St. Elmo is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company and distributed by William Fox's Box Office Attractions Company. It was the first feature-length film adaptation of Augusta Jane Evans's 1866 eponymous novel. The story follows the life of the title character (played by William Jossey), who kills his cousin (Francis McDonald) over the love of Agnes (Madeline Pardee), falls from grace, and eventually finds redemption and love with Edna (Gypsy Abbott). It is disputed who directed the film; many sources credit Bertram Bracken, while others list St. Elmo as J. Gordon Edwards's directorial debut. Some reviewers praised the scenery and overall production quality, considering the film an improvement over stage adaptations of the novel. Others found the scenery irrelevant and the story confusing. Despite mixed reviews, the film was financially successful, reportedly setting box office records. The following year, a film adaptation of an unrelated Evans novel, Beulah, was marketed as a sequel. As with most Balboa films, St. Elmo is now believed lost.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo_(1914_film)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1664:

The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot, the forerunner to the Royal Marines, was established at the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Marines

1835:

Māori chiefs signed the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand and established the United Tribes of New Zealand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Tribes_of_New_Zealand

1891:

The Nōbi Earthquake, Japan's strongest known inland earthquake, struck the former provinces of Mino and Owari. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_Mino%E2%80%93Owari_earthquake

1919:

The US Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act

1971:

Prospero, the only British satellite to date launched on a British rocket, lifted off from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, South Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_(satellite)

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

greeking: (typography) Nonsense text that is inserted into a document to create a dummy layout, or to demonstrate a type font. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greeking

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Apply just the right amount of force — never too much, never too little. All of us know of people who have failed to accomplish what they set out to do because of not properly gauging the amount of effort required. At one extreme, they fall short of the mark; at the other, they do not know when to stop.   --Jigoro Kano https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano