TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES A Survey of Civic Motion Pictures Available for Use by Municipalities By Ina Clement The foes of democracy are two-fold — those within and those without. Because the first are more insidious there is danger of neglecting them in the glamour of the present struggle. To win the zvar is the first great aim of every American city. The world looks to America not only to help “make the world safe for democ¬ racy,” but to keep democracy safe for the'World. The problems of Americanization, public health, social service, child labor, reg¬ ulation of employment for women, good government, safety to life and many others become doubly vital in the present crisis. Per¬ haps the most successful medium for awakening public interest in questions of this kind is the moving picture. Mr. H. F. Sherwood, one of the most enthusiastic workers for “better films,” says: “Picturization was the primitive man’s method of passing on what he had to say. A motion picture comes nearer to being the universal language than any other common medium of communi¬ cation. . . The motion picture serves to break down horizontally and vertically barriers between peoples and classes... For the first time in the history of the world, a means of expression which furnishes large opportunities for artistic development has been brought to the door of the burdened wage-earner.” 1 The War and the “Movie” National officials have found the movie invaluable in visualiz¬ ing war activities and necessities. Who can tell how many recruits for Uncle Sam may be placed to the credit of the movief Who knows to what extent the movie may be responsible in helping to make “food win the war” ? An interesting example of such a film is “Winning with Wheat,” which was produced by Kansas Agri¬ cultural College and the State Council of National Defense for use in a quick campaign during the summer of 1917 and greatly influenced agricultural production. The film was shown in 92 busy places during three weeks, the total attendance being 23,275. 1 “Democracy and the Movies.” Bookman, May, 1918. i 4 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Ex-Ambassador Gerard, when asked at a recent gathering in New York City what the United States could do for Russia, answered “Show them moving pictures representing conditions among the working classes in a republic.” The fact that recently the Government has decreed that 20% of the films exported to European countries must be educational or propaganda films is sufficient evidence of the importance placed upon the educational value of the motion picture. 2 Municipalities and the “Movie” Various cities have found the motion picture of equal im¬ portance in enlightening the public regarding civic matters. Salt Lake City, in a film “The Work of Protecting a City’s Health,” pictured the work of the Health Department, part of the proceeds being devoted to the Red Cross. Baltimore produced a film “Col¬ lection and Disposal of Refuse and Garbage of Baltimore.” Other cities have used existing films on many subjects. Dallas, Texas,, has recently shown an interesting collection of such motion pic¬ tures in connection with its Child Welfare Exhibit. Opinions differ as to the advisability of direct participation by municipalities in the presentation of motion pictures and in some cases the theaters themselves have strongly opposed such competition. The New York City Department of Health con¬ siders the plan of cooperating with the regular theaters and having the films presented as part of the theater programs more success¬ ful than the free open air performances. The summer evenings make it possible, however, to use the movie as a recreation feature in the public parks, thus not only giving people something worth while to see but keeping them out in the open. Such open air performances have been successfully conducted in New York, Boston, and St. Louis. Survey of the Field The Municipal Reference Library has recently been making a study of this subject, in the course of which all of the important manufacturers of educational films in and around New York City, as well as the various organizations interested in the betterment of the quality of the motion picture, were interviewed. More than a hundred letters were written to manufacturers, city officials, and private corporations owning special films. Although a widespread 2 A list of patriotic pictures has been compiled by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 5 interest in the subject of civic motion pictures was found to exist and a number of previous studies had been made, no one person or organization, apparently, has endeavored to publish a com¬ prehensive list of civic films, with information as to their cost and availability. That there is great need for such information is evidenced by the large number of inquiries received by civic and educational institutions, both public and private, throughout the country. An examination of the data collected shows that the films may be divided into four general classes: those produced by com¬ mercial manufacturers, those produced by commercial manu¬ facturers in cooperation with some association for propaganda purposes, those made for city officials, and, finally, those made by corporations for advertising purposes. This last class includes some of the most valuable films produced. Many of these indus¬ trial films are of too technical and scientific a nature to be included in this list and yet are excellent for instruction. They have also been used in vocational guidance courses and are serving as an aid to those interested in the rehabilitation of handicapped soldiers and sailors in showing special processes for which these men can be trained. Probably the most popular film is the story with a civic mes¬ sage or information interwoven with the plot. Good examples of this type of film are “The Locked Door” (Fire Prevention), “For the Commonwealth” (Prison Reform), and “The Rule of Reason” (Safety first). Such a combination, however, is very difficult to obtain, especially in connection with such subjects as road building, water supply, municipal government. Some of the films, therefore, are largely descriptive, as, for example, “Filtering a Water Supply” or “The Production of Antitoxin.” As to subject matter, the following classification of films examined is significant: Health and sanitation (includ- Police - - - - - 6 ing milk supply and tubercu- Americanization 4 losis) - - - - - 28 