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World Over Polls its AudienceMorris Epstein aa Co-Editor, World OverPublished online: 11 Aug 2006.

To cite this article: Morris Epstein (1952) World Over Polls its Audience, Journal of Jewish Education, 23:2, 40-44, DOI:10.1080/0021642520230210

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World Over Polls its Audience BY MORRIS EPSTEIN

Co-Editor, World Over

HUNDREDS of rabbis, principals and teachers, residing in scores of communities in the United States,

recently helped in an effort to take the pulse of the large mass of boys and girls who read World Over, the magazine for children published by the Jewish Edu¬ cation Committee of New York. They did this by replying to a questionnaire de¬ signed to determine in what areas World Over has proved most successful, to what degree it meets the needs of its reader¬ ship, and how it might render even more service. In this fashion, they participated in a pioneer investigation of reading tastes and presentation techniques with regard to material of Jewish content for children.

The evaluation was conducted along fairly scientific lines. A questionnaire dealing with the component editorial ele¬ ments of World Over—insofar as they were reducible to print—was prepared by the writer. This form was mailed to per¬ sons professionally concerned with the child's Jewish education—the rabbis, principals and teachers of Jewish schools. Of some 1,5000 questionnaires distributed, about 270 were returned, an impressive figure, considering the fact that a reply, which was in no way compulsory, de¬ manded considerable time, effort and good-will on the part of the educator.

Altogether, 7,394 children were polled on four questions while the teachers re¬ sponded to sixteen additional questions. The topics dealt with fiction, articles, art, puzzles and the many other features that comprise the contents of World Over. The results are certain to prove of interest not only to the body sponsoring the maga¬ zine, but to anyone engaged in Jewish education. Not only do the results limn the way which the magazine ought now to follow; they also indicate the relative

values of many broad highways of ap¬ proach to the mind of the developing child.

The analysis that follows discusses the questions asked, in their original order. The replies are presented in summary form; complete tabulations are available at the office of the JEC. Impact of the Cartoon

Asked to vote for the "three features (they) liked best," the readers gave first place to "Joey," a cartoon strip about a boy their own age; second were the "Puz¬ zle Pages;" third was "In Legendland," a full-page authentic legend or midrashic tale, told in cartoon technique.

Since every item in World Over earns its way by virtue of Jewish content, in¬ cluding puzzles, games and cartoon strips, the magazine is thus utilizing a contem¬ porary technique in the most salutary way possible.

Running behind the leaders named above were Fiction (preferred to Serials), Now You Know (illustrated Jewish oddi¬ ties) and People in the News (a "profile" of a leading personality). Long Versus Short Serials

The replies to the question dealing with fiction which is told piecemeal revealed a clear picture. The teachers were asked whether their pupils preferred three serials during the course of the year to one or even to two. Three serials during the course of the year took the lead. To the query on interest lag, 188 teacher respondents stated that reader interest lags in serials over five chapters in length; 22 found that it does not. The Interest in American-Jewish Life

The awakening of adult interest in the sociological structure of the American-Jewish communtiy, past and present, has been evidenced in one respect by the ap-

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W O R L D O V E R P O L L S 41

pearance of such diverse works as Eli Ginzberg's Agenda for American Jews; Bertram W. Korn's American Jewry and the Civil War; Morris U. Schappes' Documentary History of the Jews in the United States; and the Maclver Report. That this interest can be nurtured in the young is shown by the response to the question on World Over's "American Jewish Communities" series. 211 teacher-replies said that the articles on Charles¬ ton, San Francisco and Cincinnati were valuable; 38 answered in the negative. The "comments" here were many: "Give us large cities," "A city in each state . . . , " ". . . large foreign cities . . .," "any city whose Jewish citizens have made con¬ tributions to Jewish or general life." And so on. Jewish Art Appreciation

