went, |of getting lost in the shuffie and about the only way for & family to | keep together was to go through life holding hands. It was this condition | that gave rise to the surname, a sort of family trademark. that linked one to his own immediate folks. Sur- name, dertved from the French sur- nom, or overname, was written over the given name. Some authorities, however, contend that the word was originally ‘sire name” or father's name.” W Before that time, unless one had some personal peculiarity, or had ac- complished something to distinguish him from his fellows, he was just one pea among a lot of peas. If he chanced to be noticeably brave. he might happen to be known as Rich- ard the Lion-Hearted. If he was tall, as well as bowlegged, he would probably be dubbed efther Edward Cruickshanks or Dick Longfellow. But this crude scheme was un- satisfactory to the plain nobody, who was just like everyone else, fo the surname solved the problem of lo- cating the Johns, the Willlams, the Richards and the Henrys. Instead of saying such a one was the son of William, that everybody knew, he was referred to as William's son, and all of William's children, no matter whether they were sons or daughters, | were known as Willlamsons. And s0 it was that,the names of Dickson, Peterson, Thomson. Stephenson and | a host of otherss, came Into'existance. The Scotch and Irish followed the same plan, the word “Mac” meaning son, being afixed to the father's |name. Hence we get the MacDon- and the like. For & long time the Welsh stuck to the old custom of distinguishing a man as the son of his father by the use of “ap,” as Alexander ap Howell, but this proved a cumbersome meth- od, as it dild not always indicate clearly just who a man was. Some other Howell might have a son named Alexander, and so there would be two Alexander ap Howells. So some- {times it was necessary for ome to sign the name of his grandfather and even of his great-grandfather be- fore he could get himself properly placed. For instance, Alexander ap Smith ap Jones, ap somebody else, clear back to the seventh or elghth generation. By the simple expedient of dropping the “ in “ap”, we have Powell, Pridmore, Potter and Price, mere modifications of ap Howell, ap Ridmore, ap Otter and ap Rice. Many of the Christian names of that time were retained as the family name, or surname, and we at once think of the numerous Henrys, the Lewises, the Charleses, the Franks and the Andrews. Our ancestors did not seem to be at all averss to ad- vertising their callings by adopting them as surnames, hence the exis- tance of Messrs, Shoemaker, Sadler, Skinner, Tanner, Cook, Weaver, Spin- ner and scores of others. Many of our forebears were em- ployed in the homes of the nobility, and the surnames of some of them today tell us exactly what their dutles in the household were; there can be no doubt in the world where Mr. Kitchen, Mr. Hall, Mr. Butler, Mr. Stairs or Mr. Garrett labored. Many surnames are but the telling in one short word where the first of the family lived, as is instanced in such names as Woods, Fields, Brooks, Hill, Marsh and many others that ohe ‘can readily recall, In other times shopkeepers d1d no put their names over the doors hung & sign that bore some stranc device. This might be a bird. a beas an insect, a fish, a flower, or son thing else in the realm of natur So it was easy to adopt the objec on the sign as a family name; as 1 consequence Wwe have the host Birds, Harts, Lyons, Drakes Cranes. Then. too, one's personal appe ance, gait, his pecullar dispo sition, the color of his halr, or a hun- dred other characteristics, migh. had much to do With the naming o: a man. It may have been in admir- ation, or it may have been in derisioz that a particular name happened t¢ be tacked on a particular individual but they have remained with t family all the same, through thick and thin. And so we have the grea company of Longs, Walkers, Singers ‘Whistlers, Doolittles, ‘Whiteheads Lightfoots, Armstrongs, Blacks Whites and Browns. Just because man's name happens to be Lord Duke, Ear], King, Bishop, Abbott Knight it does not necessarily fo low that his ancestors were any these, as it was a custom, in ma instances. for one employed by 2 member of the nobility to adopt the title of his master as a family name It one's vocation called for the strik ing of blows 6n metal, he was } smith; and as there were black smiths, goldsmiths, silversimiths locksmiths, coppersmiths, it wonder that today the world is run ning over with Smiths. Concerning Snakes. UFON catching sight of a snaie the impulse of the average Di is to stamp upon its head, an actiu that is decidedly unwise. A snakc skull is very tough, part of the body that against stones, etc., owing to ths extreme short-sightedness of all st pents. The back, on the contrary, it easily broken with a light tap, for it consists of a delicate system o ball-and-socket joints. Should snakes be harmless, the best plan is to lai them alone; should they be danger ous, a shot from a revolver is and effective, In case no revolver fs at hand. & rap with a cane is sufficient, but carc must be taken to keep away from thy head of the creature. A snake does not normally go aboui hitting its skull against hard objects it only does this when in a hurry Moving at its ordinary pace, it feels its way with its long, delicate, forked tongue. In the same Way, when about 1 swallow its food, it touches it all over wtih its tongue in order tg ascertaln where to take hold, and this process has given rise to the mistaken idea that & snake covers its prey with saliva prior t5 swal lowing it. No doubt a considerabic quantity of saliva is generated dur ing the process of deglutition, but it does not come from the tongue, which is merely used as a feeler. When a snake bites it bisects ils head up to the nape of its neck, and opens its jaws until fhey are in ths same plane, Le. at right angles tu the body. These jaws are provided with six rows of strong, sharp teeth, four on the upper jaw and two or the lower jaw. This is a very formidable arrange ment, but when one remembers that a medium-sized coustrictor can pro- ject its head with sufficient force to knock a man off his feet, and will, on provocation or sometimes without it, let go this catapult machinery, ong is likely to avold constrictors as far as possible. Such a snake can take hold of a man and shake him or striy the skin and flesh from the part seized as if it were paper. —_— There are 60,000,000 Germans, whosé birth rate s increasing. as compared with 40,000,000 French, whose birth rate is steadily falling. as behoaves is Kknock