Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1922)

at some central point, maintaining at this place a projection room and at least one copy of every slide set and film approved by the Academy for instructional purposes, so that every visual educator has opportunity to examine the material. Films approved by the committee on standards should be permitted to carry some such heading as "Approved for Classroom Use by the National Academy of Visual Instruction," with the reservation that, if the film were altered in any way after being approved, this leader could not be used. As concerns the commercial members of the Academy, it is evident that the regulations of the organization must be so altered as to give dealers in visual materials some voice and vote in Academy deliberations. The commendable zeal of the Academy organizers in avoiding any loss of their organization's authenticity through commercialism carried them a bit beyond the intended goal ; it did not allow for the fact that the commercial man, by virtue of his occupation, has practical information invaluable in certain Academy discussions, nor for the fact that no intelligent American ■ will long continue to contribute where he receives nothing and has no voice in the conduct of the project. And so the Academy, although by no means sacrificing its ideal status as primarily a group of visual educators, must provide for the commercial man by allowing him self-expression in the deliberations in which he necessarily and rightfully belongs, and must recognize him as just as much a specialist regarding visual materials as the visual instructor is in the field of pedagogy. The Academy must decide once and for all what its scope is to be. Public-school superintendents, for instance, are entitled to know whether or not membership in the Academy will bring to them the practical assistance for which they are willing to pay membership fees (usually out of their own pockets). While the constitution of the Academy is certainly definite enough in stating that the Academy's efforts shall extend to "schools and other educational institutions, churches, parentteacher organizations, and societies engaged in educational and semi-educational work," it is timely that this doubt should be disposed of once and for all. These are general outlines of a few steps by which the Academy can grow to that position of authenticity and worthwhileness to which its ideals — when fulfilled — entitle it. Secretary Ankeney hits the nail on the head when he says, in the announcement, "If the Academy is not what you would like it to be, join with us and help make it what it should be." We shall be present at Lexington, and we shall put before the organization further plans for making the Academy so invaluable to the visual educator that he cannot afford to stay out of it. Members of the Academy, whether professional or commercial, have no right to complain if they do not attend the session and take a hand in the strengthening of the organization — -or, if they cannot be present, at least put their thoughts in writing and forward them immediately to Secretary Ankeney, Columbia, Missouri. There are no two ways about it : Either the National Academy of Visual Instruction is a prominent factor in the practical conduct of visual instruction throughout the United States, or it is a dead issue; and life is too short to waste time with dead issues. Let's go ! THIS MAGAZINE WISHES to go on record as an advocate of prohibition, but more particularly now as an advocate of the determined and widespread enforcement of the existing prohibition laws. Readers of Moving Picture Age are believers in and users of visual aids not as an end, but as a means to more vital, more permanent education of various kinds, and to recreation of the sort that rebuilds rather than tears down ; and it is difficult to convince ourselves that any citizen with such interests sincerely in mind actually wishes anything else than prohibition. What every rightminded and farsighted citizen seeks today is such administration of national and state prohibition measures that the country may enjoy the complete social benefits inevitably following the honest application of such laws. It is easily proven that even the generally listless work of all law-enforcement agencies on prohibition has had startling effects. B. E. Neal, president of forty-five Neal Institutes for the treatment of alcoholism, says in the Christian Science Monitor of July 3, 1921 : During the twelve years before the Volstead Act became effective we treated more than 125,000 patients. Chicago and Cleveland institutes treated more than one hundred patients a month ; Los Angeles and San Francisco averaged twenty-five to thirty a month. Today, Neal Institutes still operating do not average two patients a month. Nearly all of the Neal Institutes have been closed for lack of patronage, and I am devoting my time to another business. As for the carefully calculated protests against the so-called abrogation of personal liberties : For some reason or other many of us have lived our years and exercised as much freedom as we desired, despite laws prohibiting our participation in murder, arson, grand larceny and similar "personal liberties" ; and it does not seem unreasonable to believe that we shall continue to live untrammeled lives even though legally deprived of the right to drug our bodies and stunt our moral growths ! Such weak and self-condemnatory propaganda merits no more than mention in these columns. The subject of prohibition has direct relevance in the columns of a visual-instruction magazine that is not afraid to voice its opinions. The most direct road to enforcement of the prohibition laws lies through the education of the public mind on the facts concerning prohibition. How can this be done, you say? The U. S. Department of Agriculture and several other governmental departments have produced hundreds of motion pictures dealing with agriculture, mining, forestry, education, disease, and similar subjects concerning the welfare of the nation. If films on the prevention and cure of tuberculosis are so valuable in government service as to warrant their production, why should not funds be devoted to the production of a number of films depicting the benefits of prohibition and advocating adherence to, and strict prosecution of violators of, prohibition laws? Here is an opportunity for the pastor who yearns to help the cause of prohibition, but knows not how to go about it, to urge the members of his church to write to their representatives and suggest that the government produce motion pictures on prohibition and spread them broadcast; as well as a chance for every good citizen to do the same thing. Which brings us to another significant fact. Several months ago the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, in session at Washington, D. C, extended to President Harding the use of their screens at any time when he could use them for the betterment of the nation. We have no reason to believe that the invitation was lacking in sincerity. So here are the necessary ingredients for the process of telling to the public the truth about prohibition : Motion pictures that present the statistics on the social effects of prohibition, with a little scientific material as to the physiological effects of alcohol; and the representative motion-picture theatres throughout the country ready to give these films at least one screening. President Harding has no means to realize the potentialities of visual education in law enforcement until the matter is impressively brought to his attention by the very citizens qualified to speak on the subject — those who are now employing visualization to advantage in their own various services. Nor will our chief executive or other government officials be inclined to advocate the production of prohibition films unless users of visual aids emphasize the seriousness of the situation, and point out the feasibility of using the motion-picture screens that were offered by the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, and show how gladly such films would also be screened in the thousands of church, school, community-center, and farm-bureau exhibitions throughout the land. Another suggestion is to co-operate more perfectly with such advocates of prohibition as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. This organization, for instance, has produced one film on the effects of alcohol, and will probably produce others if the first one is extensively used. We understand that one difficulty is the cost involved in the production of these pictures, and another is that some of the members are not fully awake to the unlimited possibilities of the film in accomplishing the aims of the W. C. T. U. Those who wish to see prohibition more a fact and less a halfhearted effort will do well to lend their assistance in such cases, for only the user of visual aids has a comprehensive idea of what visualization can accomplish when properly administrated. Efforts such as we have here advocated for you are peculiarly valuable, for when a user of visual aids speaks on visual instruction the layman is beyond his depth, and perforce must accept your statements, as he cannot refute them. The average government official, from the presidential chair downward, is a layman in visual instruction ; he is glad to receive concrete facts that enable him to grasp your argument, and if he is of executive calibre he will find time to consider your suggestions for more effective enforcement of the statutes. This project is of such moment as to deserve careful attention and early letters to Washington.