Magic lantern - Bad habits part 1, gambling and drinking.


BAD HABITS Drinking, gambling, smoking.

In addition to its role as popular entertainment, the magic lantern was also being put to educational purposes. From the 1830's religious and idealistic organisations like the Salvation Army and the Temperance movement used the effectiveness of the magic lantern as a powerful weapon against the evils of drink and other 'bad habits'. Religious foundations opened their own special lantern depots and issued hundreds of slides and lantern readings devoted to their particular cause. Every lantern slide catalogue had its own section of Temperance and other edifying slides.
Drinking A lot of organisations like The Church Army, The Church of England Temperance Society, the Methodist Church, the Salvation Army and the Band of Hope brought the magic lantern in action for their struggle against the evils of drink. One of the most striking contributions to the temperance cause was the well-known series of engravings 'The Bottle', by George Cruikshank, that appeared in a number of lantern slide editions. Band of Hope.
	Besides Cruikshank's well-known temperance series 'The Bottle', worth mentioning series include 'The Drunkard's Children' which is a sequel to 'The Bottle' story, 'The Gin Fiend', 'The Whiskey Demon', 'Ten Nights in a Bar Room' 'The Drunkard's Career' and the classic series under here: 'Father, dear Father, Come Home'.
	Father, dear father, come Home! This set of six 3 ¼” x 4” slides was produced by T.H. McAllister, Manufacturing Optician, 49 Nassau Street, N.Y. They tell the touching story of 'Father, Dear Father'. The reverse has 'Economic Series' on the top and bottom.

	1. "Father, dear father, come home with me now. The clock in the steeple strikes one."	2. "With poor brother Benny so sick in her arms, And no one to help her but me."	3. "Father, dear father, come home with me now. The clock in the steeple strikes two."

	4. "The night has grown colder and Bennie is worse, And he has been calling for you."	5. "Father, dear father come home with me now. The clock in the steeple strikes three."	6. "We are alone - for poor Bennie is dead, and gone with the angels of light."


Hand-painted single slipping slide in a wooden frame. Size ca. 12.5 x 6 cm.	One of a set of 12 wood framed slides made by T.H. McAllister Optician N.Y. called "The Drunkard's Progress".

Slide in a wooden frame entitled " THE DRUNKARD'S STOMACH 3.-Stomach of The Drunkard" made by T.H. McAllister, c. 1880. Slide is labelled on the spine, and measures 7" x 4".


Magic lantern slides showing 'The Drunkard's Child", and.......	"The Teetotaller's Child".



		This is a set of 8 Temperance magic lantern slides, black and white, showing a drunkards road to ruin. His wife welcomes a friend to her well-stocked home but her husband begins drinking, has a delirium, almost murders his poor wife, passes out and dreams of better times, and is eventually carted off by the police. What the actual name of this set was, I do not know, but it is very typical of the temperance slides of the day telling the sad tale of the evils of drink.


		The square slide is 8.2 x 8.2 cm. The school children are asked the question: Which path would you like to follow? End up as a good family man or as a bum?
The Story of the Bottle On seeing this title, many people will think of the story 'The Bottle' by the British caricaturist and book illustrator George Cruikshank. However, this set of magic lantern slides was made by an unknown manufacturer. The slides are approximately 8 x 8 cm.


		A short but moving story on eight lantern slides with life models.
More Temperance Slides.

Gambling 'Hungry, poor, Wretched! Why? Because father will bet!' The slide above is from a single series based on Christian Morality and Temperance Values. It shows drawn images trying to highlight the potential problems of the new disposal income available to men working in the relative affluence of the post industrial revolution. The series is called 'Living Sermons', has the signature of the artist T. Noyes Lewis and was distributed from WMSSU at Ludgate Circus, London.
			The Gambler's Career This set of six 3 ¼” x 4” slides was produced by T.H. McAllister, Manufacturing Optician, 49 Nassau Street, N.Y. On the reverse is 'Economic Series' at the top and bottom. The slides are edged in black tape. The series was produced in a black and white as well as a coloured state.

	1. The first seeds of the passion.	2. The development of the passion.	3. Always the looser he resorts to false play.

	4. Detected and roughly handled.	5. Having finally lost his all.	6. He ends his life in a madhouse.
	No. 3. FINDING HIMSELF ALWAYS THE LOSER HE RESORTS TO FALSE PLAY. Our friend has now come to that stage where he no longer endeavours to excuse his passion on the score of sociability, but avowedly plays for his opponents; money. He is now an habitual gambler, and resorts to all kinds of places where he can satisfy the craving of his heart.




	1 Introduction, with Title 2 Dark is the night! how dark! no light! no fire! 3 'Hark! 'tis his footsteps! no -- 'tis past; 'tis gone!' 4 'Rest thee, my babe! -- rest on! 'tis hunger's cry' 5 'Hush! 'tis the dice-box! Yes, he's there! he's there!' 6 ''Tis long to wait, but sure he'll come again!' 7 'Hark! how the sign-board creaks! the blast howls by' 8 'Can he desert me thus? he knows I stay' 9 'Thou'rt cold! thour't freezing! but we will not part' 10 They're gone! they're gone! the glimmering spark hath fled 11 The gambler came at last but all was over The Gamblers Wife. Ten slides from a set of probably eleven Life Model slides made by Bamforth & Co, c. 1900. The last slide is absent..... 'The gambler came at last but all was over'.

The Road to Ruin.

It seems so harmless. A group of students that plays a game of cards. But it is not for nothing that one of them keeps watch behind the curtain. They gamble for money.
It goes from bad to worse. At the Ascot horse races one of them loses his money, is arrested, falls into poverty and eventually takes his own life.

The first slide of a series of 5 made by Newton & Co. Size 8.3 x 8.3 cm.

The Gambler - De Gokker.

A set of four square magic lantern slides made by Newton & Co. The slides are provides with a large long label.



The gamblers take an expensive holiday. The railway journey proves most interesting - as you see.	They are charmed - as you see - with the Italian Lakes.	They climb the Alps and are fascinated - as you see.
	The Gamblers' Holliday. A funny set of magic lantern slides made by Riley Brothers, England, c. 1910. Captions are on the slides. A triangular label showing the Riley Brothers trade mark in the upper left corner. Slides measure 8.2 x 8.2 cm.
The return journey through Tyrol is very attractive - as you see.	And now that very dirty habit of..... Smoking!