The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (April 1901)

The Optical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. 4] credit, to steep themselves in the afterglow left by the departed luminary. This is very satisfactory so far as the fame of that great institution is concerned, nothing ! could be more so, as it shows us at once the high estimation in which its memory is held; but to those who laboured in the first instance to qualify themselves for the positions of operators or lecturers, and who spent time, trouble and money in supporting its distinguished reputation, it is in the last degree exasperating to find unauthorised and presuinably incompetent persons arrogating to themselves a credit to which they have not a shadow of a claim. With regard to the status of those employed by the Polytechnic Company from first to last, the great majority would undoubtedly be lecturers, as I shall now proceed to show. In 1864 I remember that Mr. John Stone was the chief operator. He was responsible for storing and arranging the slides, in addition to registering and exhibiting them; and now please let me direct your particular attention to the fact that he remained in this post continuously until the close of the institution in 1881. He had three assistants consecutively, and when the entertainment entitled ‘ Der Freyschutz”’ was in the programme, one of the men engaged in other work in the building was pressed into the service to turn a handle connected with a waterfall effect. We see clearly by this that by no possibility could there be any considerable number of men in a position to describe themselves as operators “late of the Royal Polytechnic.” The number could scarcely exceed half-a-dozen, even allowing a little margin for those who may have occasionally officiated at the rack handle, which was rarely used. Now, we must consider the lecturers, and here the field widens out a little. It was the custom of the directors for some years to issue circulars during the summer months offering the services of their general staff of lecturers to London and _ provincial institutions at stated fees, and one of these circulars, dated 1877, is now before me. The lecturers are grouped as follows :— Chemistry.—Prof. Gardner. Botany.—Dr. Edward B. Aveling. Social Science.—Mr. Alsager Hay Hill, LL.B. Sanitary Science.—Mr. J. S. Pope. Music and Delineation.—Mr. George Buckland, Mr. Seymour Smith, Mr. Ernest Walcot, Mr, Frank Austin. Astronomy and Mathematics.—Rev. W. A. Willcock, D.D. Philosophy and Dioramic Lectures.—Mr. J. L. King. Memory.—Mr. Stokes. Temperance.—Mr. John Ripley. Readings.—Mr. J. S. Hiscock and Miss Hatton. Literary Subjects —Rev. W. Rayner Cosens, D.D., Rev. F. G. Fleay, M.A., Rev. R. C. Nightingale, M.A., Rev. E. M. Geldart, M.A., Mr. Joseph Simpson, Mr. Edward Simpson, Mr. W. H. Golding, Mr. W. R. May. and lastly— Dioramic Lectures.—Mr. B. J. Malden, Mr. Bridgman Smith, Mr. E. H. Wilkie. This prospectus, which was authorised and issued by the institution, wound up with these words :—‘‘ N.B.—No persons but the above have any connection with the institution.” Subsequently Mr. T. C. Hepworth joined the permanent staff of lecturers to the Polytechnic, and so far as my memory serves me at the present moment we have here the entire staff of lecturers and operators who are justly entitled to use ‘‘ late of the Royal Polytechnic.” Now, although 25 names are given above as being attached to the travelling branch of the Polytechnic, it does not follow as a natural course that they all lectured within the walls of the institution itself. The writer remembers no more than ten who actually did so. Foremost amongst these stood Mr. B. J. Malden, whose name, so well known and respected in lantern circles, needs no further comment. The Jecturers may be roughly divided into three classes :— 1st. Those who delivered lectures or gave musical. entertainments without apparatus of any kind. 2nd. Those who used scientific apparatus and a single or bi-unial lantern for occasional diagrams and pictures. 3rd. Those who lectured principally upon topics of the times and travels, and made a feature of grand dioramic and scenic effects of an elaborate character, using triple lanterns. In the Oprican Macic Lantern JOURNAL we are chiefly concerned with the latter denomination, and this branch consisted of three only, as we see by the list-—Messrs. B. J. Malden, Bridgman Smith, and Edmund H. Wilkie; and beyond these three lecturers no others to my knowledge have any claim to use the name of the Polytechnic under the title of essentially dioramic lecturers. If I am wrong, perhaps some one will oblige ; me by correcting this statement ;-but it is put