The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (August 1890)

ty Editorial Table. Mr. W. J. CHADWICK, of St. Mary’s-street, Manchester, has sent us one of his £c/¢pse carriers. This carrier, when used with a single lantern, gives a very pleasant effect upon the screen, an opaque shutter sliding over the disc at the time of changing the Picture. _The motion of changing the slide and also closing the shutter is conveyed by pushing the end of a wooden strip, and so simple is the arrangement that it is next to impossible for it to get out of order. The carrier consists of a frame, through which the slides are placed, and in front of the groove carrying the slides is another groove, in which travels a thin strip of wood, which acts as a shutter. When the slide is to be changed it is merely set into its groove, and the end of the shutter pushed forward. This shutter—as soon as it has covered the slide which has Just been presented upon the screen—by means of an arm attached, conveys the new picture to its exact place, and the withdrawal of the shutter exhibits the next slide. The change can, when desired, be made with great rapidity. Botas’s Photographic Annual, published by Hampton, Judd and Co., 14, Duke-street, Adelphi, W.C., is to hand. It contains upwards of twenty interesting and original articles, and also numerous photographic hints, which will prove useful. This Annual, which sells at sixpence, contains in all eighty-six pages of matter. *o: * Light for the Lecturer’s Desk. -AS a lanternist of some considerable time I have often bethought myself of the most convenient method of obtaining the necessary illumination for the lecturer to read his notes during a lantern entertainment, and as the gas arrangemients at our weekly lecture hall are such that the source of supply of house gas has to be conveyed near where the desk is situated, I have lately used this instead of an oil lamp, which seems to be the orthodox illuminant. The means of making a connection for this purpose are so simplejthat a few words will suffice. ; The rubber piping conveying the supply is cut and again connected by slipping the ends over a metal T piece, which permits of another piece of piping being sprung on to connect with the desk, which, of course, | has a necessary shade so as to prevent illumination when it is not required. Various means of shading may be adopted, but as these are so simply carried out, I merely throw out the suggestion of employing gas for the purpose mentioned, leaving the general details to those using it. In halls where the screen, lantern, and desk are fixed points, and are used periodically under the same conditions, gas illumination would in the long run be found most convenient. 205 ILLUSTRATIONS are becoming a sine gud non ifa book is to sell now-a-days. The knowledge of that fact cannot fail to have influence with the public.—G@. Lindsay Johnson, The Optical Magio Lantern Journal and Photographio Enlarger. Correspondence. BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHIC UNION. [To the Editor. | S1r,—I take this opportunity of explaining the position of the above proposed organisation to those who are awaiting practical results from the organising meeting of the 16th inst. At that meeting it was agreed that union is absolutely necessary, but that it is impossible until we can secure the assistance of men who have nothing to fear from employers, and who have enough time and money to do the active work of organisation in London. Thus the proposal is effectively blocked, for all our adherents in town are workmen who dare not risk their employment for the sake of this work ;. and I live so far from London that I could do nothing outside correspondence and an occasional visit to some previously organised meeting. Our friends who have been waiting for a fully-fledged union to hatch itself without heat, will have to wait a little longer ; but the main recommendation of the meeting can be put in force almost at once. It is that we should start, as a preliminary step, on the registration of workmen of genuine merit, and their supply to only “fair” employers ; coupled with a crusade against “ rabbithutch ” cut-throats and sweaters, purloiners and detainers of specimens, and fraudulent apprentice-hunters ; this movement to be effected by a practical boycott regulated by the establishment of a ‘black list” of both employers and workmen who are proved to bea disgrace to this trade. The initiatory difficulties ofa purely unionistic organisation arc insuperable at present, as the usual complicated central offices and bodies all depend on the individual pluck, ability, and steadfastness of the officials in charge. It would be useless for us to start the union with less than a hundred members and four or five organising officials; but a scheme was proposed and adopted bya majority of the meeting, which can commence existence profitably with one adherent, and will not need elaborate organisation; and its expansion to a membership of a hundred or a thousand before amalgamation in an ordinary trade union will be a matter of a year or so only. After a short correspondence with the proposer of the scheme, it will be announced in all the journals for discussion, and submitted for support to the Photographic Club, or some such institution, by which means we are likely to secure the assistance of a few well-to-do and disinterested men favourable to the idea of the protection of the workman. The formation of the entire trade union is deferred to such time as our London sympathisers can produce some workman or friend of the operative photographer with sufficient pluck and ability in him to stir photographic London up to organisation, and the maintenance by money and attendance of the branches and offices. The stop-gap scheme of which I speak hinges itself on the first point of our programme: the registration and supply of workmen; and will soon attract to itself a useful working body of competent men who will form the nucleus of the unionin London. Even now, if any names are obtained of men willing to do the work of organising in London, I shall be very pleased to start them on the good work in the proper way.—Yours, &c., ARTHOR G. FIELD. ANOTHER NEW LIGHT. [ To the Kditor.] DEAR S1R,—I intend to introduce this coming season ani improved oxy-calcium jet. giving double the light of the old form. Its special feature will be its simplicity of working, as it dispenses with coal-gas, and will run for an hour without the slightest attention, not even to turn the lime. It will be