Page:Graphic methods for presenting facts (1914).djvu/360

 One very great advantage of the lantern presentation in political work comes from the fact that after one good set of slides has been prepared, these slides may be duplicated at very small expense. Twenty or even fifty sets of slides might be shown in different parts of a city simultaneously on the last few nights just before election. The main candidates are never able to make speeches at all of the desired points during the last few days, and they probably always feel that the last days or hours before an election are the most valuable of the whole campaign. When many sets of lantern slides are made from the same original charts there is very little additional expense, and the number of people who may get the benefit of the carefully prepared slides is tremendously increased. In every city there are many young lawyers or business men who would be willing to make a speech to accompany the slides if they could depend upon the slides for their main material. The number of people who may be reached during the last few hours of a campaign is thus almost unlimited if the lantern-slide method of presentation is used.

From the educational point of view, it would probably be very desirable to have lantern slides used in campaign work, because there would be a very great amount of valuable information conveyed by the slides shown. With lantern slides showing well prepared charts, probably ten times as much information could be absorbed by an audience as could be obtained by listening to the most expert campaign speaker. In addition, there would be the great advantage that the facts presented by lantern slides would be understood and remembered months after the oratory of a campaign speaker had lost its beguiling effect and his statements been forgotten.

It need not be thought that lantern talks such as are suggested need be devoid of all those spectacular climaxes which are so common with a campaign orator. Whenever it is desired to raise some enthusiasm, a photograph of a candidate could be thrown on the screen and a cheer would be sure to follow. There is an almost unlimited field for the exercise of ingenuity in the preparing of campaign charts. The sets of slides would have tremendous educational value, as well as great power in presenting political arguments in such manner as would most positively affect the vote.

Methods used by newspaper offices and political clubs for giving out election returns to great crowds in the streets on the night of election day are not all that they might be made if a little thought were