Hearts of the World

_____________________________________
British prologue intertitles:

1
We beg your indulgence for
this short prologue. It has no
possible interest, save to vouch
for the rather unusual event of
an American producer being
allowed to take pictures on an
   actual battlefield.

2
D. W. Griffith sets up his
camera in the British front
line trench at Cambrin, fifty
yards from the enemy's lines.

3
The interested look 
upward is directed 
toward passing shells.

4
At No. 10 Downing Street,
David Lloyd George, England's
Prime Minister, wishing D. W.
Griffith success for his picture.

5
    Apologies--
    and thanks.
The picture follows.

_____________________________________


     THE STORY 
       OF A 
      VILLAGE

An old fashioned play
       with a
new fashioned theme

1
God help the nation that begins
another war of conquest or
meddling!
Brass bands and clanging sabers
make very fine music, but let
us remember there is another
side of war.

2
After all, does war ever settle
any question? The South was
ruined - thousands of lives were
sacrificed - by the Civil War; yet,
did it really settle the Black and
White problem in this country?

3
        Peaceful days in the 
        year of 1912. The
village at the time of
spring, where people love and 
hate, cry and laugh, sin and are
forgiven - even as you and I.

4
The market place.

5
     The double house
    in which live the
two American families
on the Rue de la Paix
(the Street of Peace).

6
         We find the home 
     brightened by pleas-
ant news: Daughter is re-
turning from a long visit
to an Aunt in Rheims.

7
       The Boy, son 
       of the other
       American
painter, burnt with
the genius denied
the father, has just
returned from Paris.

8
        The fussy little
mother sometimes thinks 
  herself neglected.

9
Three harmless little goslings.

10
The Wanderer.

11
           One of the 
           many prayers.
"Please make me so nice
and good that Boy will
love me forever and ever."

12
          Time brings to 
          the Girl interest
in fashions and other little
nets to catch love, after
the manner of the world.

13
        The littlest one of 
the Boy's three brothers is
inclined to hero-worship.

14
This little love affair
between them has been
going on about five years.

15
        With great
        enthusiasm
he reads from his
latest manuscript.

16
Afternoon.
She reads his
verse of love
--deathless,
unending.

17
       A visiting street
singer's imitation of a
late success from Paris.

18
              Monsieur Cuckoo
              argues with his
friend, the village carpenter,
on the correct method of 
      laying sod.

19
     The Little 
Disturber makes 
an impression.

20
Monsieur Cuckoo
makes advances.

21
            Having so far
        strangely escaped
flatterers, she now seems
   down for the count.

22
Von Strohm - "tourist" -
sometimes serving as
a finger to The Mailed
       Fist.

23
       The Shadow.
             Kaiser Wilhelm
             of Germany, rep-
resenting War's ideal of all
races and ages, the ruling of
weaker nations and people
by the Power of Might.

24
   A deaf and blind 
  musician, playing
melodies remembered
  from his youth.

25
Twilight minstrelsy.

26
"When all the world is young, lad,
And all the woods are green --"

27
The wall between.

28
Jealousy!

29
       Von Strohm,
much interested in
village architecture
-- and foundations.

30
Perseverance and perfume.

31
   "Just one little 
     walk - so - so
you can tell me why
you don't like me."

32
The end of the world.

33
"Only you -- forever
     and ever."

34
"Forever and ever."

35
The betrothal party.

36
Too persistent.

37
Even her blows are caresses.

38
       Afterwards --
If he can't get what
we want, let's want
what we can get.

39
The German Militarists
plan the dastardly blow
  against France and 
     civilization.

40
    With white thread 
   and whiter dreams,
she works on her wed-
   ding clothes.

41
        The village Crier,
butt of all jests, at last
becomes important.

42
"I will see what it's about."

43
War!

44
      The three 
musketeers read
the news together.

45
"It means War!"

