MOVING PICTURES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 96, 23 April 1912, Page 7

MOVING PICTURES.

THEIR INFLUENCE ON SCHOOL CHILDREN. CONDEMNED BY ONE HEAD MASTER. . ENDORSED BY ANOTHER. Several matter*, more or less directly affecting the interests of pupils, were touched on by Mr. Flux, headmaster of the South. Wellington. School,, at last night's meeting of householders of tha South Wellington school district. In his introductory remarks, Mi". Flux said that he did not imagine that all present would agree with what he said, bub he asked them to be good enough to believe that it was the honest expression of a. belief founded on a very long experience. "Those present to-Jmght," lie sai4> '"mast have noticed what a large number of boye in' thie city have beon brought before the JuveaOe Court during the past few months. Now. while Ido not for one moment think the schools are responsible for ' this, the minds of teachers, with a right 6ense of duty, cannot but be exercised to try and find out the cause. It hae been said that city life becomes every year more and more complex, and that therefore^ the responsibilities of city parents, especially, are constantly increasing. There is ground for fearing that many of them do not rise to their responsibilities — that in too many cases, the street, often late into the night, ie allowed to claim the children. PICTURE SHOWS AND CHURCHES. 11 The advent of and the rapid increase in the number of picture shows, doubtlees, is responsible for some of this. Even the churches, with the best intentions, no doubt, but mistakenly I believe, bring children out at night, and not seldom without proper guardians. Instances of this come under my notice in dealing with children. A mother sent her children to a church meeting, and was shocked to find that instead they had been to a picture show. Instances, too, of children pilfering money in order to be able to attend these ehowe are not unknown to me. A mania, for this, class of entertainment seems to possess children and adidts alike. All, especially the young, need recreation, but when xt becomes a habit, it ceases to be recreation in the true sense. I have ascertained by questioning that a munber of children attend picture shows as many a 6 three times in a week;, many more attend them twice weekly. THE VALUE OF PICTURES. "A good many parenjas, it is to be feared, solace themselves with the notion that many of the pictures are instructive. Nt> doubt the subject of the picture often is, but what permanent impression of any real • value ib left on the minds of children by the rapid passing before the eye of hundreds of yards of these pictures at one sitting? They impress the eve for a moment, the mind scarcely at all, except to befog it. The picture show that relied on the so-called educative film for the whole of it 6 entertainment would die within a month. Then what is the attraction which draws crowds every night in the week? Let those who are constant patrons answer the question. As for the educative element in them, I may say thai it is quite a common occurrence for pupils to say, when undror instruction, * I read about that in such and such a book,' but I cannot remember' an instance of a pupil saying, 'I saw that illustrated at a picture show.' THE TASTE FOR ART. "We hear a good deal about the lack of a taiSte for art among New Zealanders," continued Mr. Flux, "but I honestly believe that if there is one thing more than another calculated to kill a taste for what is beautiful and elevating, the picture show is that thing. I am suru of this, that the picture-show has rendered the work of teaching infinitely more difficult, because it has created a distaste for anything solid, and a corresponding craving for what is ephemeral and evanescent." RUBBISHY LITERATURE. Mr. Flux then touched on the question of literature, and in the course of his remarks he said that it is intensely disappointing to thoughtful teacheis that good reading matter is passed over for the sake of the rubbishy, vulgar stuff one so often sees in. the hands of children. Recently he had noticed several boys reading a paper such, as ho had described, and he wondered whether the parents of the lads knew their boys purchased the baneful , stuff. "I could wish," Mr. Flux feelingly remarked, "all booksellers would join hands with teachers by refusing to stock the rubbish. The question for us teachers is : 'How are we to counteract the growing taste for low and vulgar reading? Why have we largely failed to induce the opposite taster Most of our schools possess libraries, althoxigh often indifferently supported, but there is evidence that they are not having the effect they were intended to have. We teach the mechanical part of reading m school, aye, and take some pains to create in our pupils a taste for decent literature; then why do we find, in so many cases, a taste in the opposite direction ? DUTY OF PARENTS. "Have parents anything to say to this? Do they always supervise and control their children's leading? .Reading of some kind they must and will have, and it is the bounden duty of every parent among us to take such steps as shall give our- boys and girls a bent in the right direction, not by forbidding all reading, but by encouraging the right kiud of literature. The supply of free books should help in this direction but it will not have the effect it should' have until we obtaiii such a revision of the syllabus as will allow more time for reading and the study of English." Mr. Flux concluded with, the remark that aii awakened public conscience was needed in connection with the matter of questionable literature, and teachers, whose voices should more often be heard in the land, must take their share in awakening it. Owing to a misunderstanding, Mr. Flux' 9 report was not discussed. A motion for its adoption wai carried immediately tthu speaker sat down. Subsequently, however, a householder remarked that ib would be as well if the reference to the Churches was brought under- the notice of the Ministers' Association. A CONTRARY VIEW. The kinematograph aa a means or providing education in our schools was referred to by Mr. F. G. A. Stuckey, headmaster of th» Island Bay School, last evening. Everyone recognised, said Mr. Stuckey, that moving pictures were going to play in thy near tuture an important part iv our education system. He had endeavoured -to secure during the year just past some geographical films of such a nature as would prove Uiitructivo to the pupils, but, unfortunately, he was forced by circumstances over which he had 1 no control to f bandou the project when everything was practically arranged. However, h© hoped that by next yeiu* he would be able to report that, in the Island Bay School at least-, moving pictures as a means of educatipn were not a dream, but. a reality. Sentiments winch, led one householder to remark that, in some stib-jecte,' tpn minutes' view of a picture film wonld be of more value than ten hours' study.