Television: The Infant Grows Up

Television is all the talk—and all the talk is big. Its enthusiasts are sure that it will eventually (maybe sooner) make radio as obsolete as the horse—and empty all the nation's movie houses. Children will go to school in their own living rooms, presidential candidates will win elections from a television studio. Housewives will see on the screen the dresses and groceries they want, and shop by phone.

Television's future, says Jack R. Poppele (rhymes with floppily), president of the Television Broadcasters Association, "is as expansive as the human mind can comprehend. Television holds the key to enlightenment which may unlock the...