Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-27
The Picture VS.. The Book.
BY Frederic .. Haskin

BY Frederic
New York city. Sept. 2e,--Teach n
by moving pictures instead Of by
books
This suggestion. long championed
by such ardent educators as II. @.
Wells. In now meeting With wide
spread approval in this country. After |
many years Of patient obscurity. the
educational llm is distinctly coming |
into Its own. Not only Is II greatly |
an demand by public schools, universi- |
Ties and churches, but the general pub |
~ is showing an unexpected enthusi- |
asm for IL. Producers OF educational
features are finding, a. dificult to sup
lily all the orders they receive for
home projection machines. while New
York moving picture theatres have re-
Gently discovered. somewhat to their
own amazement. that an exceptional
animal or travel picture, properly
featured. attracts as many patrons as
an all-star theatrical llm.
The fact is that large numbers of
people who would be bored by moss
travel books and who would be in
capable Of concentrating on scien-
tihc article. are quite eager TO absorb
information through the comfortable
medium OF the screen. The reading OF
books with the exception OF light.
popular fiction. requires understand
ing and Imagination on the part OF
the reader, while looking at a film
does not. Many unkind things have
been said against the movies. but this
may be said in their favor: They are
making the average American better
informed. They are bringing TO the
great mass Of people who cannot af-
ford TO travel, glimpses OF foreign
lands, interesting personalities and
curious facts. In other words. they
are disseminating useful knowledge in
q painless. effective fashion.
The extent tc which educational
films are used is now 30 vast that a
combination Of non-the atrical produc-
crs was recently formed to establish
exchanges Throughout the United
States for the distribution OF pictures
OF purely educational character.
This combination plans 20 enlarge the
field for their products. but in the
meantime II is kept busy supplying
the field which sady exists.
Movies in Chsrch and Home.
According 20 one Of these producers,
there are 1900 churches in this
country which regularly use motion
pictures, Of which the Roman Catho.
lie churches number 1900 and ths
Methodist f0,70o. Departments. Of
visual education have been established
in most Of our universities. while pro-
lection machines are owned by nearly
so per cent Of our elementary schools
Then there are numerous organiza
tioQs and clubs which use educationa
movies as a regular thing. AmonI
these are the Y. W. G. A. and y. w.
A., the American Federation Of Wo
mems Clubs, and societies devoted 4
nature study, animal lore, welfar
work, health, civics. drama, historJ
and travel The use Of moving pic
lures among such societies is grow
ing at such a rapid rate that the !,
: manufacturers now producing stan
dard portable projectors are planninI
to turn them out during the coninl
year at the rate OF 1900 TO J. 500
week in order TO keep up with the ex
traordiusry demand.
,, The educational film has also be
! come an indispensable feature OF IN
!. large manufacturing plant. whicl
! uses it not only TO advertise its goods
: but for educational WORK among II
/. employees. Safety first" Aims hav
: done more than any other one thins
lit is said, to cut down the number {
: Industrial accidents, while they hav
also been instrumental in smoothin
out differences existing between en
pioyers and employees. It is estimate
Z that there are 5000 manufacturers
this country who provide moviSg pic
y lures for their employees every day I
a noon. One larke mining corporate
e has built nine moving picture thes
y ters for the benefit of it's workers, or
q of which cost s400.0 900.
Besides these permanent sources
e demand, there is an evergrowiT
;? clamor for non-theatrical films Z,
use in private homes. Nobody reali
ie es how many portable projecting mi
IS chimes are in use in private homes
es says one producer Of educational fe
e; lures. There are $4,000 of these
10 use in the United States, and pro
in ably $1,000 more which are idle b
ID cause il is impossible to supply pi
ed lures for them. For these we are as
ed TO make up program with come
suitable for children, a travelogue.
educational film, and perhaps pictur
), of the habits of wild animals,
Americanization propaganda.
:. zone of the very important uses
= the non-theatrical picture is puttil
Americanization into homes in a Ia
= guage that even an illiterate INN
- grant can understand.
Science Taught By Film.
"You can teach ali sorts of scienti
\. facts by films which you can't wi