Evening star., 1933-07-02

many interesting bits Of information as that
teeth atrophy from disuse and that artificial
teeth were in use under the Caesars.
OUR MOvIE-MADE CHILDREN BY Henry
James Forman New York: The Macmillan
Co.
A RE the characters of children formed by
~ home influences? Does the school, pub
lie or private, play an important part IN making
children into desirable adults? What does
the church do about It? Mr.. Forman seriously
raises the question whether the movies are
not . more powerful educational determinant
than all these three established social insti-
tutions. He does not deal In mere opinions
on the subject, but has prepared his book
from studies made by various research workers
under the Motion Picture Research Council,
supported by the Payne Fund The introduc-
ton Is written by DIR. w. w. Charters. pro-
fessor Of education and director of educa-
tional research in Ohio State University and
chairman Of the Committee on Educational
Research Of the Payne Fund. Mr.. Forman Is
an author and journalist who has been con-
nected with many prominent newspapers and
magazines and has been on the editorial staff
Of the Literary Digest, the North American
Review and Golfers. His general conclusion
is that "the motion picture Is powerful to an
unexpected degree in affecting the Information,
attitudes, emotional experiences and conduct
patterns Of children; that the content Of cur
rent commercial motion pictures constitutes .
valid basis for apprehension about their In
fuence upon children, and that the commercial
movies present q critical and complicated sit
uation In which deep interest, keen inteln-
gence and sincere cooperation Of producers,
parents and public are needed to discover how
to use motion pictures to the best advantage
in the development Of children" Some Of the
facts brought out by the investigation are
rather appalling. What do children see at the
movies? It was found that out of 500 pictures
in 1920, 81 per cent dealt with "the three
major themes of crime, sex and love-; in
1925, 70 per cent; in 1880, 72 per cent. These
percentages leave small opportunities for pic
lures of Intellectual enlightenment and in
spiration. The effect of the movies on the
sleep Of children, on their physical well-being,
on their conduct has been made the subject
Of study, with results making for pessimism.
The chapters Movie Made Criminals" and
Sex Delinquency and Crime" are the most
discouraging Of all, especially when we read
the testimony of young people themselves as
to the influence Of the movies in making them
delinquents and criminals. The serious thoughts
to which this book of serious facts gives rise
are logically followed by the question. What
can be done? A leading motion picture critic
believes that the public is sick of crime and
racket pictures but Hollywood believes that
there is money in them" win they therefore
continue regardless of the effect on children?
LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? BY Hans Fal-
lada. New York: Simon & Schuster.
h lot in terms of the abstract of unemploy-
! Y ment and government relief, Of sick bene-
fits and disqualification in free wards, Of visit
ing nurse organizations. as sociological prob
lems, does Hans Fallada write. He writes of
a few of the real people Eve are sure he has
drawn them from life. even though they may
be composites), who have been suffering the
physical privations and the mental and moral
anxiety and discouragement Of the diseased
years since the war. His story Is about q
young bookkeeper Of the small town Of
Ducherow, Germany, and the workmans daugh-
ter whom he marries when they discover that
they are Unexpectedly to become parents. to
his dismay but to her secret JOY. But Johannes
Pinneberg and Emma Morschel Dummy might
be living in England, or the United States. or
almost any other country; they are universal
They find that from far away marriage
looks extraordinarily simple Two people marry
and have children. They live together, they
are quite nice to each other, and try to get