Education ----- 4 Safety ----- 12 Gardening - - - - 3 Social service - - - - 8 Crime and criminals - - - 3 Fire protection and preven- . Public utilities - - - 3 tion - - - - - 7 Public works - - - -2 Roads and pavements - - 7 Municipal government - - 1 Recreation - - - - 7 Commerce - - - - 1 Child welfare - - - 7 Miscellaneous 15 The greatest number of films were found for subjects which have been given the widest publicity. The last ten years have seen wonderful progress along the line of health education, especially 6 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY the prevention of tuberculosis. “Safety first” has within the last five years become a familiar term to all. Until quite recently the question of Americanization has received scant attention. The obligations of citizenship are presented forcibly through the me¬ dium of the motion picture. In states where women have become newly enfranchised citizens the screen is becoming a power in awakening them to a sense of responsibility. Films showing the organization and work of city departments have sometimes been used to this end. Finally the fact that the fire losses of the United States and Canada during 1917 aggregated $267,273,300, shows that too much stress cannot be placed upon the subjects of fire prevention and fire protection. It will be noted that the rental of the films varies from $2.00 to $35.00, depending upon the original cost of production, the length of time they have been issued, and the demand for them. Practically all rental costs are in addition to the transportation charges. Many of them are available simply for the transporta¬ tion charges and a guarantee that the film will be returned in good condition. In some cases a request is made that no admission be charged when pictures are shown. There are so few copies of these films that arrangements for their use should be made at least a month in advance. While every effort has been made to secure accurate information concerning cost of rental and availa¬ bility, conditions change so rapidly in the motion picture industry that such data are intended as a guide to those interested rather than an absolute check list. When ordering from a large manu¬ facturer it is wise to consult your local exhibitor regarding the nearest exchange. Much valuable material has been found in the news reels of various film corporations, as the “Pathe News,” Gaumont “Graphics,” and “Life Reels,” or the Universal’s “Film Magazine.” Each of these films, usually 1,000 feet in length, contains a collec¬ tion of from six to twelve subjects, each of which may be from 100 feet to 500 feet long. Such films, after a few months’ time, are either destroyed or simply the negatives are kept. This means that they cannot be rented and can only be reprinted at consider¬ able expense. Yet they include such subjects as “Americanization Day Celebrated,” “A Square Deal for Baby,” “Keeping the Big City Clean,” “Hetch-Hetchy Project,” “Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon,” “Making School Safe,” “Children Dancing Around Maypoles,” “Children Gather and Preserve Vegetables,” etc. Could some plan of co-operation between manufacturers and city officials be worked out under which these sections of films could be preserved, it would be an advantage to those interested in TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 7 civic education. Some of the subjects in the Universal’s “Film Magazine” have been included in the following list, when they included other subjects of more than temporary interest. H Ill*'' , ' \ Need for a Film Library One of the striking developments of this study, which was not anticipated in the beginning, has been the continuous plea for a public film library. “There is more need for a public library of films than there ever was for a public library of books, and for the following reason: the book is an individual property; it can be read in solitude; the individual can purchase it if he wants it. But the motion picture is essentially a collective commodity. The individual can have a desired motion picture only on condition that a large number of other people want the same picture at the same time. This fact makes it peculiarly out of question to leave motion pictures to the exploitation of unlimited commercialism. . . The public film library, dealing with a sufficiently large number of schools, churches, and other agencies, would be able to draw on the world’s supply for whatever film it wanted, and to ransack the film output of the past ten years.” 3 Such a library could secure copies of interesting sections of films and keep them to rent or lend to public officials or organiza¬ tions. A similar library for historical purposes was established by Edgar R. Harlan, curator of the State Historical Department of Iowa. Films were stored away for historical reference, but in case a subject became of general interest again, the film was taken out and circulated. In the absence of a public film library numerous institutions, as indicated above, are receiving letters asking for information about civic films. For the purposes of this study the Municipal Reference Library has collected considerable data of this kind which it will gladly share with city officials, civic organizations and municipal reference libraries in other cities. On the other hand the Library would greatly appreciate the cooperation of such officials in notifying it of all new ventures in the civic motion picture field, in order that its files of information may be kept up to date. 3 In “Motion pictures a problem to be cooperatively solved,” Social Centers Committee of the People’s Institute. Other references on this subject are: “Teaching by the Movies,” by Gregory Mason, Outlook, Aug. 22, 1914; “Educational future of the moving picture,” by H. W. Lanier, Review of Reviews, Dec., 1914; “A film library,” by John Collier, The Survey, March 4, 1916. 