Visual Education (Jan 1923-Dec 1924)

62 Visual Education — has said of education that "to miss the joy is to miss all." In other words, if you don't enjoy your studies, study to enjoy them; otherwise they'll do you no good. You must have joy in your education. That is why motion pictures can do so much for humanity. They can make education a means of joy and pleasure. It was for this reason that when "Oliver Twist" was put into film form it was with a feeling on the part of its producers that here was a story as educational as it was thrilling, and as spiritual as it was exciting. PrizeWinners in "The Fir Tree" Contest THAT boys and girls love to tell stories with pictures was proved again by the fine work our junior readers did in visualizing Hans Christian Andersen's story of "The Fir Tree." Although the prize contest came at the very busiest time of the whole year — "jes' 'fore Christmas"— it was a pleasure to see how many of ydu competed, and it was an even greater pleasure to see how well you grasped the idea, and how ingenious you were in illustrating the life of the discontented little tree. If you were clipping pictures out of magazines, for instance, and couldn't find an illustration that said everything you wanted it to say in that particular chapter, you simply combined parts of a number of pictures until you had a "composite picture" that did tell the whole story. Such work shows originality and ingenuity and stick-to-itiveness. The Editor hopes you will retain those qualities all your life long, for it is a good thing to be a man or woman who is resourceful and determined — who doesn't say "I can't!" and stop trying just because the first trial doesn't bring success. Remember — there is a way out of every problem. If you can't get over it or under it or around it, you can always tunnel through it! The first prize of five dollars is awarded, not to a single boy or girl, but to the pupils of two entire classes — the seventh and eighth grades of the St. James School, Decatur, Illinois, which is under the direction of the Sisters of St. Francis. These students co-operated in preparing an exceedingly handsome 16-pagc book. Colored pictures were cleverly combined, attractively grouped on dark brown paper, and neatly captioned; then by means of black art corners llii brown sheet was mounted on a page of heavy bright yellow drawing paper. Covers of dull black paper were prettily lettered in gold, with attractive color panels pasted at top and bottom. The second prize of three dollars goes to a lad -who visualized the story in fifteen delightful chapters, rounding up a most unusual collection of pictures for his posters. This prize-winner is York Castle, age 12, a pupil in the eighth grade of the Lincoln School, Evanston, Illinois. For his concluding chapter, showing how they burned the little tree at last, York evidently could not locate a picture showing a tree ablaze. But that did .not discourage him in the least; he simply used his water colors to manufacture some very fiery-looking flames of his own ! The third prize of two dollars is awarded to Robert Guffin, age 9, who isin grade S-B of the Jackson School, Rushville, Indiana. Robert told his story entirely with pictures of his own making, drawn with colored crayons. His pleasing booklet had a Christmasy front cover design in scarlet, green and white, and six full-page crayon drawings visualizing various scenes in the fairy tale. Roscoe M. Young, Mary Leisure and Denzel Sweet, also pupils of the Jackson School at Rushville, deserve Honorable Mention for their interesting poster booklets, as does also Lucille Williams, who is in the seventh grade of the Huntley Consolidated School at Huntley, Illinois. WAS LINCOLN A KING? We talked of kings, little Ned and I, As we sat in the firelight's glow; Of Alfred the Great, in days gone by, And his kingdom of long ago. Of Norman William, who, brave and stern, His armies to victory led; Then, after a pause: "At school we learn Of another great man," said Ned. "And this one was good to the oppressed, He was gentle and brave, and so Wasn't he greater than all the rest? 'Twas Abraham Lincoln, you know." "Was Lincoln a king?" I asked him then, And in waiting for his reply A long procession of noble men Seemed to pass in the firelight by. When, "No," came slowly from little Ned, And thoughtfully; then with a start: "He wasn't a king — outside," he said, "But I think he was in his heart." — Ella Matthews Banks, in ST. NICHOLAS. Junior Humor The Truth Boy : "I want a dime to give to a lame man." Mother: "You shall have it. And who is the lame man, dear?" "Oh, he's the door-keeper at the The Young Genius "Mother: "Willie, how is it that, no matter how quiet and peaceful things are, as soon as you appear on the scene trouble begins?" Willie: "I guess it's just a gift, mother..' — Life. A Natural Inference A proud father of our acquaintance accompanied his son to a leading military school to see that the youngster was properly enrolled. As he was leaving he overheard his son's room-mate inquire, "What did you do that your dad sent you here?" Remarkable from the First The teacher had told her pupils to write a short essay about Lincoln, and one boy handed in the following: "Abraham Lincoln was born on a bright summer day, the twelfth of February, 1809. He was born in a log cabin he had helped his father to build." The Easier Job "What are you going to be when you grow up, Jennie?" "I'm going to be an old maid." "An old maid, dear! Why?" " 'Cause I don't think I'd like to kiss a man a hundred times and tell him he's handsome every time I go shopping. I'd rather earn money and buy things for myself." — Baptist Boys and Girls. Inconsistencies of Geographies Edgar, aged five, was driving from the station on his first visit to Maine. His mother, noticing a troubled look on his face as he looked about, said : "What's the matter, Edgar? Don't you like the beautiful country?" "Yes, mother, but on my map Maine is red." — North Carolina Journal of Education. Placing the Blame Mother : "I've tried so hard to make you a good child, Margaret, and yet in spite of all my efforts you are still rude and naughty." Margaret (deeply moved) : "What a failure you are, mother." -^London Weekly Telegraph.