The Definitive Guide Inspired by the Vision of The Beggar of Cawnpo...

Dir: Charles Swickard

Priscilla Worth, an innocent country girl, goes to the city to visit her aunt, a typical society butterfly, who has sent for her, thinking her child-like simplicity will afford a welcome relief to Vincent Morgan, a wealthy bachelor, and man about town. The plan works well. Vincent marries Priscilla, and takes her on a tour around the world. However, one of his sweethearts, Marie Delys, a vampire chorus girl, resents being cast aside; and after Vincent returns, although he struggles with his better nature, he again succumbs to her charm. Priscilla grieves, but the memory of his love keeps alive her faith. Maxfield Durant, an artist, who painted her portrait when she first came to the city, had also fallen in love with her, but before he declared his love, she accepted Vincent. He advertises for a model who is beautiful, but not of the brazen type, and secures Peggy Lovel, a girl from the slums. Both Vincent, who is having Marie's picture painted, and his friend, Billy Van Duyn, become interested in Peggy. This arouses Marie's jealousy. Priscilla, remembering her portrait, requests Durant to bring it to her. He cannot refrain from showing his great love. Vincent, seeing this, flies into a terrible rage. Priscilla, conscious of no wrong, seeks consolation in the coming of her child. She gazes into a crystal which they brought from Egypt, and views scenes of horror, but her love for her husband renews her faith in him. Durant, unable to longer endure being so near Priscilla, closes his studio and becomes a wanderer. This throws Peggy out of employment, and she goes to Vincent, seeking help for herself and invalid mother. Billy, intoxicated, wants her, but Vincent sends her away, and takes Billie to his home. Peggy, knowing her mother's need of food, returns to Vincent's apartment, where he finds her asleep. As Vincent removes the glass stopper from a bottle of liquor, he sees, as in a crystal; Peggy sacrificing herself, and being sneered at by Billy. She returns home, finds her mother is dead, and takes to drugs to forget her dishonor. Finally she goes to a café where Marie and Vincent are drinking, and falls dead at the foot of the stairs, while Marie stabs Vincent and herself. The horror of this vision awakens Vincent's better nature and he sends Peggy home unharmed. Priscilla, who has been waiting with her baby, sees in the crystal, the fight for Vincent's soul, and when the face of the Christus appears, she knows the victory is won. Soon after, Vincent returns repentant.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Body and Soul perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Diligent American art student studying in Paris, Claire Martin suffers a blow to her head that transforms her into a woman of questionable morals. She then becomes involved with Scott Houghton, an unscrupulous artist who paints a suggestive portrait of her. When Houghton attempts to seduce Claire, she resists and in the struggle strikes her head and is restored to her former personality. Claire returns to America with no recollection of her lurid life, but when she meets Houghton at a party, he promises to illuminate her past. He lures Claire to his hotel room where his nephew stabs and kills him. The violence traumatizes Claire, who believes that she perpetrated the crime. When Houghton's nephew confesses, Claire is cleared of the crime and her seedy past and is free to marry her sweetheart Howard Kent.

Dir: Charles Swickard

When her mother dies, Mary not only becomes the household slave of her overbearing father, Scottish American Andy MacTavish, but also becomes a mother to her little sister Ruth at their home on the Dakota plains. Years later, Jack Fraser, the son of a surgeon at the nearby fort and a steady visitor at the MacTavish home, secretly marries Ruth although he is deeply loved by Mary. Sometime later, a baby is born to Ruth, and Mary, doubting her sister's assertion that she is married to Fraser, takes the child to the fort to find out the truth from Fraser himself. Andy, believing the baby to be Mary's, orders her from the house. In the meantime, the Indians go on the warpath and Mary is surrounded. Buck Mathews, a half-breed who has lusted after Mary, sees her with the child, and pitying the helplessness of the girl, leaves the Indians to protect Mary. Fraser arrives just as Buck is fatally wounded, rescues Mary, who forgives Buck before he dies. Fraser now acknowledges that he is the husband of Ruth.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Plow Woman perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A young Egyptian goes to the rescue of his employers, a wealthy European family, when they are menaced by a local strongman and his gang.

Dir: Charles Swickard

George Farrelly, the bored custodian of the safe-deposit vaults in a New York bank, is visited by his childhood sweetheart, Charity Garvice, who tells him that his blind old teacher, Martha Owen, has a premonition that something is wrong in George's life. For the teacher's benefit, George tells a story of taking a diamond necklace left out of a strong box belonging to bank president Harrington's wife, almost giving it to a girl and then keeping it because it is too late to return it. The teacher is relieved when George accepts her advice to return the necklace, but Charity worries when he tells her that the story is true. He returns the necklace and Harrington gives him one hour to see Charity before he calls the police. After George marries Charity, Harrington admits that the necklace was left to test George's honesty, and he offers George the position of assistant manager.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of An Arabian Knight perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dick Bisbee loses his job in his millionaire uncle T. W. Bisbee's factory because of the hostility of crooked manager Elmer Robbins. Before leaving, Dick denounces his uncle for his niggardly ways and advises him that there are no pockets in a shroud. Dick goes to live at the home of his one office friend, bookkeeper Stetson, and he falls in love with Stetson's daughter Helen. The next day T. W. feels remorse and under Dick's guidance he abandons his miserly ways and spends his money having a good time. After overhearing Helen telling Dick what she would do if she had T. W.'s money, T. W. follows her advice. Robbins is arrested for embezzlement, and T. W. makes Stetson manager and Dick a partner in the factory.

