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PICTURE THEATRE FOR CHILDREN.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PEESS." S' r > —As it seems likely that a municipal picture theatre for children may be established in Christchurch in the near future, I have thought it expedient to put before- the public in your columns (with your kind permission) a few points which will be well worth consideration before taking any step which cannot easily be retrieved.

It is a common belief that pictures are a splendid medium for teaching. Perhaps they make teaching ea>y, but they are, in my opinion, a very poor expedient for learning, and that is tlie poitit. I do not mean th:it a child w.Il not loam by them; he will acquire plenty of knowledge that way, but the acquisition of knowledge is not the chief aim of education. A much more important thing is self-discipline, which will develop in the pupil a capacity for work and service. Pictures will not achieve this; on the contrary, they will cultivate a capacity for enjoyment andt- relaxation. The knowledge- so gained will not have personal effort behind it. It will be attained by a very passive kind of reception, Mid will bo accompanied by a breaking down, rather than by a building up, of tho capacity to make personal effort. If wo give the children a pictiuo theatre we shall be giving them soiuvthing unhealthy. If any doubt this, let them call to mind their own experience on an; evening when they have attended a theatre. They will remember that they began tho evening with an. exhilarating pleasure, and closed it, as the curtain fell, with a reaction that was not a pleasant sensation. This does no once in a way, but constant theatregoers live in a continual state of pleasure followed by reaction, until the habit of attending the theatre becomes a necessary stimulant to them in order that they may keep away depression. Now a child experiences this reaction after pleasure in a greater degree tnan an adult. It makes no difference how good or how carefu.ly chosen the films are which are presented to him; h*J is deadly certain to acquire the theatregoing habit, and will end by becoming incapable of simplo home pleasures it ho is allowed to attend performances more than once in a ivhile. I do not imagine that the proposed theatre for children will be established at all unless it is going to pay; anil it certainly will not pay if it is not well attended. This will mean that many will go frequently. The Victorian report suggests that no child should bo allowed to attend more than twice in a fortnight. Of one thing wo may bo sure, that many will avail themselves of the full limit allowed. Twice a fortnight means 52 times a year, ai:<l when a child has been at school ten vears he will have attended the theatre 520 times. The picture habit with' » vengeance. ' ■ Coming back to the educational value of pictures:' it has been, suggested that pictures should be prepared for by some sort of lecture in school. Suppose for a moment that the child is allowed to attend twice a fortnight; once a week. This does not mean that pictures will only .be shown once a week. That regulation will apply only to the individual child. There will be pictures on many days, perhaps every day. Therefore the classes in school wiil be receiving lectures too frequently to be convenient with a syllabus already full enough. And there is aitother point: Would these lectures or films. constitute a.course on any subject? I think probably not. Now, I do not object to an occasional break in upon regular work by a strange subject, but if this' is to be a frequent occurrence it must be of tlie nature of a logical sequence, so that each lecture may build up on the knowledge given bv the preceding one, otherwise 'the value of this kind of instruction jvill> be of very small account. ' In conclusion, let me urge those who are responsible for this movement not to be beguiled into the belief that pictures are the valuable aid to education they afe popularly thought to be. .1 would strongly emphasise the point that a small amount of knowledge gained by application and effort is ■ vastly better than a great deal gained by passive»reception.—Yours, etc., CECIL E. FERRIS. Dunelm School, Christchurch. April 22nd, 1925.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19250424.2.49.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18365, 24 April 1925, Page 13

Word count
Tapeke kupu
738

PICTURE THEATRE FOR CHILDREN. Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18365, 24 April 1925, Page 13

PICTURE THEATRE FOR CHILDREN. Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18365, 24 April 1925, Page 13

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