THE FILM AND THE CHILD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 213, 6 September 1916, Page 8

THE FILM AND THE CHILD.

"An the twig j s bent the tree' 3 inclined." In the child the man is seen. It is in the first seven years of a life that the structure is laid of its future history. Was it fot nothing that every school in Germany had its money-box for tho Xavy, and every child wirs encouraged to invest in the future of its meo? I Here was laid in these baby minds that idea of the righteousness of the German . cause which enables the Kaisers millions to walk up to the guns mid' die in swathes nt Ilia feet. There is nothing greater than an idea. We aro educating our children by the aid of the film. Whether the film, 'as an educational factor, is given to sliding down the declivity, as a witty Christchureh writer puts it, or shouting "Excelsior' from the hill tops, the fact remains that for the greater part of our population it U the one weekly interest, and the greatest educational aeent in the life of the child. Let us see to it that the ideas imnreesed have some vestige of truth. For the adolescent portion of the population it has acquired all the power of a new education scheme, with all the hard work left out. A stroll through the city to read the moving picture hoardings is also nn education—of quite a different character. It raises a few thoughts on this new scheme of education. As a witty contemporary has put it, '-Variations of the Prodigal Son scpin to be most favoured by producers/ That is a nice way of pitting the matter. Usually the plots seem to be picked out of the gutter, and stories that in book form are excluded from the shop windows run merrily across the film, with every effort towards realism for the edification of girl 3 and boys. It has been stated that these interesting stories of the life of the courtesan are not understood by the child mind. You think your girl child does not understand; or is it that you do not care whether the line tlower of youth's innocence is roughly deprived of its bloom? It would be laughable, if it were not so sad. to see the mental attitude of some people towards their children. They cannot 'have met "Clayhanger" amongst "their literary acquaintances, or it would have given them furiously to think. Recently a series of essays were set school children, and some of them strayed into a newspaper office. They made most interesting reading. This is what one girl child of about ten or twelve wrote about a film: — "The story is not a rery pleasant one. It tells how a father and son become known to each other. They are both keeping house for a «irl who (s a vaudeville performer. . . . The son had a quarrel with a player, who said to him; 'We know all about you. Your father keeps a chorus girl.'" This was written by a girl child certainly not older than fourteen. Maria the expressions. -'Keeping ihouse" is naive. The child has actually got hold of the expression in use in certain immoral strata of the theatrical profession. Just think for a moment. This child is being shown life with a big L, and told by her eyes (which she will always credit before her ears) that, these are daily happenings; and as things generally come right in the end, in the good old style of the young ladies' journal of other days, she will grow up with the idea that life is thus. Another little girl wrote of an actress in a film who " representated her part well in the drama of life.which happens everjr day"—mark Jljat-s." and, opens

our eyee to the fact that once a fact woman finds a man's weakness how she ■will hold him."

" Opens our eyes," says this baby just out of the .nursery. Are we educating our children to have .the ideas of the demi-monde before they leave their mothers' apron-strings? Kot all films by any means are objectionable. Many are of a highly educational and pleasing nature; but is it not time that we gave more thought to what the budding minds of our future citizens are fed upon? As we sow now so shall we surely reap. If we are educationally sowing the whirlwind, we shall hardly reap the gentle summer bree«e: This is a subject upon which tb,e women citizens should expend more thought. The future lies in their hands. Only so recently as last week, a film wag running in this town,.portraying'the ways of the outcasts of life, and, of all things, to a house half full of children. Certain of the scenes left but little to the imagination; and, unthinkable as it may eeezn, a mother who sat in front was explaining these nauseous details of the redblinded streets to her infant daushter. Can we wonder that Auckland is credited in the other parts of New Zealand with tlie lowest moral and intellectual standard in the Dominion, when the women of the city have no higher outlook upon this great educational question that this incident ■ implies"