The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

332 School Department The Educational Screen The Most Effective Tool In the hands of Progressive Teachers To make the Teaching of History, Geography, Health, Literature, Civics, Science. Fascinating, Memorable and Profitable. The Victor Portable Stereoptlcon. For Class Room, Small or Large Auditorium. Brilliant Illumination — Simple to Handle. Catalogues on request Slides Stereopticons Motion Pictures W. C. BLIVEN 130 West 42nd Street New York City Shades of Noah (Prizma). A reel designed simply for entertainment, and devoted, as the sub-title tells us, to "an intimate study of a few of the creatures that made Noah famous." Photography by courtesy of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, it runs through the alphabet of animals, from Alligator to Zebra, show^ing many more or less familiar, and a few rarer specimens. The titles are well made, with good informational material, and color adds to the attractiveness of the subject. The Sky-Splitter (Hodkinson). One of the Bray Romances, several of which have been reviewed previously in these pages. It tells the story of the effort being made by one Professor Cooley to solve the world's power problem by experimenting with atomic sources of energy. With his accelerating motor, the old scientist hopes to circle the globe in a few hours. He tests his machine on an automobile —and the car speeds so fast that it is wrecked, and the scientist finds himself by the roadside! He sees the experiment a success, however, since it proves that the motor will operate, if only he can devise some means of control. Then comes the extraordinary aereocar, built and provisioned for the test voyage. The inventor explains to admiring friends what may be expected when the car, rising above the earth's atmosphere, will travel faster and faster. The start is shown, and the plane travels on and on, past stars, planets and meteors, until finally it is lost in space. At last the old scientist gains sufficient control of the car to make a landing on a strange planet— and he finds himself able from that vantage point to look back through a huge telescope toward the earth. He estimates that he is on an inhabited planet somewhere in the vicinity of the North Star, from which if would take light 50 years to reach the earth. He locates his home, and discovers it to be as it was 50 years ago, and sees himself as a boy in 1875. By the marvel of his invention he has traveled faster than the speed of light— but he wakes to find himself by the roadside stunned and dazed in the wreck of his experim.ental car. A subject interesting enough from the angle of the purely imaginative, if one wishes to let his mind play upon the possibilities of scientific development, forgetting all its limitations and giving his fancy full sway. The Making of a Man. (Prizma.) A stirring picture of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an account of some of the training which the boys receive as cadets. The film goes through one day with them. Ranks form, the cadet officer of the day appears, and sections are seen marching off to classes. All cadets receive instruction in all branches of the service, for each must have a knowledge of all. whatever his particular specialty is to be. The different uniforms which every cadet has, are displayed, and perhaps the most inspiring scenes of all are those showing dress parade where the long lines of erect, grey figures seem endless. They pass in review at the close of the reel— in a scene which is calculated to send a thrill of pride through the most hardened onlooker. A reel especially fitted for showing in every school, church or community center — and especially adapted for a patriotic program. "Hats Off! A Story of the Flag (Society for Visual Education)— A view of the past history of the flag, and its significance in crises of , our history, told to teach a careless schoolboy \ flag etiquette.