CHILDREN AND PICTURES

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 237, 21 June 1926, Page 6

CHILDREN AND PICTURES

AMERICANISED BY SLOPPY FILMS EDUCATION BOARD’S VIEWS BY TELEGBAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION. Auckland, June 19.. ' Teachers should tell parents that it would be better for their children if they were kept away from these shows, declared Mr. H. S. W. King, a member of the Auckland Education Board, replying at the annual dinner of the Auckland Headmasters’ Association last evening to the toast of the board. Judging by the opinions, expressed, the general standard of motion pictures was evidently not favoured by the edu cational interests represented at the dinner. > In his presidential address, Mr. F. H. Brown, w.ho was chairman at the function, strongly condemned it. It was a pity, he said, that something had not been done to check the evil which was being brought on young minds by certain types of moving pictures. “Some of them are harmful to adults,” he observed. “They are absolutely destructive to the adolescent mind.” He appealed to headmasters and teachers generally to do all they could to reform the evil> . . . , , . It was in endorsing this appeal that Mr. King added his views on the subject. ‘‘Why should our children be Americanised by sloppy films that are being screened ?’” he asked. “Is it possible for you to do anything to stop it?” Why he suggested that teachers should try to induce parents to keep children away from films was that in attempts to stop the evil they were “up against” big financial interests, so that they must go about it in other ways. The film was a great educational factor. That was obvious, but at present the film was doing much harm. " If we could get them to tell a decent story,” said Mr. King, “it would be of the greatest value to the community, but there are pictures being shown that the censor should never allow to pass. If teachers can do anything to effect an improvement to this end/ the board (and I think I am speaking for my colleagues when I say so) will stand behind you all the way.” (Applause.)