OPPORTUNITIES MISSED.

Northern Advocate, 14 August 1919, Page 6

OPPORTUNITIES MISSED.

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-manufacture is beyond our shores and their activities beyond the control of managers out here. PICTURES OF HIGH PROMISE. 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 resent its inclusion, while one or two of the film- . making companies are making arrangements to issue pictures which hold out high promise. But though th {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 thcase. 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. AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. 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.