Educational film magazine; (January-December 1920)

notion pictures were playing and could be made to play in extremely vital part in Americanization, cultural, recre- ational, and other objects of community work. "How Life Begins," the four-reel botannical and bio- logical film produced by Captain George E. Stone, was shown at the Y. M. C. A. on Wednesday afternoon during the conference on sex education in the high school called by the federal bureau of health. There was some brief discussion of the utilization of the screen at the February 27 meeting of the Safety Education Section of the N. E. A. On Thursday afternoon at the National Geographic Society conference there was a round table discussion on ways and means of providing visual instruction in schoolrooms, based upon the use of the so- ciety's collection of geographic still pictures. Eight two- minute talks were given under the general topic "Geography in Action." The Commercial Exhibits The Society for Visual Education, Inc., was the only concern represented at convention headquarters in the Hotel Cleveland, having two rooms on the ninth floor and dis- tributing there and in other places to interested visitors the first number of their official monthly publication "Visual Education," which is reviewed elsewhere in this issue. Other commercial exhibitors in the visual instruction field were represented by booths in the Bolivar-Ninth Building, the entire second floor of which was given over for the week to the N. E. A. exhibits. A list of these exhibitors follows: Acme Motion Picture Projector Co., American Projecting Co., Argus Enterprises, Inc., Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., Community Motion Picture Bureau, DeVry Corporation, Edoscope Mfg. Co., Enterprise Optical Mfg. Co., Ford Edu- cational Weekly, International Harvester Co., Mcintosh Stereopticon Co., Moving Picture Age, National Geographic Society, A. J. Nystrom & Co., Pathescope Co., Underwood & Underwood, Inc., United Projector & Film Co., Universal Film Mfg. Co., Victor Animatograph Co., Keystone View Co., Nicholas Power Co. Motion pictures and lantern slides were shown almost continuously in many of these booths during the five active days of the convention. Several thousand copies of the February issue of Educational Film MACAzmE, entitled "N. E. A. Convention and Americanization Number," were distributed during the week to interested visitors. MOVIES TO GET TEACHERS MORE P.\Y The following typewritten slip, headed "More Pay for Teachers," was given out for signature at the N. E. A. regis- tration desk and many signed the pledge of cooperation in the movement to obtain a living wage for those who are building the next generation of American citizens: W'UKHKAS the Fox Film Corporation is ready and willing to undertake a national motion picture campaign to aid the movement to give school teachers, '^^^llege professors and other educators a living wage, and WHEREA.S the success of this campaign depends upon the as- surance of the whole-souled support of all teachers, superintendents and other educators throughout the country, and WHEREAS a committee is about to be formed to work out with ibe Fox Film Corporation of New York City, through its motion picture weekly department. Fox News, the details in handling said campaign. RESOLVED that I do hereby personally pledge myself to give the said committee my active and enthusiastic support whenever called upon, and further promise to act as local agent of the campaign in my district, or community, and to make it my special business to urge all teachers and other educators within my province to support the theaters displaying this film and to aid to the utmost extent of their power in furthering its circulation. FILMS IN COLLEGE RESEARCH WORK Motion picture films have a great future in educational institutions for purposes of research and general instruction according to Arthur G. Eldredge of the photographic de- partment of the University of Illinois. Educators are just beginning to realize the possibilities that may be found in presenting the lecture and demonstration work in moving piclure form. Movies can be made of all sorts of demon- stration and shown to thousands of students simultaneously while only a few can witness an actual demonstration in some departments. The real advantage of the movie over the original demon- stration is that the films can be run more slowly; thus bringing out details that were not observed in the actual demonstration. A graphic illustration of this fact is por- trayed in a movie film of athletic contests. When the films are run slowly upon the screen each movement of the event is brought out by the camera in a distinct manner that the eye cannot observe during the swift movements of the athletes. Movie films are being used continuously by the various departments of the university in research and demonstra- tion work. The pictures are taken by Mr. Eldredge of the photographic department and developed in the university studio on the fourth floor of the physics building. DENVER LIBRARY SHOWS JUVENILE FILMS The public library of Denver, Colorado, has purchased a motion picture projection machine to be used at the main and branch libraries in conjunction with the children's departments. The machine is fully equipped to show films of any length and is intended to arouse interest of children in books that it is considered well for them to read. The firm from which the machine was purchased maintains and lends a library of film-dramatized books and fairv tales. ""By showing the film version of the popular children's classics the matter of the book is presentetl to the child in a way that arouses his interest and leads him to read the book, later," said Chalmers Hadley librarian. "We have a regular schedule of piwure shows at the children's departments of all the libraries, and in two weeks we are able to show a film in all parts of the city."' The machine will also be used in conjunction with the art lectures given by Reginald Poland, art director. Mr. Poland has been able to obtain pictures showing the masterpieces in the field of painting and sculpture. Educational films of industries, agricultural metho<ls, and animal and botanical life will be interspersed with the film dramas. MAKING MOVIES PAY FOR NEW BUILDING The Boston Suffolk Law School will have a big new building and under a plan devised by Dean Gleason H. Archer is going to make moving pictures pay for it and create an endowment besides. The school auditorium in the new building will be fitted out to seat L500 persons and will be equipped as a high class moving picture theater. The proceeds of the show will go toward paying off the indebtedness nf ihe building. Dean Archer states that he has figured out thai within seven years the building will have paid for itself with a surplus besides. W If The Bray Pictures Corporation, b> their uni(|ue nielhod ol making animated technical drawings, illustrate with great clearness how the moon exerts a pulling force upon the waters of the earth, causing tides. Here are shown the revolution of the earth, the high and low tides, with spring tides—neap tides. The pictures taken show a harbor on the east coast of the United .States, where the tide is several feet high.