Educational film magazine; (19-)

THE PARENT, THE CHILD, AND THE SCHOOL THE task of interpreting school life to the parent, and of explaining the duties of parents and grown-ups (which may be called citizenship), to the child in school, is being accomplished by the help of the film. At the twentieth annual meeting of the New Jersey Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teachers Associations, one of the topics scheduled was "The Value of Motion Pictures in Teach- ing Citizenship." Other subjects were "Preparation (for citizenship) in the Home and Preparation in the School." That the parents must understand the work of the school in order to cooperate with it is obvious. The congress dis- cussed this problem. The Chicago School Publicity Committee are also attack- ing this problem in an interesting manner. Motion pictures of children and instructors at work and at play in the public schools are being taken. The films show the dangers of truancy, the value of fire drills, the work of the industrial and domestic science classes, and recreation work. "Too many mothers and fathers are antagonistic to the educational system, even when they are insisting upon daily attendance by their own," said William T. McCoy, teacher of Latin at the Wendell Phillips High School and chairman of the teachers' committee conducting the promotion work. "We want to reach them and teach them what we are doing for and with their children. We want to show them that their children are safer in school than upon the streets, that they are learning things that must be of special benefit not only to the growing child and future citizen, but immediately to the parents and adult relatives as well. This is particu- larly true of the foreign born child or children of foreign born parents in Chicago's west side. By the employment of carefully made moving pictures we can show conclusively to these parents what the schools are doing." Springfield, Illinois, has also been experimenting with this same parent-school cooperation, by means of illustrated lec- tures explaining the methods of testing pupils' ability. EUROPEAN BOY SCOUT PICTURES THE Boy Scouts of America will be interested to learn that there are now available films fully descriptive of their brothers abroad. The pictures are in the published films of the Kineto Company of America. The Boy Scouts of America, of England, and of the Continent are shown in the pictures of which there are enough' for a complete evening's entertainment. All of the pictures are contained in that group of the Urban Popular Classics known as the Kineto Reviews. They include the following: Kineto Review No. 29, en- titled "Boyhood." Kineto Review No. 42, entitled "Hiking the Alps with the Swiss Boy Scouts." Kineto Review No. 43, entitled "How the Swiss Boy Scout Spends His Vaca- tion." Kineto Review No. 56, entitled "Boy Scouts of America," and describing the trip of the American boys to the International Convention held in England. "Boyhood" is especially a movie that will interes' scouts everywhere. It illustrates "do a good turn daily." and all the fundamental teachings. While it is a picture purely of British scouts it is illustrative of scouts all over the world. Some particularly fine pictures of General Sir Robert Baden Powell, founder of the organization, are in- cluded. He is shown attending a rally in England. The movies of the "Boy Scouts in Switzerland" are some- thing different. The mountains, travels with the aid of dogs, snow-shoeing, bridge work, irrigation—all the old fashioned ways of the European world will seem curious to American boys. The picture that shows the Boy Scouts of America, the 300 picked ones out of 400,000, representing 101 cities in 32 states, who attended the International Convention last July in England is of especial interest. Snatches of this affair were shown in the news reels in theaters last summer, but this is the first complete pictorial account of it. Parades, marches, rides, honors, sightseeing, contests, kit inspection —all are there. -AH scouts will want to see the service at Westminster Abbey and also the ceremonies when the Lincoln Statue in London was unveiled. MOTHERCRAFT MOVIES THE Mothercraft Movement for the instruction of school girls in the care of children, founded by Mav Bliss Dickinson, a representative of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, is to be given wider publicity through the medium of motion pictures, according to an announcement by Miss Dickinson. Arrangements have been completed for the production of a Mothercraft film which will be circulated through such organizations as women's clubs, parent-teacher associations. Chapters of the Red Cross, Camp Fire Girls, Girl Scouts and Child Welfare and Americanization Sociieties. Miss Dickinson went to Los Angeles recently from Boston on a mission for the advisory committee of the child welfare department of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which has made Mothercraft this year a part of its depart- mental work. Her mission is to inaugurate a visual educa- tion campaign through the medium of the screen. King Vidor will have charge of the making of the Mothercraft film at his Hollywood studio and he will use many Los Angeles children of all ages in the scenes. "Mothercraft means nothing more nor less than the in- struction of girls in the upper grades of the grammar schools in the art of caring for babies and young children," , said Miss Dickinson. "A practical knowledge is imparted = to those destined to become the mothers and teachers of the next generation." mil ^ ETHICAL MOTION PICTURE SOCIETY ■p'LIMINATION from motion pictures of bathtubs, women who ■'-' smoke cigarettes, barefoot girls who wade in brooks, "rough house" scenes in which bowie knives anc) six shooters predominate, and "all instruments and portrayers of crime, loose morals and unclean lives," is the object of the Ethical Motion Picture Society of America, whose organization in Los Angeles with 115 charter members was recently announced. Many of the charter member* are women. 10