46
         The world outside.
      In the English House
of Parliament. August
3rd, 1914, at three o'clock.

47
               Sir Edward Grey 
              asks the Commons
if it be their will to support
France and protect the 
neutrality of Belgium.

48
"YES! YES!"

49
            The French
            Chamber of
Deputies, August 4th,
1914, at three o'clock.

50
     Ren� Viviani,
Premier of France.

51
    "We fight only to 
     defend Liberty!
We have been without 
reproach - we will be 
without fear!"

52
"Vive la France!"

53
           August 4th, 10:55
           P.M. At No, 10,
           Downing Street,
awaiting Germany's answer
to Great Britain's ultimatum.
Asquith, Lloyd George, Grey
and Winston Churchill.

54
   Germany has five
    more minutes to
promise to withdraw
her troops - or war!

55
At the Foreign Office.

56
"It is War!"

57
Again in the village.

58
                Though an Ameri-
          can citizen, believing 
           the land that is good 
enough to live in is good enough 
to fight for, he makes his farewells 
and offers his life to France.

59
      Tears are 
shed - even for 
Monsieur Cuckoo.

60
    "I'll be back in 
        three weeks,
with a lock of hair,
all for you -- the
Kaiser's mustache!"

61
               The Girl's sad
                 heart masked
with smiles, as were millions
of others in troubled France.

62
"Forever and ever."

63
       The sons of France
go to defend their homes.

64
The wedding clothes.

65
       In the little room
       where she had
dreamed so many dreams,
she puts her sweetest one 
        away.

66
     The Boy's regiment
    placed in a bulwark
of trenches directly 
outside his own village.

67
        The French swear to 
hold the trench defending
the village until the death.

68
The enemy hordes
massing for the
    attack.

69
France!

70
French Artillery.

71
At home the Boy's
letters assure them
the village is safe.

72
The Gendarme
warns the villagers
to evacuate.

73
       "Danger? Impos-
sible! The French line
can never be broken."

74
         The bombardment
trying the souls of men.

75
War's old song
   of hate.

76
The French ordered to retreat.

77
The great retreat.

78
Into ranks again!

79
              The very last
trench outside the village.

80
           The Boy, broken-
           hearted, knowing
that retreat has doomed his
loved ones in the village.

81
        The German
artillery moves to
bombard the village.

82
    The very day set 
as their wedding day 
brings the last warning.

83
     War's gift to
the common people.

84
The Boy's father.

85
The sheltered Inn.

86
        An humble member 
       of the great band,
that includes some of the 
world's best citizens, making 
profit out of war.

87
        In this massacre 
of innocents, the Girl's
mother is sorely stricken.

88
       The French make
another heroic effort.

89
       "Let the dead
past bury its dead!"

90
The night.

91
         The mind of the simple
soul broken by shell and terror
--sweet bells jangled, out of tune.

92
Beneath the risen moon.

93
      The desperate 
onslaught turns the 
battle from the village.

94
               A wounded
neighbor tells where the
little company battles.

95
The Boy struggles 
back toward home.

96
          This was to have 
        been their wedding 
day, so through a befogged
and dizzy path, she goes
to find her bridegroom.

97
The Bridegroom.

98
And so they 
spend their
bridal night.

99
The haloed Crimson Cross.

100
    The French success
short-lived before the
never-ending flood.

101
            The refugees
seek shelter at the Inn.

102
The conquerors.

103
      THE 
    STRUGGLE
OF CIVILIZATION

104
       The local head-
quarters of the German
army of occupation.

105
          Though some por-
tions escaped damage, most
of the town was destroyed.

106
      The Boy's family
takes refuge in a dis-
tant part of the village.

107
       Distracted atoms 
     of humanity--seek-
ing shelter in hole and
corner, cellar and crypt.

108
      The Boy's oldest 
        brother put at 
shoveling coal and his 
mother at domestic work.

109
The washing room at the Inn.

110
         The Girl, cared
        for by a strange
companion, gropes slowly
back to sanity and strength.

111
            Our musketeers, in a
              new French uniform
but an old service, placed where
they are sure to do their best--
directly opposite their own village.

