The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-11-18

innovation that coud possibly have no
deleterious effects
For instance a class in geography
is studying the map of India. The
student reads about the character OF
the country, its products. its people;
the location of the country is fixed on
his mind and then the class is taken
into darkened room where the be-
turbaned crowd passes in review in
the streets of Calcutta, the bathers in
the sacred river Gauges splash in it's
murkey waters, the character of its
cities is shown. the typical architec-
ture OF the country is pointed out and
in short the whole class visualizes
India. 1t supplements the dryer book
learning and makes the subject inter
esting
Then take class in anthropology.
II could be shown the villages and the
ancient civilization Of the Aztecs by
pictures of ruined cities and villages;
the cliff jewellers of Arizona could be
seen in every school room and thus
the progress of the world from primi-
tive times could be shown.
Even geology could be taught by
having animated pictures taken of
typical faults exposed rock strata.
canyons showing the effect Of erosion,
waterfalls. geysers and even minor
volcanic eruptions.
In the field Of botany Lyman
Howe has shown how a flower blooms
The bud unfolds before ones very
eyes. There is no better way of
teaching zoology than by moving pic
lures.
In fact the purely abstract sciences
are the only ones that could not be
taught by the cinematograph It is
not carrying the idea too far to say
that in chemistry certain reactions
could be shown by moving pictures to
say nothing of demonstrating what
is being done by commercial chemists
Why educators have been so slow
to take UP this important line of edu-
cational work is hard TO understand
What is visualized is never forgotten
Anything that tends to popularize
education is valuable.
OF course a great many of the pic
lures that are shown in the moving
picture shows have an educational
Z value but there is too little explana-
ton of them The pictures are seer
solely because they are pictures
their value would be doubled if tht
| exhibit were to be preceded by al
! exposition of the subject and matter,
of interest were to be pointed out
The difference between showing
pictures for the purpose Of gettins
the nickel and showing them for tn,
: purpose Of educating a class OF younl
students would be apparent once tn,
plan Of producing educational film
, was adopted.
The moving picture has revolution
lied the show business 1t promises t,
E revolutionize educational methods. /
remains for some one with a real per
/ sonality to stand sponsor for the de
velopment of this feature of the bust
!. ness.
For instance a Lake County schoo
could make a start by utilizing sucl
films as have real educational valu
but sooner or later some organiZin.
: genius viii induce thousands @
0 school boards to subscribe for a serie
z of say 200 films photographed at tn
T very ends of the world, IN its viii
= places. in its cities, in its labratorie:
in its biological and botanical gardens
in its arctic and tropical zones, in it
mines, its mountains, It's mills, II
ports. its shipyards and everywhere.
:. And each of these films may be us
n ed a score of times in each city, az
d cording to the number of schools.
4 is a business that would have
o marvellous future and once adopte
S, would never be abandoned.