The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-11-14
EoisoN's NEWEST IDEA.

Y Make school attractive. Make 10 on
Iot the most enjoyable parts OF "a childl
life Put education on such basis
that tho child viii run 10 instead o
IfrOm school And al the same tim,
teach with Infinitely greater ease NOR,
/ Thoroughly and more vomprehensjvoly.
Il sounds visionary hut that is eN-
|actly what Thomas Alva Edison. IN,
wizard ~ electricity. whose inventions
/ have demonstrated that ne is a very
practical man. proposes 10 do with the
aid Of his own science. He believes
that he can visualize education. that
I he can make IL as fascinating as a
Iplay, that ne can eliminate the drudg-
cry And the means is very simple
moving pictures; possibly talking pic
lures. The moving picture machine he
I believes should be a part Of the equip
ment of every school room and 10 this
end he has bent his energy successfully
TO turning out machine adapted 10
the work and comparatively inexpen-
siye. and films especially for this serv-
lice Instead OF running 1000 feet Of
flm. he runs about 80. the pictures
running the length Of the film. back
and back again.
1t is trite to speak Of moving pic
lures as educative. The ordinary NOV
ing picture show may bring together
scenes from all parts of the world
But Edison proposes something more
than this for his educative films. He
is going 70 teach reading. spelling
arithmetic, geography by them and
make them of the most absorbing in
Iterest Instead of showing the child
IA page with a picture Of cat and the
words 1t is a cat' he would have the
letters tumble out and into place under
/ a moving cat In arithmetic he would
show the child that two cats and two
eats make four cats by having the ami
mails actually frolic on the screen. In
nature study he would show through
the films all the things that are taught
now in other ways. In geography there
is no limit 20 the possibilities Of the
moving pictures The pictures will
! show conditions, peoples and customs
IAN over the world with a realism that
Icaunot be obtained by the printed book
OF the description OF the teacher. In
physics the forces studied are TO be
shown actually at work In the Ian
guage Of the inventor
Take a pump The section Of
tube facing the camera will be made
of glass. so the children can see all
that's inside Of it. They'll see the pis-
ton drive down. the little valve. or
trap-door, fly up as the plunger is
forced under water. close down again
las the plunger is drawn up. and the
water raised up the tube. Steam en-
CINE the same way-they'u see the wa
ter boil and the steam go through the
cylinders and drive the engine"
Such is the new education over
which Edison is enthusiastic He has
not only conceived the idea, perfect
led a machine and films suitable to the
class rooms and within easy financial
reach, but he has arranged for the nee
essary pictures. Series are being work.
ed out directly for the school room,
with the dual idea of interesting and
of teaching And the idea is reasona-
bile. 1t will not entirely do away with
the old style Of teaching II will not
change the fundamental ideas of edu-
cation. But it may do much to rob
the school room OF its terriers and to
aid the cause Of children's instruction.