The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

]66 The Educational Screen Among the Magazines and Books Conducted by the Staff IS Will Hays Saint or Devil? This might well be called the title of Ernest W. Mandeville's article in The Outlook of December 10th. The real title is When Cash Talks Virtue. The author confirms the published statement that Hays has been paid $150,000 a year by The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. He asserts that Hays was hired to do two things — (1) bring about a better understanding among producers, distributors and exhibitors, and (2) fight censorship. The first of these objects he has accomplished to the satisfaction of the organization, as witnessed by their eagerness to renew the contract and make it for two years instead of one. Various services performed by Mr. Hays in bringing about harmonious arrangements within the trade units are cited by Mr. Marwleville. The main question at issue in Mr. Mandeville's mind and in the public mind is whether or not Hays has made good on the second object, namely, combating censorship. Shortly after his election, Mr. Hays issued a public announcement that he proposed to attain his latter object, by reforming the morals of the movie, so the need of official censorship would be less apparent. Has he done this as successfully as he has harmonized the business interests of the organizations involved? No! shouts a large and influential group of reformers. Yes! declares the organization backing Hays. Mr. Mandeville makes much of the investigation of the Motion Picture News, which discloses that out of 54 objectionable pictures, only 12 made good at the box office. Hays has worked out a system whereby "60 of the leading national social organizations review the new films and then pass on to their members recommendations of the worthy ones." "Sixty leading national socfial organizations" is strangely reminiscent of the circus billboards of our youth — "60 trained elephants! 60! Count 'em." Does this mean the modest Better Films Committee, which has worked in such accord with Mr. Hays? What legions are behind them we do not know. Mr. Mandeville admits that the public generally has not sensed Mr. Hays' reforms — that many believe the pictures are .worse than ever — that his grandiloquent announcements smack of the political speeches of his former occupation. However, Mr. Mandeville says the public is not informed of his really important service to the higher moralities. For instance, Hays caused Famous Players to change 17 naughty titles in their first "Famous Forty" list, and in the second "Famous Forty" list, the titles were so tamed they didn't need reforming. And nobody knows just how many really impossible foreign films Hays kept away from our shores. The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America would appreciate that. So there you are. WE are in receipt of an article from Professor Frank N. Freeman of the University of Chicago, appearing in the December number of the Journal of Educational Research, entitled A Scientific Study of Visual Education. The article summarizes the study presented in detail in the volume "Visual Education," edited by Dr. Freeman and reviewed in a previous issue of The Educational Screen. The experiments, as a rule, contrasted films with other visual aids in presenting classroom lessons and tested the results afterwards with both verbal and performance responses. The following paragraph is typical of the methods employed: "In a series of experiments in handwork, which consisted of making a pasteboard box and a reed mat, the film, the slide, the stereograph, and demonstration by the teacher were compared. Demonstration in each case proved to be superior. Of the other methods no one showed marked superiority in genered, although the stereograph appeared to get better results in the box experiment and the film appeared to be superior to the slide in both the box and the mat experiments. "The pictures in the form of stereographs proved very eff'ective aids in teaching oral English to foreigners." Professor Freeman's "General Conclusions" given in the article represent his latest summing up of the findings of the group that worked with him and should prove of interest to students of the subject: General Conclusions We shall have to give the general conclusions of the study in a somewhat dogmatic way. One who is interested in further details may secure them in the full published report. 1. First, so far as their effectiveness and their place in education is concerned, there is no meaning (Continued on page 169)