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(a) As already stated, there were 15,730 positive answers, giving wholly or partly the ideas of the children on the question of war films.
At the same time the number of opinions expressed is not of course the same as the number of answers sent in. No. 21 of the questionnaire contained two separate questions ; some of the children replied to both, and some to the first or second question only. Others again failed to synthetise their views, and expressed various ideas, more than it was possible to summarise, but which are nevertheless required for statistical purposes to be taken separate account of.
Hence the necessity, having given the figures for statistical purposes, of examining nd weighing these individual opinions separately. It is far from our wish to restrict what they say to a few arbitrarily summarised proposals, but rather to reproduce as fully as possible views sometimes ingenuous, but more often definite and precise.
(b) Reference was made to the possible direct or indirect influence of tne teacner. No sucn influence was exercised. The circulars accompaying the questionnaires, and otner circulars issued by the Ministry of Education to local educational authorities set forth the duty of the teachers in categorical form. The questionnaire was to be regarded as a spontaneous composition by the pupil not on a single subject, but on a series of short topics, which presupposed a series of short answers. The teacher's duty was confined to reading the questions before distributing them, giving necessary information, and then collecting the replies and forwarding them to the competent authorities without any other notes than the name of the school, and his own name.
That these duties were faithfully discharged is shown beyond any manner of doubt by an attestation of the teachers themselves, and by the facts as we know them. All the teachers declare that, in accordance with the rules embodied in the questionnaire and in the circulars, they left the children completely free to say what they thought, and made no suggestions of any kind, but simply forwarded the answers exactly as they stood.
As regards the facts, the teacher's suggestions were obviously more likely to influence the younger children — those between ten and twelve, and children in rural districts ; older children and young people living in closer contact with city life may be presumed to possess greater independence of thought, and were in a position to resist any possible suggestion.
We therefore reproduce in full two specimen pages, chosen from among the thousands of answers in the possession of the Institute, one of them relating to an elementary class in a country town, and the other relating to an elementary class in a small village. The diversity of replies from pupils in the same class is very clear proof of the absolute freedom left to the children.
If it were not so, suggestions from the teacher would have prompted the 3,931 children who have not answered the questions on war films, to fill up the questionnaire instead of writing " I have never seen one " or " I cannot answer this ". These remarks all the more noteworthy when emanating from a class in which other children have given positive replies.