After all the recent alarms and excursions in the matter
of television it might be worth considering—perhaps the Beveridge Committee on the B.B.C. will consider—how far a considerable spread of television is desirable. All the arguments are not one way. I heard a public-school head- master remark fervently the other day that he thanked Heaven television had not reached his part of the country ; there were quite enough distractions to hinder boys' homework and private reading as it was. Television, after all, needs a dark room—or fairly dark—and puts that room largely out of action for all ordinary purposes as long as a majority of the family (in weight or numbers) wants to be watching the machine ; spoken wireless does not interfere with knitting or darning or other necessary if homely activities. Television usually -does, and though it is easy to say that persons who don't want the television can go into another room, questions of warmth and fuel consumption arise there. The onward march of television is not necessarily the onward march of progress. * * *
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