Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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ganda and not succumb to it? To do this is a difficult task, but through alertness and education it can be done. In the first place, we should note the source of the article. Is it “from high official circles” or sources close to the government?” Note how indefinite these phrases are. In all probability what follows is pure propaganda. Or is the article from reliable news agencies such as the Vatican, Associated Press, or Uni ' ed Press? Secondly, we should scrutinize the general tone. Is it over- whe lming in its praise or censure? Does it conceal a party’s faults or virtues? If so, it may be propaganda. In the end, however, education and alertness of mind are the best weapons with which one may combat this invasion, for for- eign propaganda is nothing more than an invasion. For the youth of America there is one thing to do if propaganda is to become ineffective, and that is to seek after ed- ucation. By the study of sociology and history the youth of the na ' ion will develop into a broad-minded citizenry, careful in its credulity and in forming its opinons. By study young people will learn of past instances where prop- aganda worked and bearing these for- mer lessons in mind, they will direct their present day thoughts and ac ' ions accordingly. In my opinion by true education which encourages straight thinking will the nefarious activities of propagandists be rendered ineffective. For as long as the people remain un- educated, cagey leaders will work on their emotions and evil propaganda will go on unchecked to bear is insidious fruits of hatred, prejudice, and war. VISUAL EDUCATION THROUGH THE MOTION PICTURE by Eleanor Wallace F ROM time immemorial, vision has been used along with the other senses to educate from bir ' h. A child observes, discovers, and pries into things, but on entering school this flair for learning through actual seeing is un- fortunately halted. Since vision is the most used of the senses, why not con- tinue to exercise it and bring life to the school room through the use of film? About eighteen years ago this very thought came to educators. Instead of forcing pupils to plod dully through a lifeless book, why not, they said, en- able them to see life it self, or phases of it, in action? However this idea slum- bered until 1933, principally because a great number of cheap and commonplace pictures were being produced to the ex- clusion of worthwhile films with edu- cational value. With the advent of the censor’s office of Will H. Hays, the type of mo ' ion picture was improved, and first attempts to utilize it in education were made by the Committee on Social Values of the Progressive Education Association under the leadership of Dr. Howard M. Le Sourd, Dean of the Gradua ' e School 22

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ployed by the propagandists, we must mention a most extraordinary book en- titled “Propaganda in the Next War” by Sidney Rogcrson. It is a part of a series edited by Captain Lidell Hart, entitled “The Next War.” This book is not for sale; it is distributed only to a selected few of the inner circle of British diplomatic life. Insofar as is known there is only one copy in the United States. This book outlines an astounding plan for propagandizing the Uni ' ed States into the present war. The author expresses his fears that it will not be possible to make use of the so-called atrocity stories; even though, strange as it may seem, there are so many atrocities being practiced all over the world. However, he goes on to say, “If Japan were involved, this might and probably wo uld bring the United States in without further ado. At any rate, it would be a natural and an ob- vious object for our propagandists to achieve this, just as during the Great War they succeeded in embroiling the United States with Germany.” Mach- iavelli is an innocent amateur in deceit in comparison with his lineal descend- ants who are thus working for our destruction with such nefarious plans! Moreover, this same book plans expen- sive use of the cinema which is already infiltrated with foreigners, and owned and operated by internationalists. I quote; “In the realm of the cinema we may depend on the natural bias of the United States film manufacturers as opposed to Germany. This will be an asset both with stock entertainment pic- tures and the news reels.” Be advised, however, that the G:r- mans are not less skilled in their meth- ods. During the World War t hey in- terfered with American affairs to a degree which will surely never be tol- erated again. They entered into the field of the United States labor politics. They set up propagandizing bodies which adroi ' ly blamed the allies for prolonging the war. They appealed to professional men. They reached women by forming bodies as the “League of American Woman for Strict Neutral- ity,” and working men through “La- bor’s National Peace Council.” They even bought a New York daily paper. And in modern times the vast Nazi propaganda machinery operates with staggering boldness. Broadcasts in ten foreign languages are sent out from Ger- many regularly to Britain and elsewhere to intimidate the populace. Moreover, Russia is no less blatant in her propa- ganda campaigns. Recently there was talk of the “brave Red army covering itself with glory” in Finland “in de- fense of the homeland.” After the War, the Russian foreign minister pub- licly announced the death list of Fin- land at four times her complete man power! Indeed, the totalitarian states seem to live and thrive on propaganda. Such is the work of the propaganda machine. Be not mistaken, therefore; propagandists are at work everywhere. But how can one recognize propa- 21

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of Boston University. This commit- tee, aided by John D. Rockefeller, built up a series of pictures based on charac- ter education from films which were no longer being distributed to the theatres. This scries, entitled “Secrets of Success was welcomed by public schools and other educa ion2l institutions. A Commission of Human Relations was developed under Dr. Alice Keliher to govern selections and grade them for educational purposes. Specifications were set up on subject matter, effective- ness of presentation, and expected edu- cational results. It was found tka ' the pictures having the greatest educational possibilities were those dealing with physical phenomena. Always remembering that motion pictures are an aid, never a substitute, for real educa ' ion or even for books, still we cannot minimize their growing importance among modern teaching methods, and we must consider them along with textbooks and reference books as valuable teaching aids. Nor is their value limited to any particular field. Animation in films helps the pupil in biology to visualize such les- sons as the interaction of the neurones on the spine or the passage of food in the digestive tract. One of the most popular subjects of visual education which can be used as an example to illustrate its application is botany. The student may be informed beforehand of he features to be observed in the film- ing. If the botanist is instructing his pupils on pollination, microscopP||f « studies may be viewed by the students after they have seen the motion pictures. Without the use of sound the instructor may lecture during the viewing of the film. Although a student of botany can learn many things in the course of a year from a book plus his imag’n- ation, he can benefit much more by a graphic presentation of his subject on the screen as a supplement to his book. Films can easily be adopted also to teaching foreign languages. The appli- cation of films in class may be bene- ficial to students not only in learning French or any other particular languag: but may also be instrumental in ac- quiring the cultural background of the language. With the showing of the films students may use dialogue copies from which to study. In studying English, famous plays may be brought to the classroom through the use of film. Dramatic classes may learn act- ing technique from the showing of a silent film. Many films become suit- able for several departments; for ex- ample, if “Gone With the Wind were the type of film to be distributed for educational purposes, it would be of value to the history department for its data on the Civil War and Reconstruc- tion Period of the South; a home eco- nomics class, interested in costume design, would be intrigued by the period dress; the English department would be interested in Miss Margaret Mitchell’s plot construction and in the acting; whereas the boys would marvel at the settings, the architecture, and especially 23