THOMAS HUTCHINSO - Early Television Foundation

PREFACEviiCharacteristically, our schools are concerned with the advancement of "science," not with the uses of its manifold practicalapplications. Through our colleges of engineering we have longsince made provision for the study of radio, electronics, andvacuum tube theory, thus ensuring constant improvement inelectronic and television equipment. But nowhere in our colleges and universities is there exhibited enough concern with theresponsible use of radio and television, or any systematic interestin the professional training of those who will make careers insuch fields. There are professional schools of law, of medicine,of dentistry, of accounting. Even of retailing. But there is, as yet,no School of Communications.Boys and girls seeking preparation for living in today's worldhave forced colleges to offer training in the techniques of radioprogramming. And so it will be with television. If there are fewcourses now, it is certain there will be more in the near future,when colleges assume, as they must, some of the responsibility forthe use of the inventions which their graduates in science haveproduced. Then, too, we shall perhaps have a degree awarded,not only in the sphere of technical achievements, but also in thesphere of how-to-use these achievements. The dayis near at handwhen training in the use and employment of scientific discoverieswill be considered as important as the discoveries themselves. Avolume such as this is a stepping stone towards this future in education, and as such is a distinct contribution.Those who work in magazines, in books, in radio, in motionpictures, in television, hold our tomorrow in their hands. In thistomorrow the most talented and fair-minded among us must betrained to use the several media of communications which sciencehas placed at our disposal. As one of the first textbooks for thistraining, the present volume deserves the gratitude of all whobelieve tomorrow is worth working for.PAUL A. McGHEE, Dean,Division of General Education,New York University