The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (April 1898)

55 The Optical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. Practice makes Perfect. in certain places the lantern is fallinginto disrepute. The question will naturally be asked ‘‘ Why ?”’ And the answer may be given in the words ‘want of experience.”’ It is supposed by many that ‘the management of a lantern is a very simple matter, whereas both considerable practice and experience are required. Even should one be able to operate the lantern in a creditable manner in the home circle, it by no means follows that the same party would be a success when operating publicly in a large hall. quite conversant with all forms of limelight manipulation, knew all about registration, etc., and who at a small assembly had repeatedly worked a triple without the slightest hitch, yet the same parties have when operating at a large gathering on a big scale utterly making a bungle of the whole show. The fault generally lies in the operator being too selfconscious, Even although things are going well for a time he imagines they want improving, and so he works himself up into a state akin to “stage fright,” after which he practically loses his head. Later on, however, when reviewing matters calmly, he cannot understand why he did not do this, that, and the other We have known operators who were | was sufficient to evoke even the faintest shadow on the screen of things Egyptian. Finally, the lecturer remounted the platform and stated that he would proceed with his lecture, and this he did under great disadvantages. The hall, appropriately enough, was wrapped in Egyptian darkness, except for the brilliant ray from the lantern which, like the search-light from a ' man-of-war, swept now high, now low, from failed, doing everything wrong, and practically ‘ patient. 1 2dam18s1 ' were returned to the audience, an intimation thing. There is only one remedy for this, and that is experience gained from practice. This kind of thing was exemplified at a recent lecture on Egypt, which was given at Dundee ; an extract of the report of which we quote from the Dundee Advertiser :— “The gas jets in the hall having been extinguished, the lecturer, after a few preliminary remarks, said he would first of all, to elucidate his remarks, show a map of Egypt and the Upper Nile. There wasa flutter among the operators at the lantern, but no picture was | forthcoming. An awkward pause followed, broken only by instructions from the lecturer as to how the refractory lantern was to be put in order. Then a gentleman left the platform to personally superintend the operations of the lanternist, but the pictures of Egypt, ancient and modern, like the. mystery of the Sphinx, — remained unrevealed. Then someone suggested | | passes thence into the circular bag which is that the screen wanted moving, and it was elutched by several; but no amount of pushing, | tilting, elevating, or depressing on their part | placed under the first retort. side to side of the building one moment, full in the face of the lecturer at another, illuminating and revealing to the audience the countenances of the ‘ platform,’ who did not appear to relish the turn things were taking. Slide after slide was tried, but all attempts at focusing were fruitless. Suddenly, by a movement of the ray, an extensive and variegated display of female headgear was seen in shadow. The lecturer never faltered, but at times his remarks were somewhat inaudible, the limelight apparatus in the hands of the operators, who manfully stuck on to the last, emitting sounds like a jet of hissing steam. ‘The audience were wonderfully At the close, the tickets of admission being made that the lecture would be repeated in a week,” ; ta Oe BS A Lantern Outfit Without Cylinders or Bags. ph ne following illustration will prove Ne MI instructing for those who are in such places where it is inconvenient to obtain gas in cylinders, and who yet wish to obtain brilliant limelight illumination. The illustration is from a photograph of an outfit supplied by Mr. C. W. Locke, of Tottenham Court Road, fora customer at Winnipeg, and consists of Locke’s lantern and high-power jets, Willway and Sons’ pendant saturator, and the Stedman-Brown oxygen generator. The generator and saturator have both been fully explained in former numbers of this journal, so a brief description will now suffice. ' Cakes of oxygen mixture are inserted in the four retorts shown at the upper part of the apparatus, and the spirit lamp lighted and In a few minutes oxygen is generated, and passes into the washing tank to free it from chlorine, when it contained inside of the box. As this bag fills, | the upper part containing the wasbing tank