Visual Education (Jan 1923-Dec 1924)

February, 1923 57 tCh)hy We Use Movies" Advertising and Sales Promotion Canada has a novel branch of government— a commercial moving-picture office. So far, Canada is the first government to advertise itself commercially by the films. The Canadian Government offers some of its films free to schools and clubs, but for the most part distributes official pictures through big, well-established moving picture concerns and charges regular rates. The films practically pay for themselves, and as publicity they are invaluable to the country. Canada rates her film activities as an invaluable method of showing people in other countries what the Canadian land is like, how the people live, and what industries and arts thrive there. — Frederick J. Haskin Journalist, New York City A breeder of hogs recently had a 1,000-foot reel made of his herd. He bought a suitcase projector at a total cost, for both film and projector, of $1,500. He calls on a prospect, attaches the plug to the light socket, and exhibits the hogs on the wall. Of the first seven prospects called on, six were sold at the first call, and he expects to sell the seventh. Of these six sales, the first two yielded a gross revenue several hundred dollars greater than the whole cost of the picture and projector. — System Magazine Americanization Work Visual education has been introduced into citizenship classes which are being conducted by the Board of Education in co-operation with the Federal government, fof the instruction of foreigners and Americans with limited education. A moving-picture machine borrowed from one of the schools serves to bring these visual lessons home to the most illiterate man or \voman present. — William S. Rosamond Vocational Director, Public Schools Oklahoma City, Okla. Churches and Sunday Schools In an effort to counteract the influence of the Saturday night pictures with moonlight dancing we began to show pictures I am of the conviction that it is consummate folly, if not a sin, for the churches to pass by this wonderful agency for good and, as is done to such an extent in the commercial picture, allow the devil to use it for the promotion of the kingdom of evil. . . .. The church ought to make use of the motion picture in connection with its religious work, not as any substitute for the Gospel preached in the sermon, but as an aid and an ally in helping to get the complete religious message across to the largest number of people. ■ — Rev. H. F. Huse, Pastor United Baptist Church Dover-Fox croft, Maine Health Teaching The manner of presenting health information must be so unique and pleasing as to arouse interest, and the message must be so strongly put as to motivate the individual. Otherwise, habits of living will not be affected. The motion picture is perhaps the best example of a method which has such high attention-value that it robs the learning process of the "painfulness" which it possesses for most people. Showing a good health movie is like using fresh fruit medicinally. The spectators enjoy it and it is good for them. — Prof. C. E. Turner Dept. of Biology and Public Health Mass. Inst, of Technology Cambridge, Mass. Propaganda For the purpose of securing recruits for the ministry of the Wittenberg College Divinity School, we have had a film made picturing the college buildings, views of the campus ground, sport activities and classroom work, giving the biographies of the founders of the college, and visualizing the progress which the Divinity School has made in recent years. — Rev. Sunberg, Field Secretary Wittenberg College Springfield, Ohio Safety First One person out of every five sees at least one movie every day, and those of us who use moving pictures in safety education work need no other reason than that. One boy sees a pickpocket on the screen and he thinks it's "easy money"; another lad coming away from a "Robin Hood" showing says, "Daddy, where can I get me a bow and arrow?" We are not concerned with "why" the moving pictures educate. We know that they do, and we know too that people will rush to a moving picture teaching accident prevention, whereas they might feel like hurrying away from a speaker talking about "safety first." We were pioneers in the safety film field simply because we took our propaganda to our people through what still continues to be the most popular medium. One of our safety engineering staff noticed that his fellow-church members read all of the Church Bulletin surreptitiously during the sermon. Thereafter, he had safety slogans printed in that Bulletin! If folks are not willing to listen to safety first, let's give it to them surreptitiously with a sugar coating; i. e., through moving pictures. — F. E. Morris Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Boston, Mass. Schools and Universities Even the best picture in the book, or the clearest demonstration or exposition made to the student, can be supplemented by the showing of a film. Its very novelty is attractive, and it will reach large numbers just as easily as it will reach small groups. The film holds the attention and makes things vivid, as a picture in a history textbook, for instance, never can But it is not only the desire to see pictures that we satisfy in this way. We develop the ability to observe; we stimulate the desire to understand and to make visual and vivid what is in the mind of the pupil. The showing of pictures is not an end in itself; it is used by the teacher for whatever purpose the film shown is best fitted. The films used by the visual education department are nothing more than an extension of the use of good books and other teaching devices. — — Edzvin H. Reeder Supervisor of Visual Education Detroit Public Schools