Atlanta Georgian., 1914-02-22
MOVIES HAVE
| EDUCATIONAL
| POSSIBILITIES
Experts, Looking Ahead, See Util-
ity for Many Branches Of
Learning.
COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY TO AID
Already Teachers Have Called the
Films to Their Aid in Some
Instances.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 21.-Eduea-
Tors are looking ahead. For instance:
Time-'Ninteen- nineteen.
Place-Classroom in any grammar
a school
a Tba Instructor enters and begins
4 lacturing to his class. Upon a screen
4 bshind him moving pictures appear
4 Thev show laboratory table upon
mich is a retort and test tubes con-
aiming a colorless liquid.
human hand, apparently floating
in the air, appears. Its fingers grasp
phial from a shelf beside the table.
A few drops from the bottle are
nourad into a test tube. The color
less LIQUID slowly changes to bril-
Z liant hue. The phantom hand Sc
7 lects another bottle and again pours
a chemical into the tube. The mix
ture again assumes different color.
The phantom hand pours the mix
ture into the retort and places be-
4 meath it a lighted Bunsen burner. A
milky cloud spreads through the con-
II tents.
The instructor is teaching chem
stry without the aid of chemicals
y by the movies.
POSSIBLE "IGI1ftl o TOW NCdESs
All this will be possible within a
few years, say the experts of the Bu-
reau of Education. 1t is impossible
4 now only because photography in ma
mral tints is as yet in its infancy.
\ Nor will chemistry be the only sub
q lect which can be taught with sue
4 ress by the aid of motion pictures.
Il Alfred H. Saunders, of New York,
+ believes that the field is practically
4 unlimited. And with the aid of~Mr.
4 Saunders the Bureau of Education
has collected a considerable amount
2 of data upon this subject.
During the Boer war Charles Ur-
F ban, of London, dispatched to South
Africa a staff of photographers, and
from the films they made the educa-
tional side of the movies received an
impetus which has never tagged.
When the moving picture art was
in its infancy so-called educational
i films began to appear. A program of
i this character would perhaps include
n geography in reel showing the hab-
j its and customs of Fiji Islanders, or
II athletics, by depicting the physical
4 culture exercises of the inmates of
\ London orphan asylum for boys.
Surgeons Used Films.
Films may now be obtained upon
the subject of surgery. These show
actual operations upon actual pa
tents. Dr. Royen, of Paris, heads the
y list with operations on tumors, dis
eases of the nervous system and gen.
& eral surgery.
n Ancient and modern architecture
may now be taught from reels show
ing scenes in Italy, Sicily, and other
architectural centers of the world.
Natural science covers an immense
4 field, and taking a few subjects at
random, includes among the films on
A his subject the life history of the
moth, wild birds in their natural sur
roundings, the growth and blossom
ing of flowers, etc.
4 sciences, agriculture, athletics, bal
looming, chemistry, physics, dances
tboth civilized and barbaric), for
stry. fisheries, hydraulics, hydrogra-
estry, fisheries, microscopes, music
and score of other studies may all
pc found typif1ed in useful and prac-
teal moving pictures.
Chief Obstacle at Present.
At the present time the chief OBJ
stacle In introducing these films into
schools seems to be that they were
manufactured primarily for CONNER
eial purposes, bear inserts of adver-
using matter, and very often carry,
lnterlaced through the scenes. a love
story.
Strictly educational films of high
technical order must be especially
prepared.
Another obstacle is the State laws
which restrict the operation of pro-
Jectlng machines. In New York, it is
pointed out, an operator must be
ileensed. There is often some difficult
W too. in providing the Operating
mousse" as required by the Board of
Underwriters.
AS far as schools and colleges are
concerned, however, it is deemed to
pc entirely practicable for them to
manufacture their own films at prob
ably one-tenth the cost If the reel
were put up for them especially by
some manufacturer