8 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Agencies Interested in the Educational Film The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is an organization of volunteer workers with main offices at 70 Fifth Avenue, New York City. It is in no way interested in the finan¬ cial side of the industry. Among its many activities the Board acts as a clearing house in referring citizens throughout the country to the sources from which films of all classes can be secured. Emphasis is placed upon the creation of a better type of film rather than upon censorship of the films produced. Special lists on various subjects are prepared and selected lists of pictures are sent to periodicals, libraries, community centers and churches. “A Garden of Motion Pictures” is a selected list published quar¬ terly. The Board also cooperates with departments of the Gov¬ ernment in solving problems in connection with motion pictures and the war. The Bureau of Commercial Economics, 900 Southern Build¬ ing, Washington, D. C., cooperates with schools and public offi¬ cials throughout the country. “The Bureau is an association of the governments, institutions, manufacturers, producers, trans¬ portation lines and individuals of the United States and foreign countries, to engage in disseminating geographical, commercial, industrial, vocational welfare and public health information by the graphic method of motography”. . . The requirements are: payment of transportation charges, use of standard motion picture projectors by competent operators, reports of films used and attendance after each performance, immediate return of films used, no admission fee to be charged. The Exhibitors Booking Agency, 220 West 42nd Street, New York City, was organized over ten years ago by Mrs. Kath¬ erine F. Carter who was formerly actively engaged in educa¬ tional work and is very enthusiastic over the motion picture as a means of instruction. This agency produces some pictures, supplies films made by other manufacturers, writes scenarios and selects programs if desired. The Community Motion Picture Bureau, 46 West 24th Street, New York City, is composed of a group of specialists who not only rent films but undertake to select programs suitable for various occasions or groups of people. Social welfare problems receive a large share of their attention, though at present their time is largely devoted to war work. The Department of Surveys and Exhibits of the Russell Sage Foundation has collected data concerning films of a civic nature and has advised inquirers from all over the country as to TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 9 types and sources of motion picture films suitable for special campaigns. The Industrial Department of The International Committee of the Y. M. C. A. has considerable material on the educational and industrial film. The Moving Picture World, 516 Fifth Avenue, New York City, has for some time published a “List of Educational and Selected Films” compiled by Miss Margaret McDonald. In some states the Extension Department of the State Uni¬ versity or Agricultural College is glad to cooperate with the cities of the state. This is true in Wisconsin, Iowa, Massachusetts, California, Kansas, Oregon, and probably in other states that have not replied to the request for information on this subject. Okla¬ homa is planning such cooperation in the future. Mr. E. G. Rout- zahn, associate director of the Department of Surveys and Ex¬ hibits, Russell Sage Foundation, thinks this method one of the most feasible plans for furthering such activities in smaller com¬ munities. Other state departments also frequently have films to be circulated within the state. Subject List of Civic Motion Pictures The following list contains all civic motion pictures which have been reported to the Municipal Reference Library as avail¬ able at the present date for use by civic institutions or munici¬ palities. The list does not pretend to absolute completeness, nor is it on the other hand to be considered in any sense as a selected list. The Library has endeavored to include every film which could be classed as civic, but it is sometimes difficult to decide upon the line of demarcation. In each case the title of the film is given first, the source from which it can be obtained second, and cost of rental third. Addresses of firms have been given in the first entry only. AMERICANIZATION An asterisk (*) after title indicates films in preparation, probably to be released during the present summer (1918) An American in the leaking. Obtainable from the National Association of Manufacturers, 30 Church Street, New York City. Cost of rental: transporta¬ tion charges only. i This is the story of a Hungarian peasant, who came to this country and joined his brother at the U. S. Steel Company’s plant in Gary, Indiana. The technical training and welfare work offered by the company gave him every opportunity to advance. Foundation of Citizenship. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics, 900 Southern Building, Washington, D. C. Cost of rental: transpor¬ tation charges only. 10 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Teaching English to Foreigners. Obtainable from the International Com¬ mittee of Young Men’s Christian Association, Industrial Department, 347 Madi¬ son Avenue, New York City. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The Immigrant — to be released, probably not before Sept. 1, 1918, by the Division of Films, Committee on Public Information, Washington, D. C. Cost of rental: no information received. CHILD WELFARE Better Babies. Obtainable from the Bray Studios 23 East 26th Street, New York City. Cost of rental: $5.00 per reel. The Error of Omission. Obtainable from the Beseler Educational Film Co., 71 West 23rd Street, New York City. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. Tommy Lawton is born into the world, and his father, one of the common type of careless parents, in the flurry resulting from having a young bull pup sent him from a friend, neglects to register Tommy’s birth certificate. Tommy grows up and encounters numerous difficulties because of his birth never having been registered. Finally he almost loses a fortune until he happens to discover his father’s old dog-registration paper, on the back of which is carelessly written “Also became the father of a fine, bouncing boy on this date.” Public and Private Care of Infants. Obtainable from the Beseler Educa¬ tional Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. This film deals with the problem of the mother who has to neglect her child in order to make a living. The mother in this picture has twins. She boards one with a foster mother, but the other she is obliged to send to an institution. One lives, the other does not. The Eternal Mother. Obtainable from the Metro Pictures Corporation, 1476 Broadway, New York City. Cost of rental: $10.00 per presentation. A thrilling child labor drama, in which the wife of the wealthy mill owner is for a time separated frqm her husband, because of his treatment of the children in the mill. A