Educational film magazine; (19-)

T:*. COMMUNITY TI^OTION picture matinees for children on Saturday af- ternoons at the St. Paul Institute, St. Paul, Minn., have proved so popular that it has been necessary to have admission by ticket only. The first Saturday, January 15, more than 2,000 children were present. A system has been provided whereby the principals of the various schools may obtain tickets without charge for their pupils. Each Saturday children from different schools are admitted to the movie matinees. D. A. Leonard, manager of the Com- munity Picture Service of the institute, says: "Our pictures are mostly of an educational nature and are de- sif^ned to tie up with the museum and our other activities t)f the institute. For instance, last Saturday, our films were on corals and fish, and after viewing the pictures the different groups of children are taken throujch the museum and shown the specimens of these various types. Next Saturday we shall have a program on our native birds. AVe shall use a series of lantern slides showing birds in colors, together with ^'ictrola records giving tlie various bird calls and a lecture or talk on birds svip- plemented by films such as the following: Bird Life Studies, Tom-tit and Robin Red Breast, Study in Pelicans. "After this exhibition the classes will be taken through the museum and shown our exhibits in taxidermy, etc. This I think will give you a very good idea of our method of procedure. "Our present course for the next few weeks is devoted es- pecially to Natural History. Following that we are planning to give a series of films designed to be of service in vocational guidance." The program for the month of February was as follows: February 5-— February 19— "Birth, Life and Death of "The House Fly." Flowers." "The Mosquito." "Insect Eating Plants." "Insect Mimicry." "A Plant with Nerves." "Washington the Father of "In the Garden." His Country." February 12— February 26—• "A Dog Show." "Carrot Caterpillar." "The Otter." "Silk Industry." "Monkey Hunt." "Ants." "New England Historic "How Did You Get That Scenes." Hat?" "Across the Great Lakes." "Niagara Falls." 80 COMMUNITIES SERVED BY KANSAS SCHOOL 'I■'HE department of visual education in the Kansas State Normal School was organized in 1918 by Prof. M. L. Smith, who was the first to use films in the Kansas schools. The department of visual education is the distributing point for twenty-two industrial centers and the Bureau of Commercial Economics, a private distributing concern at Washington, D. C. The department has a film library of 250,000 feet, covering every part of the United States, its insular possessions, Canada, Cuba, South America, and a part of Europe and the South Sea Islands. At present the department serves 80 Kansas communities. This ser- vice goes to schools, churches, county fairs, and clubs. The department has a collection of 5,000 slides, stereo- graphs and charts. PROGRAMS RECREATION PATHE REVIEW—Pa/Ae 1 reel A screen magazine, full of facts both instructive and entertaining. HONEST HUTCH—GoWic.y» 5 reels Will Rogers in a new version of the old tale of the man who found his wealth bv tilling the soil. EDGAR THE EXPLORER—CoWzoym 2 reels Booth Tarkington's "Edgar" dreams of life in Africa, enacts it in the back yard, and ends in disgrace. RECREATION INDIAN SUMMER—SeiznicA; (^Prizma) 1 reel A color film which shows Indian life in the wilds. THE CHARM SCHOOI^-Famo«« Players 5 reels Wallace Reid in the story of a young man who inherits and reorganizes a girls' school. MUTT AND JEFF: HYPNOTIST—Fo« %reel RECREATION NEWS WEEKLY 1 reel ANCESTORS OF THE HORSE—£d«co. Film Corp. y^ reel A scientific study of rare types which illustrate the or- igin and ancestry of the domestic horse. BLACK BEAVTY—Vitagraph 7 reels With the story .of Black Beauty are interwoven in- cidents in the lives of his friends. AFTER THE CIRCUS—FamOM* Players 1 reel A Brigg's Comedy of child-life. RECREATION THE CLOUD—FamOM* Players 1 reel A screen poem. BOBBY BUMPS CARTOON—Famotw Players 1 reel HELIOTROPE—Fomo«j( Players 6 reels The story of a father's love for his young daughter. RECREATION NEWS WEEKLY 1 reel SAND—FamOK* Players 6 reels William Hart in a strong man's story. PAPA BY PROXY—Fi>*( National 1 reel Two borrowed children and five dogs furnish fun. RELIGIOUS THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD—7n«ema<»on<iZ Church FUm Corp. 6 reels Goldsmith's story of family life beautifully filmed. JUVENILE URBAN MOVIE CHAT No. 27~Kineto 1 reel Swiss Boy Scouts doing rescue work; the capture of an albatross; and a study of the Praying Mantis are the subjects of this interesting reel. THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH—^ryonaut 5 reels Longfellow's poem on the screen is particularly suited for voung people. BAREFOOT BOY—Famous Players 1 reel The wise dog who greets you cordially from the screen is worth following through his adventures with a boy companion. SCHOOL PROGRAM THE STEAMBOAT IK U. S. HISTORY 1 reel This film emphasizes the importance of transportation in the development of our country. MISSISSIPPI TRAILS—Society for Visval Education 1 reel RAILROADS IN U. S. HISTORY 1 reel DR. MERIAM WOULD FILM ONLY LIFE ACTIVITIES University of Mis.souri—School of Education Columbia, Mo. Editor Educational Filji Magazine, New York Sir:— Let me express my appreciation of your article on "School Laggards and Motion Pictures", appearing in the Decem- ber number of your magazine. You have given a very excellent review of my book. I might have said much more than I did relative to motion pictures, had I taken the time to discuss modern methods of school work. I devoted only one short chapter to methods and intended to minimize that topic, so far as that particular book is concerned. My reference to motion pictures was entirely as an illustration of the tendency to objectify in- struction and choose subject matter of more practical importance. This you have noted in your article. I am exceedingly glail the motion picture has found a place in our public schools and, since writing the paragraph to which you refer, we have installed in our own school a motion picture machine. In discussing this matter with some advocate of visual instruction at the University of Wisconsin last summer, I ex- pressed the only fear I have for this innovation in school work. I am afraid that ere long the motion picture will be used as a device for teaching the formal 3 Rs. As soon as this takes place, we shall have the uninteresting made interesting, but I sincerely hope the film will confine itself to presenting to our young people the life activities that mean so much to their de- velopment. J. L. MERIAM 15