World Over has a department called "The Language of Art," which appears a number of times each year and seeks to foster an interest in Jewish art. In each case, significant samples of the subject's work are reproduced, along with a brief factual and interpretive description. Art¬ ists like Chagall, Mane Katz, Berel Satt, and Ilja Schor, among others, have appear¬ ed in this series. Obviously, a teacher must take an active interest if subject matter of this nature is to prove useful. Few chil¬ dren will develop unaided an appreciation of music or of art. It is encouraging therefore to note in the questionnaire re¬ turns that 107 educators "find the Lan¬ guage of Art features valuable," while 53 do not. The response of interested teach¬ ers was encouraging, since "The Lan¬ guage of Art" operates in a rather rarefied atmosphere—a magazine de¬ signed for nine - to - fourteen - year - olds. Comment was elicited: "How does this feature help you teach Jewish art appre¬ ciation ?" Some of the remarks: "Visual aids always valuable . . ." "Samples— Examples—Stimulation . . ." "Put them on bulletin board . . . I've saved them over a few years . . ." "Enables me to teach them an appreciation for our great heritage . . ." "We read the articles, dis¬ cuss them, supplement them with reports from other sources . . ."

The Appeal to the Tactile Sense We all know that children like to do,

feel, touch, and make things. Learning through doing has become a basic axiom of classroom procedure. World Over en¬ courages the teacher and child by present¬ ing an Arts and Crafts department. Text and illustration suggest a wide variety of subjects and media.

In the questionnaire, 170 teachers found the Arts and Crafts department "a worthwhile feature." Only forty did not. Among the comments of those who prompt the practical application of this department were the following: "Children work the projects and are given credit . . ." "We use them in connection with holidays . . ." "Have used your sugges¬ tions for arts and crafts classes . . ." Brain-Teasers

Of the variety of brain-teasers which regularly occupy part of World Over's two "fun pages," the only staple item upon which the audience could be quizzed was the Crossword Puzzle. Teachers were asked whether the crosswords were "too easy, too hard or just right." There were 184 "just right" replies; 14 said "too easy"; 44 "too hard."

The fact that so many children work at crosswords in World Over amply jus¬ tifies their existence. And, since each puzzle is well fortified with Jewish con¬ tent and is even presented in a Jewish design, these leisure-moment friends be¬ come another educational tool in the teacher's kit. Fiction in a Magazine for Juveniles

No issue of World Over is put to press without being equipped with at least one story, aside from the serial currently in progress. An attempt is made to vary the content and theme, locale and age-interest of the fiction to be included. If one issue presents an Israel folk-legend, the next might contain one whose setting is the Old Country, or the Ameri¬ can Revolutionary War. When a holiday is in the offing, a festive tale is in order. The longest story in any one issue of World Over contains some 1,200 words, a length deemed suitable for a child's attention span.

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42 JEWISH EDUCATION

The question about fiction was diffi¬ cult to frame. It was decided to list nine¬ teen titles of stories which had been printed during the 1950-51 season and ask pupils to vote for the three they liked best. The five with the highest ratings, in order of preference, were The Greg-ger that Got Drunk, an amusing Purim fantasy with a tender touch; How the Pen Nearly Lost His Head, a humorous piece about a pen that had to learn to write from right to left when its owner began to study Hebrew; The Lost Bat¬ talion, a true story of heroism in World War I ; Lincoln Was a Big Man, about a boy who starts to appreciate what Honest Abe stood for; and The Secret Mission, a historical tale about the amaz¬ ing Mordecai Noah. It would require a bit of maneuvering to find a common de¬ nominator for all five. But why even make the attempt? A story is simply that, and nothing more. If it has action and/or mood and/or characterization; if its ele¬ ments are properly mixed, if it makes a telling point—it will be read, and some beneficent residue will remain.

A tag to the question on fiction was appended in the questionnaire. Teachers were asked whether the stories in World-Over were too juvenile, too hard, or just right for their pupils. The replies: "just right"—95; "too juvenile"—21; "too hard"—6. Comments included: "On the whole they are excellent . . ." "We all enjoy reading them . . ." "good variety . . ." "interesting and educational . . ." And, of course, "too hard," and "too juvenile."