reconciliation finally comes and he tells of the model schoolhouses and improvements that he has made for her sake. The Price of Silence. Obtainable from the Fox Film Corporation, 130 West 46th Street, New York City. Cost of rental: (?) A thrilling, romantic, child labor drama involving a prominent senator who has always fought for the cause. To save the name of a dead friend and keep his daughter’s heart from breaking, he votes against the child labor bill. At the Threshold of Life. Obtainable from the Beseler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. There are two young people of wealth and social position, the girl with an unselfish love for the unhelped little ones of the city, and the young man intent upon his own enjoyment of life in his own circle. There are scenes showing her work and its effect upon the little ones and also the contrasting lives of the children who have no kindergarten and who must play in a crowded tenement room or street. One little lame child is unable to get into the kindergarten and meets with an accident in the street. The young man makes good by presenting the con¬ valescent child with a check for the kindergarten. Uncle Crusty. Obtainable from the National Kindergarten Association, 8 West 40th Street, New York City. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Edward Van Nest, a crabbed bachelor, has a brother William who is a widower with one child, Willie, about four years old. Willie’s father lives in Antwerp. At the beginning of the war he decides to send Willie to America to his “Uncle Crusty” as Edward has become known. Willie’s love fails to win his Uncle, but the child meets a kindergarten teacher who takes him to school and Willie is happy. Crusty locates him in the kindergarten and soon is writing out checks for the kindergarten. COMMERCE The Commerce of Chicago. Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co., 71 West 23rd Street, New York City. Cost of rental: approximately $2.00 per performance and transportation charges. Lake front from the municipal pier. — Chicago River. Entrance from the Lake. — Sailing and steam vessels. — Types of drawbridges. — State Street. — Transportation building. — Michigan Avenue. — Panoramic view of the stockyards. TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 11 CRIME AND CRIMINALS For the Commonwealth. Obtainable from the Beseler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. A young man, unskilled and out of work, deserts his family, assaults an officer and is sent to prison. His wife makes shirts to support herself and her child. The men in prison are taught shirt-making. Because prison labor is cheap the young man’s wife is put out of business along with many other girl shirt makers. A protest is sent in to the Governor, who solves the problem by teaching the men shoe-making and using the products entirely for the state. The young man leaves prison a skilled laborer and there is a reunion of the family. The Public Defender. Obtainable from the Modern Feature Photo Plays, Inc., 729 Seventh Avenue, New York City. Cost of rental: approximately $35.00 per day. This film advocates that in addition to public prosecutors there should be public defenders. It is a five part drama in which a “public defender bill” becomes a law and the new official saves an innocent man from the electric chair. The Honor System. Obtainable from Fox Film Corporation. Cost of rental: (?) The scene is laid in Arizona and describes old and new methods of prison regulation. The descriptions of the old methods seem to be somewhat overdrawn. EDUCATION Fitting the Boy to the Job. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The Man He Might Have Been. Obtainable from the National Associa¬ tion of Manufacturers. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The film tells the story of a boy with ambition for knowledge. In spite of protests of the school principal, who offers him an opening by which he can work in the day and attend school at night, the father forces him into the most ordinary drudgery. He becomes discouraged, goes the wrong way, and finally marries most unhappily. New York City. Civic Administration r Part-?]. Obtainable from the Beseler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. Unique exercises in East Side schools, May Day and Arbor Day festivals in Central Park. How New York Does It: Department of Education. Obtainable from the General Film Co., 25 West 44th Street, New York City. Cost of rental: (?) FIRE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION A Crime of Carelessness. Obtainable from the National Association of Manufacturers. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The owner of a large woolen mill is careless about fire exits being kept clear. The inspector fails to report it. An employee breaks the rule prohibiting smoking and carelessly throws his lighted cigarette into a pile of rubbish. The mill burns and a panic follows. The factory is rebuilt. Tom is reinstated and both employer and employee have learned a lesson. Fire Department, Manila. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Fireproofing Children. Obtainable from the Educational Films Corpora¬ tion of America, 729 Seventh Avenue, New York City. Cost of rental: $3.00 per reel per day (105B). Much loss of life among school children is due to playing with fire in various forms. The film shows how children’s clothes may very easily and economically be made fireproof by a solution easily purchased at any drug store. Mayors Organize to Prevent Great Fire Losses. (Univ. Current Events 44.) Obtainable from the Universal Film Corporation, 1600 Broadway, New York City. Cost of rental: $3.00 per day. Carelessness and lack of prevention methods are largely blamed for more than $200,000,000 12 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY property loss in the U. S. during 1917. Mayor Hylan, of New York, a leader in the movement, advocating proper means of prevention. — Night watchmen should be equipped for all emergencies. — An example of carelessness. —- Slight pressure will sometimes cause oily waste to smolder. — If the watchman is prepared, disaster is prevented. — “An ounce of prevention” might have avoided this. How New York Does It. Fire Department. Obtainable from the General Film Company. Cost of rental: (?) New York City. Civic Administration: Part 3. Obtainable from the Bese- ler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. The fire fighters. — Drills. — The rescue squad at work. — Water tower practic^, etc. New York City. Civic Administration: Part 4. Obtainable from the Bese- ler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental $2.00 per performance. Fire fighting. — The fire boats in operation. — A river front fire. The Locked Door. Obtainable from the Underwriters’ Laboratories, 207 E. Ohio Street, Chicago, Ill. