The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

November, 19 it Page 257 AMONG THE AND BOOKS MAGAZINES Conducted bv The Staflf School and Society (48: 464-65, October 8. '38) "Visual Education and Nature Study," by T. D. A. Cockerell. The author recognizes the fact that visual aids are verj" important to education. Especially are they valuable, he believes, in giving an understanding of nature for, in our contacts with the great out-of- doors, it is found that the sort of education putting all the emphasis on written records is not enough since nature is a perpetual moving picture and is communicated to us mainly by the eye. These aids, however, are sterile without intelligence, and the ability to profit by them will depend, he maintains, on natural ability and planned opportunity. These factors are especially important in visual education because, while speech or writing involves already- defined words, vision calls for originality in obser- vation and the appreciation of subtleties which find no place in language. He suggests, therefore, that fleeting impressions can be recorded and made pan of systematic educa- tion by drawings, photography, and especially the moving picture and the beautiful color films. Mov- ing pictures are extremely valuable because actions can be repeated as often as desired, slow motion can be used for the analysis of animal behavior, and time-lapse photography can show, in a few minutes' time, a smooth, rapid development of plant or ani- mal, which would ordinarily require observation of weeks, months or years. For these reasons, then, Mr. Cockrell believes that the moving picture is the next best thing to seeing nature itself and. for means and methods of study, when intelligently used, is even a time-saving improvement. Commonweal (28:406-8, August 12. '38) "What of Catholic Movies," by Katherine Brezy. In comparing the presentation of religious sub- jects and characterizations in the theatre with that in the nwtion picture. Miss Brezy deplores the fact that the films represent the ascetic and contempla- tive life ("Qoistered" and "Monasten,") as a result of the questionable judgment of the producers and the childish curiosity of the audience, while the theatre has depicted human, recognizable priests in "Murder in the Cathedral," "Shadow and Substance," and "Father Malachy." She feels that it is inde- licate, if not impossible, to portray the inner life of the Trappists. for example, or the Carmelites, and suggests as an alternative that films of educational and historical value could be made of the lives of Francis of Assissi, Saint V'incent De Paul or Thomas a Becket—or, if there is an audience for more general Catholic activities, short feature films showing the practical work carried on today in various settlements and "houses of hospitality," Jesuit missions, and achievements in education, literature, science and exploration. (Miss Brezy must have been very pleased with the human por- trayal by Spencer Tracy of a verj- real character. Father Flanagan, in the movie "Boystown.") California Journal of Elementary Education (7:40-47. August "38) "The Development of V^isual and Auditorj- Aids in Santa Barbara County," by Lelia Ann Taggart. To meet the need for adequate visual and audi- tor},- aids, with S500 allocated to the undertaking, the teachers in the schools of Santa Barbara County emplojed George E. Stone, an instructor in photo- graphy at San Jose State College, to head the pro- gram. A Central Committee was formed to develop materials for distribution through the countj' library. Flat pictures, photographs, posters, and exhibits were assembled and catalogued. Lanterns, slides and stereographs were purchased. All ma- terials are housed in one building and the circulation of them is supervised by volunteer teachers. In order that teachers should have the basic back- ground to interpret particular pictures, teacher ex- cursions were instituted to study cultural, industrial and historical subjects. Etude (56: 496, August '38) "Worthwhile Music in the Movies," by Vema Arvey. The American product, whether serious or secu- lar, is today most accepted in Hollywood. One of the most noteworthy was the "Abraham Lincoln Symphony" of Robert Russell Bennett as performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Sto- kowski. Mr. Bennett will \*Tite, orchestrate and conduct original music for "The Pioneers" which, as a sequel to "Cimarron" will be released soon. Werner Janssen is to write original music for "Men With Wings" and Richard Hageman was signed by Boris Morros to write an original score for "If I Were King" starring Ronald Coleman. Alfred Newman supervised the music for "Alexander's Ragtime Band," regarded by all of the Fox execu- tives as the finest film ever to emerge from that studio. Norfhwesfern Publishes Proceedings The University College of Northwestern Univer- sity announces publication of the proceedings of its Conference on Visual Education and the Adult, (held May 13tli and 14th, 1938). The pamphlet was prepared with the cooperation of the Educational Screen' and copies may be obtained by writing the Universit}- College \'isual Education Project, Room 151, Ward Memorial Building. Northwestern Univer- sit)-, Qiicago, Illinois: Three general topics are dis- cussed in the booklet, (a) Visual .\ids in Industry-, (b) Visual Aids in the Commimity and (c) Visual Aids in College Qasses. Papers are included by the follow-