A number of questionnaires turned up suggesting stories designed for various grade levels. No one will deny the legiti¬ macy of such requests, but to meet them would require more than one edition, or a format large enough to contain different pages for different pages. Categories of Fiction

The next question put to World Over teachers asked what kind of fiction they would like to see more of in the maga¬ zine. The leading choice was "Life in Israel," indicating the impact upon youngsters of Jewish history in the mak¬

ing. Next came "American Jewish life," followed by "Stories by classic Yiddish and Hebrew writers" (since this heading was necessarily vague, it might be ex¬ pected to rank low), and "Life in the Old Country." The last listing highlights the fact that too few teachers are aware of the important contributions made by Jews in Europe. If the teacher does not bring to the classroom an awareness and an appreciation of significant areas of Jewish life, it can hardly be expected that the pupil will find his own appetite whetted.

This question was directed to teachers, and it was surprising to read such com¬ ments as: "Jewish life in Europe is hardly creative." Or: "We discuss life of the Jew .today. Pupils feel they belong to what is happening in the world now." Or: "Meets the needs of the child, be¬ cause it teaches present conditions. Or: "Old Country is another world to our children." Other replies, of course, were heartily in favor of this category. It was obvious that the stories in World Over, no less than the non-fiction material, are useful to the teacher in his daily chores. ("Will help me with current events . . ." "Stories fit in with classwork.")

Naturally, the most heartening com¬ ments (from World Over's point of view) were those which echoed the fol¬ lowing one: "All World Over fiction fits into the curriculum of Jewish schools; all of it affords children a good Jewish background." Articles for Education and Fun

Since World Over's purpose is to in¬ struct as well as entertain, a search for suitable material for articles is in constant progress. It is useless to tap the unending stream of fact pieces in the Yiddish and Anglo-Jewish press, for none of it is writ¬ ten with the young reader in mind, or else it is of the variety often referred to as "canned"—that is, written with a view towards presenting the aims of a particu¬ lar organization or cause, and often pre¬ pared in a somewhat mechanical fashion.

Pupils were asked to vote for three articles from a list of ten; they elected the following five, in the order given here: First—The Underground Jews of Tripoli,

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43

a first-hand description, with photographs by the author, of the troglodyte Jews of North Africa. Second—The Hebrew Bible in Braille, an illustrated description of this most recent notable achievement by and for the blind. Third—Israel in the U.N., an account of the composition and functions of the Israel delegation to the United Nations by a U.N. correspondent for a leading American-Yiddish daily. Fourth—A Message to Sir Moses Monte-fiore, a biographical sketch. Fifth— Israel's Citizens of Tomorrow, a piece about children in the Jewish State.

It is interesting to note that four of these five articles were written by persons who had first-hand knowledge of their subjects. Like adults, children will accept what is bona fide and reject material that does not have the ring of immediacy and truth. The Covers of World Over

A question dealing with World Over covers showed that what the readers liked in the way of covers was variety. The teachers, asked what kind of covers they would like to see more of, requested more of all kinds, specifically of American Jew¬ ish life (e.g. Purim Shalach Monos); Old Country e.g. Blessing the New Moon) ; biblical themes (e.g. Jonah and the Whale); and general American themes (e.g. Washington). As for "special topics" requested, here is a sample of the wide variety mentioned: science, biblical, holi¬ day motifs, personalities and all the rest that might reasonably be expected in an¬ swer to such a question. The Cover Story

Two years ago, World Over instituted a tiny featurette on the second page of the magazine. It is called "About the Cover." Using the cover illustration as its theme, it presents, in approximately one hundred words, either a straightforward descrip¬ tion of the design, or a note of comment, a kind of variation on the theme. "About the Cover" is factual, or humorous, or both, depending upon the design it is discussing.

This innovation has apparently struck a responsive chord in the hearts of all the readers of the magazine. Of 239 replies

to the question "shall we continue publish¬ ing the little box 'About the Cover'?" 228 answered in the affirmative. Solicited comment evoked such expressions as "valuable," "useful," "excellent," "help¬ ful," "motivating," "helps even the teacher," "fine for interpretive work," "there is always a valuable explanation." Using World Over in class

The next question was vital; on it hung the value of World Over as an educational aid. "Do you use World Over in the class¬ room?" read the questionnaire. The re¬ ply: "yes"—206; "no"—25.

