The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

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220 Visual Instruction Association of America The Educational Screen gone conclusion, good pictures arc definitely on the way and vvill come in greater numliers, and that motion pictures will do more good than any other factor for the development of understanding between nations. An as evidence of this, he cited the effect of films shown by the French Government to thirteen hostile tribes of Morocco. After they had seen films taken among the various tribes, in which their athletics and other activities were portrayed, these thirteen tribes, who had never been able to cooperate before, worked admirably together on a basis of common understanding in the World War. "We are going to sell America," says Mr. Hays, "to the world by motion pictures, which is the fourth greatest industry in point of size and the greatest in point of potential power that there may be in the world." He said that outside of the theatrical field there were two divisions of the use of motion pictures, first, the use of pedagogical pictures in the schools, and second, exhibition of entertaining pictures in schools and churches and elsewhere out side the theatre. He indicated unqualified approval of the motion picture industry for the first class^ He thought that for the second class there was a definite place and that a proper ethical basis could be built up for their use In such a way that the undoubted rights of the motion picture theatre would be protected. He emphasized the fact that the motion picture theatre owner who pays taxes and is earning a livelihood from his business has certain definite rights that must always be kept in mind. In exemplifying the efficiency of visual instruction, he stated that the one vivid memory that he had of the discovery of America was the picture of Columbus, bearing the flag, cross and sword, landing on the shore of a new land. "While," said Mr. Hays, "producers of motion pictures are in the industry for profit, the important thing in the further development of the industry is that motion pictures be made, not from the standpoint of producers who have millions of dollars invested, but from the standpoint of the parents who have millions of children invested." A Significant Legislative Program ONE of the greatest impediments to progress in visual instruction, operative for many years back, has been the excessive cost •of showing motion pictures. This in turn has rested largely upon the fact that legislation in most jurisdictions made it necessary for the school either to possess a standard motion picture equipjnent with a fireproof booth and to have its pictures shown only by a licensed operator, or to confine itself to the library of films extant on the socalled "safety standard" or narrow gauge film. This sort of film is printed on acetate of cellulose stock, 28 millimeters (1>^ inches) in width, as contrasted with 35 millimeters (13^ inches). While the laws imposing these restrictions have been obeyed in school circles, they have been so openly violated otherwise, that in many cases they were practically a dead letter. Especially was it .true that many responsible persons, while they would not think of using nitro cellulose or inflammable stock without a booth, did permit themselves to. use ^.cetate or non-inflammable stock of standard width in portable machines. This was a technical violation of the law, but of course involved no more fire hazard than the use of the narrow gauge acetate stock. As a result, the use of standard acetate stock increased 100 per .cent in one year. Finally the National Board of Fire Underwriters recognized the false logic of the situation and adopted the policy of approving and tagging portable projectors showing standard width film, for use with acetate stock only. At the same time that board voluntarily established the procedure of notifying local fire authorities of the location and ownership of each machine so tagged, so that the latter might guard against their use with inflammable stock. Early in the winter the President of the Visual Instruction Association of America appointed a Legislative Committee to study this whole situation. This committee decided to take New York as a key state and move for remedial legislation. A bill was introduced in the New York state legislature at Albany. It is still pending, but we hope to be able to report in the next number of The Educational Screen that it has become a law. It is a very simple amendment to the present law, merely removing the narrow gauge limitation and providing that only machines of a type approved by the National Board of Fire Underwriters may be used without a booth, and these only with acetate of cellulose stock. From the first, all the forces likely to be interested in this sort of legislation were frankly taken into confidence, including the National Board and the