The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1919. MOVING PICTURES IN SCHOOLS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 6 August 1919, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1919. MOVING PICTURES IN SCHOOLS.

The experiment about to be made by the Board of Education of the Auckland district in the way of introducing moving pictures into schools will no doubi be watched with very great interest. It is understood that in the United States of America a 6tart on similar lines ha* already been made, but whether that be so or not certainly the movement is being encouraged in England by educational authorities, who see great possibilities in it. There is, for instance, a news article in The Times' Educational Supplement of June 12, in which there is reported to be a strong general tendency towards securing the cinematograph a« an aid to instruction, if not in the theatre, then in the school. It is recognised that the moving picture has come to

stay. The people are not tiring of it, as was at one time scornfully predicted they would do. The questions now are how soon and in what way it can be employed for purposes of definite instruction as well as for the entertainment and amusement of the passing hour. So far its the cinematograph is a business proposition, it is only reasonable to assume that the direct financial return will be the first consideration. Experience has. ..nob given much encouragement to the theatre proprietor to lire-sent purely educational pictures. That is found to be the case in England, and we have no doubt that the same may be said in respect of New Zealand. The writer has seen not very far from Hawera that a magnificent plant-life study reel quite failed to draw a decent house, and also noted that the evidence of appreciation was but slight in comparison to the enthusiastic reception given to the antics of the redoubtable Charlie Chaplin. Opinions differ as to how far this is attributable to what film manufacturing proprietaries regard as unalterable public taste or to lack of continuous effort to create a better taste. The Times' writer takes the latter view. He says : "Up to the present time, it must be confessed, the best brains of the country have not been attracted to the industry, and it is obvious that the real development of the educational film will have to be encouraged from outside. The producer of pictures seems unable to recognise that it may be worth while paying attention to films even though they may be outside the SGopo of the average picture theatre entertainment. The general theory is that the public wants, when it goes to the 'pictures,' to see one heart or nerveracking drama of four or five reels, a comedy with little plot but a wealth of action, and a picture of topical events in the way of Royal processions or labor demonstrations. In three-fourths of the picture theatres of the country the programme is built up on these general lines. Hundreds of thousands of children who are seeing the films every week are finding entertainment without instruction, and golden opportunities of education are being missed. At their most impressionable age the children are seeing tragedy and farce unfolded before their eyes, but because of the lack of some general agreement on the subject the wonders of the world remain as a closed book to them. One film of educational value in a welter of unreality would do an immense amount of good." Obviously this is also generally true in New Zealand, and in the nature of things it must be so, for the home of film-manufacturers is beyond our shores and their activities beyond the control of managers out here. It is said, however, that in England lately there has been evidence of a change in that some of the better class theatres are placing one educational film in every programme, and so far there has been no indication that the public resents its inclusion, while one or two of the film-making companies are making arrangements to issue pictures which hold out high promise. But though the new tendency is welcomed by the Times' writer, he does not anticipate that concessions of the kind will be in any material degree sufficient to meet the needs of the case. Only by educational authorities taking up the matter systematically can anything of consequence be done. The instructive film would appear in the school as an attractive part of or pendant to the curriculum. The Auckland Education Board, as already noted, is about to try the experiment, and its experience, we imagine, will be most carefully watched. Perhaps it will be successful beyond all present expectation; at any rate the Board cannot but be encouraged by the confidence of one of the greatest American film experts, Mr William A. Brady, who has declared that the time is fast approaching* when, in his country at any rate, there will be a cinematograph.in every schoolroom.