Dir: Charles Swickard

While working as a clerk for stockbroker Jerrold Burns, Scott Wells overhears his boss' plan to ruin railroad magnate David Haldeman, but before Scott can warn David, the millionaire leaves town on vacation. Scott then decides that he himself will fight Jerrold on the floor of the stock exchange, and he goes to David's daughter Dorothy with his plan. She gives him all of her money, and Scott spends all of it in fighting off the first day's raid on David's financial empire. Then, Scott discovers that Jerrold's cronies hold David captive. Scott rescues the millionaire, and rushes him to the stock exchange, where David successfully defends his holdings against the takeover attempt. Afterward, Scott receives more than David's gratitude: he also gets his permission to propose to Dorothy, who quickly accepts.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Faith perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

In the wayward western town known as Hell's Hinges, a local tough guy is reformed by the faith of a good woman.

Dir: Charles Swickard

Although fond of childhood playmate Marcelle Riley, Luke Halliday, whose father made his fortune as an Arizona miner, becomes engaged to Eleanor Steele, a New York society belle. When Scar Norton arrives from Arizona and discloses that Luke's mother was an Indian, Luke is so traumatized that he breaks his engagement and ventures West to live among his mother's people. About to marry the Indian maiden Mo-Wa, Luke discovers that he cannot go through with the ceremony and retreats to the Settlement of Lost Hope, where he again encounters Scar Norton. Enraged when Scar taunts him over being a half-breed, Luke is about to kill his accuser when Marcelle and her father arrive and prevent him from committing the crime. Returning home with the Rileys, Luke finally realizes that Marcelle's pure love transcends all boundaries of race.

Dir: Charles Swickard

Captain Unger is relating the story of his love for the Hindoo woman, Indore, to Captain Duane and begs him if anything should happen to care for their little girl. When the officers leave the room a Hindoo sent by Indore's husband poisons the decanter of wine. Unger returns and is astonished to see Indore, who has made her way to him. He consents to take her away, drinks the wine, and falls dead. Indore lifts the glass to her lips to die with him, but it is snatched from her by the native, who carries her back to his prince. She is reduced to slavery in the harem. Duane takes the child, Agatha, to England. Agatha develops into a beautiful woman. She is reading a message from Duane with a heavy heart, for it says he is on his way with his bride, Florence, to join his father on his journey to India. En route they meet the Grand Duke Alexis, who has known Florence in the past. Alexis, perceiving that Florence is jealous of Agatha, forces her to think her husband loves the Indian girl. In India, Alexis informs Agatha her mother is not dead and that she might see her. Guided by a native, Agatha confronts the prince and asks for her mother; he parries her question. Looking at her with a lustful smile, he draws near and she retreats in terror. Struggling fiercely, the girl screams as he overpowers her. Indore hears the scream, slips into the room and stabs the prince. She recognizes her child and clasps her in her arms. Thus the guard finds them. Jang Sahib, the hunchback, rushes in when he hears the guard's shriek, and orders the native to spread the news that their prince has been murdered by an English infidel. Soon there is a riot and many white men are slain. Captain Duane, discovering that Agatha has gone to the palace, hastens with a few horsemen. Jang Sahib tells Duane Agatha is not there. Duane fights. Meanwhile Florence, convinced by Alexis of her husband's infidelity, has left on a steamer with him, leaving a note for Duane. While crossing the desert in Sahib's caravan, Indore jumps over the cliff. She is later picked up by some traders still alive, but has lost her memory. At the Walled City Sahib compels Agatha to marry him. On the wedding day she grasps him by the throat and chokes him to death. Duane, crushed by despair, shuns the haunts of white men. He wanders into a native dive, and is startled by the sight of a dancing girl. He staggers to her and, in spite of the curses of the people, leads her out. It is Indore, whom he mistakes for Agatha. She does not even remember her child's name, but when left alone in Duane's home is stabbed by the prince's servant. She is shocked into her right mind and demands to know where Agatha is imprisoned. At the head of a troop, Duane goes to the Walled City in time to snatch Agatha from the funeral pyre into which she is being forced by the subjects of the murdered Sahib. They escape and begin their journey back. Duane and Agatha are happy at seeing each other again.