The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

March, 1942 Page 101 to spread the gospel of visual education to their fellow students. This has been done by frequent public show- ing of new motion pictures arranged for the school common room on the noon hour. On three occasions also, one of the Human Relations films has been brought for a period of six or more weeks and cooperatively financed by bookings to members of the student body who are in charge of yoimg people societies, boys' clubs, or other activities in which such material would prove to be of use. Each such effort included teaching those interested how best to use these films. For a number of years,the visual aids service of the Divinity School (as this modest effort is now called) has made a practice of bringing some outstanding re- ligious motion picture for a period of time and to secure as many bookings as possible among the churches in the New Haven area. For three years the picture used was King oj Kings. Last year this emphasis was placed on Barabbas. During the current year, Starlight Night was featured at Christmas time. For the Lenten season we are using Faith Triumphant, dealing with an episode in the life of Saint Paul, and for Easter The Kindled Flame, which is based on the persecution of the early Christians and their firmness under suffering. The two last named are sound films, produced by the British Film Society, and are distributed in this country by the Harmon Foundation. These ventures have been im- portant factors in educating churches to the use of visual aids and, incidentally, have been one of the sources of income for financing the project. The results of this effort in visual education are diffi- cult to measure objectively. Each year a new group of students must be started from scratch and while they may learn something from the experience of previous groups, they do not rise very high above the achieve- ments of previous years. This prevents the instructor from carrying on advanced projects such as would be possible if the same group could remain in the course for a period of years. As a result of work in the class in visual education and other contacts with the program of visual education at the Divinity School, students engaged in religious field work have undoubtedly improved their work consider- ably. Some of the best available pictures have been taken to their churches, and, what is more important, these students have strengthened their own work through the application of visual methods. Almost without exception .those who have enrolled for the course have come out of it with a great enthusiasm for this approach to church work. Time enough has now elapsed to send a considerable number of students who have taken the course in visual education out into churches of their own. No effort has been made at a systematic follow-up to determine just what uses they have made of the techniques which they learn. There are undoubtedly some who have made no use of it. On the other hand, correspondence and a few personal contacts indicate that most of them are carrying on in one way or another, and some have developed quite considerable proficiency in the use of visual materials in their churches. One who is now serving as General Secretary of a State Council of Churches is carrying on a department of visual educa- Scenes from // o Boy Needs A Friend. (1) A leader is found for the Boy's Clu'o. (2) A help- ing hand wins a friend on a hike. Scenes from As We For- give. (3) "You lost my best stamps!" (4) "And did you forgive your friend?"