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A fire-prevention film. GARDENING Insect Friends and Enemies. Obtainable from the Educational Film Cor¬ poration. Cost of rental: $5.00 per day. Some of the garden insects are enemies of men and others are friends. Professor Ditmars strikingly pictures what beautiful creatures are metamorphosed from the garden pests. Next some remarkable photography shows the insect friends of the farmers — tiny legions that prey upon the destructive forms. In the day of almost universal war gardens, it is. highly instructive, as well as interesting, to see the various friendly or hostile types at work. Enemies of the Garden. Obtainable from the Educational Film Corpora¬ tion. Cost of rental: $5.00 per day. In very practical fashion Professor Ditmars exhibits different types of insects destructive to garden plants, and then shows easy methods of dealing with them. Last of all the toad, prize fly-catcher of them all, is snapshotted as he snaps with lightning rapidity at a worm in his path. Weeds, What they are, and How to Get Rid of Them.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50 per performance. HEALTH PROBLEMS Baby Hygiene.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50. Posture.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approxi¬ mately $2.50. Defects in posture that ruin physical and mental health. Their remedies. Protecting the Eyesight.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50. First Aid.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50. The Sun Cure. Obtainable from Bray Studios, 23 West 26th Street, New York City. Cost of rental: $2.50. How a city brings sunlight to the poor. X-Ray on Teeth. Obtainable from Bray Studios. Cost of rental: $2.50. Small Pox Vaccine, Diphtheria Antitoxin, Typhoid Vaccine, Etc. Obtain¬ able from the H. K. Mulford Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Cost of rental: transporta¬ tion charges only. See also Milk Supply, Sanitation, Tuberculosis. TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 13 MILK SUPPLY The Trump Card. Obtainable from the New York State Department of Health, Albany, N. Y. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. (Not loaned in New York City.) Designed to show the danger of milk-borne disease. Sanitary Manufacture of Condensed Milk. Obtainable from Borden’s Condensed Milk Co., 108 Hudson Street, New York City. Cost of rental: trans¬ portation charges only. Sanitary Manufacture of Evaporated Milk. Obtainable from Borden’s Condensed Milk Co. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Sanitary Methods in the Dairy. Obtainable from Borden’s Condensed Milk Co. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The Man Who Learned. Obtainable from the Educational Films Corpora¬ tion of America. Cost of rental: $3.00 per reel per day. Milk picture depicting unsanitary and sanitary conditions of farming. Pure Milk Production.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50. Dangers of Unclean Milk.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental approximately $2.50. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT The Upheaval. Obtainable from the Metro Pictures Corporation. Cost of rental: $10.00 per performance. On Jim Gordon, a serious young college man, falls the mantle of his father who has been the leader of a corrupt political ring. The son determines to be true to the ideals of his dead mother, but everything he does is misunderstood and he is accused of graft. Finally he buys the new traction company and gives it to the city in honor of his dead mother and to atone for the wrongs his father did the community. Note: Other films on this subject have been noted under specific headings. See Fire Protection, Education, Police, and Sanitation. POLICE The World’s Greatest Police Training School. Obtainable from Bray Studios, 23 West 26th Street, New York City. Cost of rental: $2.50. New York City. Civic Administration: Part 1. Obtainable from the Bese- ler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. Annual police parade, 8,000 members passing on review. — Street Cleaning Department. — Glimpse of Riker’s and Barren Islands, where the city’s refuse is disposed of. New York City. Civic Administration: Part 2. Obtainable from the Bese- ler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. First is seen a member of the Traffic Squad at 23d Street and Broadway, then the mounted police. — Finally the Harbor Police and the police dogs. Ready for Anything from Air Raids to Riots. Obtainable from the Uni¬ versal Film Corporation. (Univ. Animated Weekly 24.) Cost of rental: $3.00 per day. With equipment like that of an army division, the police of the metropolis pass through lanes of cheering thousands in annual parade. — Mayor Hylan, the first Mayor of New York to lead a police parade. — The machine gun squad. — The terror of the speed machine. — The Aviation Battalion is ready to defend New York in the air. — “City Mothers”: the Women Police Reserves. — Decorating the police heroes. 14 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY How New York Does It: Police Department. Obtainable from the Gen¬ eral Film Co. Cost of rental: (?) Keeping Our “Cops” in Trim. (Univ. Screen Mag. 58.) Obtainable from the Universal Film Manufacturing Co. Cost of rental: $3.00. “A crook ain’t got a fair chance in New York now,” wailed a pickpocket the other day. The “cop” who grabbed him was a physical superman. — Dumb-bells and punching bag helped to develop him. — Ways of knocking out a belligerent lawbreaker. — Watch these holds. — Unless a crook is an athletic marvel he hasn’t a chance. — Trip a “gink” if you can get a chance. — The boys must learn how to make themselves useful at a fire. — Inspection before the day’s work begins. PUBLIC UTILITIES Speeding the Spoken Word. Obtainable from the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., 195 Broadway, New York City. Cost of rental: transporta¬ tion charges only. Filtering a Water Supply. Obtainable from the Lincoln & Parker Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per reel per day. The Ohio River, Cincinnati’s