112
            The hospital 
returns a familiar face.

113
          "Unscrew the
little cap -- and it's
goodbye forever!"

114
          Von Strohm,
         no longer in
active service, now a
member of the Intel-
ligence Department.

115
     The Girl put to
work in the field by
War, the Taskmaster.

116
     Refusal or inability 
         to perform their 
appointed tasks subjected 
them to whipping or other 
     punishments.

117
            An old fashioned
              German quotes:
"Justice is the only Right!"

118
       Von Strohm,
     the Militarist,
     corrects him--
"Might alone makes right!"

119
   The Allies with fire 
    and flame and souls 
of men win back inch by 
inch the sacred soil of 
France, righting her wrongs.

120
The French.

121
    Great Britain's 
steel bulldogs bark
their defiant protest.

122
The eyes of the Allies.

123
        Lloyd George's
        answer:
"I will put them wheel to 
wheel until we pound 
Democracy's truth home!"

124
The French bring
back prisoners.

125
            The Boy,
interpreting for the
prisoners, hears news
of his loved ones.

126
    In the dugout.
The Boy tells the
news of the village.

127
Also battling!

128
Imitating his hero.

129
          The rumor spreads 
that the French are massing 
for a great attack.

130
"My love, my
dead love, they
are coming to
save us. Don't
you hear--don't
you hear?"

131
   Von Strohm and
friends, with the aid
of entertainers, demon-
strate the hardships of
 trench life for the
  higher officers.

132
Life's Contrasts!

133
        The mother's
        last words:
"Be brave, my boys, be brave."

134
                The sergeant, now 
promoted, glimpses real "Kultur."

135
   The boys, unwilling
    to suffer profana-
tion of their mother's
memory at the hands of
the Masters of War--

136
     --themselves per-
form a sacred service.

137
       No requiem--save
the ever-sounding guns.

138
        No prayers--
save childish tears.

139
            Von Strohm
visits the main line on 
a tour of inspection.

140
          After daring 
to bring them a little 
food--and much love.

141
        Under cover of
dark and rain, the Boy
reaches the enemies' lines.

142
           "An Euren pos-
ten, verdammte Schweine!"
"Back to your posts, swine!"

143
The officers not so gullible.

144
The lieutenant goes
  to investigate.

145
The Boy trapped.

146
            They accept the 
report that the visitor has 
been killed in the back areas.

147
After two days and 
nights in a shell-hole 
inside the hostile lines, 
he gives the awaited 
     signals.

148
Food for the children.

149
     Von Strohm,
his mess closed,
comes to the Inn.

150
"Try the back door, sir."

151
        A good memory
for faces and ankles.

152
      He takes advantage
    of the opportunities
War offers scoundrels of 
all races and ages.

153
The same wall as--

154
"If they see you
it means death!"

155
"You are my prisoner!"

156
The unused upper rooms.

157
  The Allies, crouched
waiting to attempt the
rescue of the village.

158
The oath to retake the village.

159
Poison gas.

160
            In the meantime,
the French--a little nearer!

161
Hun trenches.

162
Pillboxes bar the way.

163
            Again they
see their own village!

164
             They pledge to 
meet death as man and wife.

165
     Only one more 
trench between the 
French and the village.

166
             The Hun counter
attack overwhelms the trench.

167
               The French
reserves told of the loss.

168
         The sound of their 
own guns gives frantic hope.

169
"The spy!--Where is he?"

170
The Germans.

171
  The French at
the village edge.

172
   The anguished 
prayer of France.

173
      "You must surely 
die--take me with you."

174
Last German defenses.

175
The French storm.

176
The Americans.

177
Happy times.

178
     America!--Returning
      home after freeing
the world from Autocracy
and the horrors of war--
we hope forever and ever.