View report page

Dr. Connan's report speaks for itself, and all their efforts
have not only my unstinted approval, but my best wishes for their
good.
Dr. D. M. Connan's Report:—
"A very full description of the propaganda scheme was given
in the Annual Report for 1925, and it is not, therefore, necessary
to go into the same details in this year's report. In general, the
work has followed the lines set out in the previous report. The
most important, and at the same time, the most arduous part of
the work is the lecturing. It is, perhaps, not generally realised
what a large amount of work this entails. At least one, and very
often two, personal visits have to be made before a lecture can
be arranged. As we have to comply strictly with the London
County Council Regulations as to precautions against fire, such
visits as these take up a considerable amount of time, and require
a good deal of tact. In one case this year a lecture was arranged
in a school, and I had already begun to address the children, when
a telephone message was received from the London County Council
forbidding the lecture on account of a trivial irregularity in the
arrangements. The fault was our own, and of course, the lecture
was stopped, but the example illustrates the difficulties which
have to be faced and overcome. The arrangements for lectures
are in the hands of Mr. Bush, who also attends all the lectures,
and superintends the running of the lantern and the cinematograph.
During the year a total of fifty-nine indoor lectures has
been given. This is an average of considerably more than one
per week, and I do not think that a higher average than this can
be aimed at under the present arrangement, whereby much of the
work is done after office hours. A definite attempt has been made
to concentrate upon the schools in order to teach the children,
since they are more likely to be influenced by the lectures and to
profit by them. Without exception we have had good audiences
and excellent attention. The number of outdoor lectures was
twenty-eight. This is less than was given last year, the reduction
being chiefly due to the bad weather. The total attendance
numbered 18,000. As further experience is gained in this form
of propaganda, its value becomes more and more evident. Intelligent
interest is always displayed by the audience in the form
of question and comment, the latter being far more often flattering