water supply. — Sample of unfiltered Ohio River water. — Pumping station. — Upper reservoir of unfiltered water from the river, showing mud deposits on reservoir banks. — General view of filtration plant. — Turbines which furnish light and power for filtration plant. — Filter-house and basins. — Bottles of sand and gravel, showing grades used in filtering. — Cleaning the filter. — Mixing chemicals with water to collect the suspended dirt. Aeration; lost oxygen is replaced by a water-fall. — Filtered water. — Notice absence of dirt on reservoir walls. — Chemist testing filtered water. — Specimen bottles of water containing: 1, raw river water; 2, settled water from settling basin; 3, treated water after chemicals have been introduced; 4, pure filtered water. The Landloper. Obtainable from the Metro Pictures Corporation, 1476 Broadway, New York City. Cost of rental: $10.00 per exhibition. A romance in which the hero succeeds in defeating the political boss in his purpose to renew the water supply franchise. He gains for the town a clean water supply instead of typhoid. PUBLIC WORKS The Keokuk’s Dam. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Eco¬ nomics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Bridging the Stream. Film showing bridge construction. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. RECREATION Camp Fire Girls. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. At Home in the Water. Obtainable from the Beseler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00 per performance. A demonstration by one of the world’s greatest exponents of swimming, M. G. H. Corsan. Also some of the feats of two of his most advanced pupils. Life Saving and Swimming. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Recreation Activities in Pittsburgh. Obtainable from the Superintendent, Bureau of Recreation, Pittsburgh, Pa. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Opening of Playgrounds. Obtainable from New York City, Park Depart¬ ment, Bureau of Recreation. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 15 Things You Should Know — Swimming. Obtainable from Bray Studios. Cost of rental: $2.50. How a submarine dives and rises. Practical lessons in swimming demonstrated by George Corsan. Pageant of Manhattan and May Day Exercises (Central Park), New York City. Obtainable from New York City, Park Department, Bureau of Recrea¬ tion. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. ROADS AND PAVEMENTS Wayne County, Mich., Roads. (2 reels.) Obtainable from the Portland Cement Association, 111 West Washington Street, Chicago, Ill. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Camp Dodge, Iowa, Roads. (2 reels.) Obtainable from the Portland Cement Association. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Easton-Allentown, Pa., Roads. Obtainable from the Portland Cement Association. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Mason City, Clear Lake, Iowa. Obtainable from the Portland Cement Association. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Digging and Refining of Asphalt from the Native Lakes in Trinidad and Venezuela. Obtainable from the Barber Asphalt Paving Co., Land Title Build¬ ing, Philadelphia, Pa. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Construction of Pavements in which Asphalt is Used: (1) Mixing Method (2) Penetration Method. Obtainable from the Barber Asphalt Paving Co. Cost of rental: transportation charges. From Log to Lumber. Produced for the Southern Pine Association. Obtainable from the International Committee of Young Men’s Christian Asso¬ ciations, Industrial Department. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Includes description of wood block pavement. SAFETY The High Cost of Hurry. Obtainable from the Exhibitors’ Booking Agency, 220 West 42d Street, New York City. Cost of rental: $10.00 per performance, or $50.00 per week. This is a safety-first film dealing with street accidents, etc. (Made for the New Jersey Public Service Corporation, Newark, N. J.) An Unbeliever Convinced. Obtainable from the Underwriters’ Labora¬ tories. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The picture is a comprehensive, convincing sermon on fire protection. The hazard of poor housekeeping is portrayed; the crime of depending on a single wooden stairway as the only means of egress from upper floors is illustrated; the danger of smoking in an industrial plant is emphasized; the probable consequences of hanging work-room doors to open inward are pictured; the importance of cooperation with institutions, organizations, and officials engaged in safety work is shown in ways that are impressive and convincing. The Workman’s Lesson. Obtainable from the National Association of Manufacturers. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A young Italian secures a position through the influence of Wenzel. He is interested in the safety device that covers the chuck, but Wenzel views it with contempt. The young man, Bokko, influenced by Wenzel, leaves the safety device open and an accident follows. Upon Bokko’s return from the hospital, Wenzel sees his empty sleeve hanging and breaks down. The arm proves to be almost well. There is a romance running through the story between Bokko and Wenzel’s daughter. 16 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Safety First. Obtainable from the Universal Film Company (Screen Mag. no. 43). Cost of rental: about $2.00 per evening. Secretary of State, Francis Hugo, head of the world’s largest motor vehicle bureau. View¬ ing Fifth Avenue’s never-ending procession of cars. There are 75,000 chauffeurs in New York, sixty per cent of whom are foreigners. In order to secure a license in New York State, a driver must pass a road test and a written examination. Some of New York’s large department stores employ a small army of drivers. _ They are given a “Safety First” talk each week. Many women are qualifying as professional drivers, with a view to serving their country as ambulance drivers. They take the road test. The result of taking a corner at reckless speed. The greatest menace of the automobile public is the driver who boozes. Isn’t it better to stop, look and listen than to be the victim of a deplorable accident? Careless America. Obtainable from the Universal Film Manufacturing Co. