Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-11-18
TELLS OF MOVIE WORK
At STATE COLLEGE
DIR. r. +. Nader, Head of Depart
ment of General College Extern
sion, Writes Interesting
Story for screen"

Motion Pictures and Education
in the Great Northwest" is the title
of an article by DR.. F. F. Nader OF
the State College. just published in
1.-THE Screen, a New York motion
picture magazine, In this article Dr.
Nader gives a survey of the colleges
work in distributing educational mo-
tion picture films He writes in
part
During the past two years
the State College of Washington
through its division of general col
lege extension has been working on
large two-fold job, namely Cd dis
tributing educational motion pic
lures over Washington, Idaho, Mon
tana and a large part of Alaska, and
ca making effective "A persistent
campaign to teach the public gener-
ally that the film may be used more
profitable than any other agency for
educational and community-better-
ment purposes.
In some respects these two jobs
have come along rapidly. When this
extension department was instituted
in September, 1919, its working
equipment consisted of a few reels
of film that had been donated by the
u. S. bureau of education, and Ger
tain ones borrowed or purchased
from other sources There were
about 35 reels of film in all 1t may
also be remarked in passing that
when the writer organized the serv-
ice he was practically without expe-
rience in the field of visual educa-
ton At present this office has a
library of nearly $50 reels of film
These films are circulated over the
area indicated above, which rough
ly aggregates about three quarters
OF million square miles. They
were seen last year by thousands Of
audiences, aggregating many hun
dreds of thousands of people.
Naturally this circula ion is not
evenly distributed. Some localities
use films more frequently than 9th
ers. The fact of the vast size of the
territory served and the distance to
which films often have to be sent
must be taken into consideration
in any attempt to evaluate the serv-
ice performed. AS may we'll be sup
posed, in this huge territory motion
pictures are called on to serve a
wide variety of purposes. Our films
are exhibited by schools, churches,
Y. M. c. A. organizations, community
centers, and before groups of many
varieties.
In the schools of these states is
the most effective use of our films.
Many progressive schoolmen and
schoolwomen throughout the great
Northwest are learning that by this
striking device important facts can
be visualized and brought home to
the minds of children more speedily
and wildly than in any other way.
Through their efforts the moving pic
ture has proved to be that royal
road to learning" which Aristotle
said did not exist They have also
discovered in the moving picture a
way to interest audiences of patrons
and neighbors, and so of promoting
more dynamic community effort than
lectures or any other magnets for
centralizing neighborhood attention
on vital problems.
Probably next in order of i'm
portance is the use of films by min
listers as the means of giving variety
TO and increasing the efficiency of
church work A number of pro-
gressive churches receive our films
regularly, and reports indicate that