The number of uses to which the maga¬ zine is put covers virtually the whole range of its contents. Quizzes, reports, projects, current event discussions, poetry appreciation—these are but a few of the directions in which World Over reaches out to aid the teacher in his educational campaigns. Values that Last

Does an issue of World Over outlive the date printed on its cover? According to the questionnaire, it does. The lasting value of the magazine is clearly indicated by the replies to the query: "Do your pupils save old copies of World OverV Of 209 teachers answering this question 184 said "yes." 500 pupils said that their parents read the magazine; 332 said that older siblings read World Over when they are done with it; 296 that younger siblings do; 251 that friends do. General remarks

The very last query in the question¬ naire was a grab-all, designed to plug any loopholes left by the previous questions and to provide an avenue of expression for any hitherto unexpressed sentiments harbored by the rabbi, principal or teacher. The question read: "If you have any additional comments, would you please make them here? (e.g. suggestions for improving the magazine, adding to, decreasing or eliminating certain features, etc.)"

The rainbow array of remarks defies compression. Some 110 educators availed themselves of the 20-odd lines left open for this question. Two chief strands of thought weave in and out of their re-

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44 J E W I S H E D U C A T I O N

marks. They recur with sufficient fre¬ quency to act as a sort of warp and woof for the overall reply. The first echoes Oliver Twist's plea: "More." More his¬ tory, puzzles, cartoons, stories—in short more of everything the magazine is cur¬ rently offering. The second is a request which is ever becoming a more insistent chorus: Give us special pages, or sections, or editions of World Over to meet the needs of various age levels. And, thread¬ ing its way among the remarks, is a steady note of praise, lauding the maga¬ zine for its improvement through the years, for its interest-holding qualities, for its high level of purpose and achieve¬ ment.

What is to be learned from the ques¬ tionnaire? That the magazine is a suc¬ cessful venture? The present subscription figures which have reached an all-time high of more than 49,000 despite a price increase necessitated by high costs, pro¬

vide their own answer to that question in the most effective way possible.

What the questionnaire has done is point the way to new frontiers. It has spelled out in an unmistakable fashion that there is a large audience waiting to be reached; younger children, older chil¬ dren, in cities, towns and hamlets the length and breadth of the country.

How can this potentially receptive, this palpable mass of youngsters be served? By preparing a larger World Over, with special pages for special ages. Will that suffice? No. Equally necessary is a cam¬ paign of promotion, intense and broad¬ cast ; an effort, in short, which will match the vitality and appeal of the product in whose name it speaks.

The World Over questionnaire defines the step that must next be essayed. After twelve years of endeavor and accomplish¬ ment, World Over is ready to blaze a new trail.

JEWISH PRINCIPAL AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE (Continued from page 28)

picture at least once a year. The conduct of the principal at school

board meetings will often determine the degree of confidence and cooperation that he will receive from the laymen. Obvi¬ ously, the principal should be well pre¬ pared for the school board meeting and be ready to provide the members with accu¬ rate and up-to-date information on enroll¬ ment, expenditures, tuition, school events, etc. The degree to which the principal will actively participate in the school board meeting will depend on the importance and nature of matters discussed, but the principal should not hesitate to ask for the floor and to participate actively in the dis¬ cussion in order to correct information or to get the discussion back to the items on the agenda. The principal would be well advised not to sulk or to exhibit his dis¬ pleasure when the Board, after a discus¬ sion, makes a decision with which he does not agree or which he did not expect. He has expressed his convictions honestly

and frankly, and it is the democratic pre¬ rogative of a school board to take the de¬ cision which the majority of its members deem correct. Nothing can or should pre¬ vent the principal from raising the issue again at some future meeting and to ask for reconsideration. Conclusion

The voluntary character of the Jewish school system makes it imperative to de¬ velop and educate in every school an in¬ fluential and dedicated group of laymen who would make Jewish education their primary communal and congregational in¬ terest. No principal, however competent and able, can succeed in the long run without the whole-hearted backing of intelligent, well-informed, active and in¬ fluential school board members. The edu¬ cation of lay people and the encourage¬ ment of their interest in Jewish schools is a difficult task which requires good plan¬ ning, time and a great deal of common sense, patience and persistence.

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