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A national safety first warning, thrillingly presented in motion pictures, under the auspices of the Secretaries of State and the Police Departments of America. A spectacular film which, by its teachings, will help every citizen to do his patriotic duty and conserve human life, which at the present moment is America’s most vital asset. Dangers from Explosives. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The Making of a Convert. Obtainable from the National Safety Council, Continental and Commercial Bank Building, Chicago, Ill., through members of the Council. Cost of rental: $1.25 per day. “A motorman, prejudiced against the principles of Safety-first, refuses to obey any of the precautions of the company. Finally he attends several safety meetings and becomes a convert and booster for the cause.” The House that Jack Built. Obtainable from the National Safety Council, Chicago, Ill., through members of the Council. Cost of rental: (?) “This film teaches a strong lesson in carefulness to railroad men. There is nothing that appeals to the average man or woman so strongly as do the comfort and happiness of an ideal home. This is the basis upon which this photoplay is written. It tells a story, full of absorbing human interest and incidentally depicts in a most effective and realistic manner many unsafe practices that are daily followed by railroad men. It points out in a manner more lasting than written or verbal admonitions the far-reaching and unhappy results of carelessness.” Steve Hill’s Awakening. Obtainable from the National Safety Council, Chicago, Ill., through members of the Council. Cost of rental: (?) “Joe worked in a factory near a railroad and his home was on the other side of the tracks. He didn’t believe in safety — laughed at it — and never looked both ways before taking a short-cut across the lines. He did it once too often. They couldn’t save his life at the hospital and the shock was too much for the wife — she lost her reason.” The Rule of Reason. Obtainable from the National Safety Council, Chicago, Ill., through members of the Council. Cost of rental: (?) “This picture is full of thrills and pathos and drives home a powerful safety lesson. It is applicable not only on railroads but in every industry where hazard exists. Bob Tracy, a young man employed as a yard brakeman, is, because of unsafe habits, a thorn in the side of his brother-in-law, the superintendent. Hoping to inculcate safety ideas in the young brakeman’s mind, Foster puts him on the safety committee. Bob is in the habit of drinking on the sly. He does not get drunk and his fellow employes are not aware of his habit. In a dramatic scene, Bob’s sister endeavors to make him see that men engaged in hazardous employment should main¬ tain habits that will insure a perfectly normal physical and mental condition at all times, which to her mind is a ‘rule of reason.’ The influence of a little four-year-old girl adds to Bob’s concern, and his conscience finally revolts against his shortcomings. Neglecting to close a switch after he has let a train in on a yard track, and falling asleep because of his improper indulgence, he dreams that a frightful yard collision occurs through his neglect. Awakening from his dream with a start and stricken with fear and horror, Bob stumbles forward and throws the switch to proper position, and then to his great relief finds the train still safe and that no accident in reality happened. He has had his lesson. A love story is intertwined and in the end Bob’s fiancee shows her approval of Bob’s reformation. This is a splendid safety picture.” The Outlaw. Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Film Company. Cost of rental: (?) The plot is of unusual interest. Carelessness is personified as Satan, and its various forms as Imps. The tricks of the evil one and his malicious imps are vividly portrayed. An interesting basis is laid for showing effective safety measures — the means of overcoming the devil of carelessness. TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 17 SANITATION The Mosquito. Obtainable from the Exhibitors Booking Agency. Cost of rental: $3.00 per day. Fly Pest Film. Obtainable from the American Civic Association, Wash¬ ington, D. C. Cost of rental: $5.00 a showing; $15.00 a week. The House Fly. Obtainable from Exhibitors Booking Agency. Cost of rental: $5.00 per day; by the week about $3.00 a day. This reel contains the complete life history of the house fly (Musca domestica). A marvelous microscopic motion picture. It is scientifically accurate, yet written in simple language. The last part of the reel deals with the manner in which the germs of disease are carried by the fly. How New York Does It. Department of Street Cleaning. Obtainable from the General Film Co. Cost of rental: (?) Keeping a Great City Clean. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A School for White Wings. Obtainable from Bray Studios. Cost of rental: $2.50. How a great city instructs its street cleaners. City Waste Disposal.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50. Sewage Disposal.* Obtainable from Lincoln & Parker Co. Cost of rental: approximately $2.50. Saving Money for the Taxpayer. Keeping the City Clean and Conserving Every Ounce of Waste Means Money in Your Pocket. N. Y. City has a Model System of Disposing of Garbage. (Univ. Screen Mag. 52.) Obtainable from the Universal Film Manufacturing Co. Cost of rental: (?) At dock, giant derrick dumps boxes, paper and bottles on one barge, ashes on another. — Formerly cost $232,000 yearly to dispose of garbage; now reducing company pays $180,000 for the privilege. — City receives $725 a week from junk-men for sorting this material. — Bales of old rags and paper for the paper mills. — Bottles and bones are big revenue bringers. — Valuable garbage goes to reducing plant at Barren Island; ashes go to Riker’s Island to make “new land.” — The scoop does the work of 20 men and saves thousands of dollars to the overburdened tax¬ payer.— Tug pulling barge of valuable garbage to grease and fertilizer plant. — Ashes and other useless material are dumped at sea. — At reducing plant, oils and fats are extracted from vegetable matter and go to make finest grades of perfume, soap, pomade, and the glycerine in high explosive shells. SOCIAL SERVICE A Field for Philanthropy. Obtainable through Alma G. Traugott, Chicago Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary, 426 East Fifty-first Street, Chicago, Ill. