Richards Hits at Shabby Standard Of Movies, Radio

Movies, the radio, and other mass media of communication in the modern world must be greatly improved along intellectual lines before their use can be justified in the education of millions who are now illiterate, said Ivor A. Richards, University Professor, last night.

In a talk at Winthrop House, Professor Richards discussed the possibilities and dangers of modern mass communication systems, by which a greater number of people than ever may be taught to read and brought into contact with the ideas of the world around them.

Emphasizing that the democratic concept carries with it a great amount of intellectual responsibility for the common man, he deplored the present low standards of motion picture and radio entertainment.

"Tens of millions of people are protected from exploitation only by their illiteracy," he said, "But unless we have more reason to hope that what will be disseminated will be of better quality than we get by pushing a button on a radio today, ought we to help this spread of literacy?"