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Shows various phases of the work in congested districts for the welfare of expectant mothers and care of the newborn infants. Cleveland: Welfare Work of the Various Organizations. Obtainable from the Welfare Federation of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. Cost of rental: trans¬ portation charges only. A Corner in Cotton. Obtainable from the Metro Pictures Corporation. Cost of rental: $10.00 per exhibition. The daughter of a wealthy broker becomes interested in welfare work among the poor in New York. She is given by her father as a birthday gift $50,000 worth of stock in Consolidated Cotton. Later she becomes interested in the conditions in the mills and determines to go down and investigate. She also becomes interested in the son of the mill owner and they decide that there are more important things in the world than cotton. 18 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Jewish Charities. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. The Other Half. Obtainable from the New York Association for Improv¬ ing the Condition of the Poor, 105 East 22d Street, N. Y. City. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Charity Floating Hospital. (Univ. Screen Mag. no. 3.) Obtainable from the Universal Film Manufacturing Co. Cost of rental: $3.00. Tenement districts where children are in need of fresh air. — Examined before being allowed to board. — This floating hospital has during last summer treated and carried 5,000 children without regard to creed or color. — Bidding New York good-bye for a day’s outing. — A ward. — Where milk is specially prepared. — Sterilizing. — Best medical treatment to sick babies. — After a bath. —Arriving at Seaside Hospital, S. I., where the sick babies and over¬ worked mothers spend their two weeks’ vacation to recuperate. — Infants’ ward. — Taught to be useful. — Starting for home. The Visiting Nurse. Obtainable from the Beseler Educational Film Co. Cost of rental: $2.00. A romance showing the various activities of a visiting nurse in a large city. In His Father’s Footsteps. Obtainable from the New York State Depart¬ ment of Health. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. (Not loaned in New York City.) Designed to show the danger of various unsanitary conditions often met with on farms and urge the observance of such simple precautions as make for health. TUBERCULOSIS The Temple of Moloch. Obtainable from the National Tuberculosis Association, 381 Fourth Ave., New York City. Cost of rental: $.50 per day per reel. The working man and tuberculosis is the theme of this intensely dramatic picture; along with this runs the idea of childhood infection. The wealthy owner refuses to listen to suggestions of sanitary improvement in the factory and tenements owned by him. The young health officer, in love with the former’s daughter, exploits these conditions through the press. The manufacturer’s two children fall victims of the disease. The climax is reached when the father learns that his children were infected years before by their nurse-girl who was a daughter of a former workman. With the father’s awakening comes a determination to clean up conditions, and the story closes with a happy Christmas scene. The Lone Game. Obtainable from the National Tuberculosis Association. Cost of rental: $.50 per day per reel. On the one hand is the poor consumptive who goes West with only $20 in his pockets, in the hope that he will be cured of his disease. He is too weak to work and cannot secure admission to the hospitals there without money. On the other hand, there is the young college student of football fame, who, upon contracting tuberculosis, leaves for the West with every necessity and luxury money can buy. The first one, after a fruitless struggle to play “the lone game” without money, dies; the second is restored to health. Football, romance, and Red Cross Seals are all blended togetheer. The Price of Human Lives. Obtainable from the National Tuberculosis Association. Cost of rental: $.50 per day per reel. The man who, unknown to his daughter and friends, manufactures the fake consumption “cure,” amasses a fortune from its sale, while the poor deluded public refuses to be convinced of the harm being done them. The swindler’s own daughter exposes the so-called “cure” and brings her father to a realization of the dreadful evil of his business. The Great Truth. Obtainable from the National Tuberculosis Associa¬ tion. Cost of rental: $.50 per day per reel. That tuberculosis is an infectious disease, that it is not inherited, and that it can be cured and prevented, is the message which this picture carries. It is especially valuable inasmuch as it brings out many important phases of the tuberculosis problem, such as the visiting nurse, home and sanatorium care, etc. Of course the love element is present. TEACHING CITIZENSHIP VIA THE MOVIES 19 Hope. Obtainable from the National Tuberculosis Association. Cost of rental: $.50 per day per reel. Why should the small country town enlist in the fight against tuberculosis, the disease of the city’s slums? What’s the use of borrowing trouble? So thought young John Harvey, banker, and his fellow-citizens. How the town awakened to the realization that tuberculosis lurks every¬ where, and that its responsibility is prevention, is told in this dramatic, educational picture, whose message is hope to all those sufferers who can be cured, if their communities also will recognize their duty with regard to preventive measures in tuberculosis. MISCELLANEOUS A Trip to the City of Baltimore. Obtainable from the Bureau of Com¬ mercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. In and Around Chicago. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to the Cities of Cleveland and Toledo. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to the City of Denver. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to the City of Detroit. Obtainable from the Bureau of Com¬ mercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to the City of Indianapolis. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to New York City. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to the City of Norfolk. Obtainable from the Bureau of Com¬ mercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Obtainable from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. A Trip to the City of Philadelphia. Obtainable from the Bureau of Com¬ mercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only. j A Trip to the City of St. Paul. (The winter carnival.) Obtainp.uie from the Bureau of Commercial Economics. Cost of rental: transportation charges only.