Temperance stories, part 3.
Father, dear father, come home with me now...

Go to:	part 1	part 2	part 3	part 4	part 5	part 6	part 7	part 8	part 9	part 10

Danesbury House - after the novel by Mrs Henry Wood.
1. Oh, nurse, what have you given him?	2. Oh, water for me, if you please.	3. The man made no answer, but opened the gate.
4. Isabel you know.	5. It was Glisson!	6. She was engaged to be married to Viscount Temple.
7. The Viscount fell with a bullet in his chest.	8. Arthur -- you will take care of her -- my sweet wife.	9. 'Father,' asked Arthur, 'what is to be done?'
10. 'Hey! don't you drink yourself?'	11. William Danesbury took up the glass and drained it.	12. Soon cups of delicious coffee were handed round.
Mrs Henry Wood was one of the best-selling novelists of the late 19th century. She was born as Ellen Price in 1814 in Worcestershire, a setting which provided the backdrop to many of her novels. Danesbury House is said to be the name of the family home in Sidbury, which was demolished in 1889. Wood suffered from several childhood ailments. A severe curvature of the spine was first noticed when she was thirteen. She had to spend days at a time on a reclining board or couch, but as long as she had access to books she remained in good spirits. Wood’s affliction affected her growth and she remained under five feet in height. She was also left devoid of muscular power and could never "carry anything heavier than a small book or parasol." Many subsequent novels were written in a reclining chair with the manuscript on her knees, or later in a specially designed chair which enabled her to write at a table. Danesbury House was written in haste in 1860. A friend showed Mrs Wood an advertisement for a competition run by the Scottish Temperance League which offered a £100 prize for “the best temperance tale illustrative of the injurious effects of intoxicating drinks, the advantages of personal abstinence, and the demoralised operations of the liquor traffic”. Although close to the deadline, Mrs Wood set about planning and writing Danesbury House and won the competition. This book was in print for the remainder of the nineteenth-century, but with the prize money went the book’s copyright - she never received another penny from its huge sales.

Two wonderful slides from a larger set. The name of the set is obvious 'Dear Father come Home', the maker is possibly W.C. Hughes, England.
		Single slipping slide showing the evil of excessive drinking. The bottle of gin contains the Grim Reaper holding a hourglass in his skeleton hand. It's only a matter of time that I will come back to pick you up..... that's the message. Size of the wooden frame: 18 x 10 cm. Manufacturer unknown.
The Drunkard's Reform. These slides were published by T.H. Mcallister, New York and were drawn by the well-known artist Joseph Boggs Beale. They show the return to honest labour and promotion to foreman of a man almost ruined by drink. Size: c. 8 x 10 cm.
1.  He squanders his hard-earned money in drink.		2.  His child's clothes are ridiculed and his pride is touched.
3. He forms a resolution and leaves the tavern.		4.  He informs his wife of his revolve.
5.  His sobriety raises him to the position of foreman.		6. The happy home of a temperate man.
The Vagabonds. A set of 5 slides dealing with the evils of drink after a poem by the American author John Townsend Trowbridge (1827–1916). This was one of his most popular poems.

Temperance Sketchbook. Five slides from a beautiful series made by York & Son, England. The set contains of 31 slides plus one optional effect slide #5a.
12. All among the Barley.	16. The Hop Garden.		19. Gathering Grapes in Italy.

24. Giles Johnson as He Was.	25. Giles Johnson as He Is.

The start in life A set of live model magic lantern slides made by York & Son in 1895. These slides were used during a service of song. The set was adapted from a work by John Nash: The start in life: a temperance story with song (London: J. Curwen & Sons, 1894). Temperance songs weren't just entertainment; they were written primarily to encourage the audience to take action: to sign the “pledge,” an oath to stop drinking (see picture 10).
1. Heaven bless you, my son	2. The old lady waved her handkerchief to him	3. I heard him singing to himself
4. He was a kind, fatherly sort of man	5. They sat down to supper	6. William had spent the evening with this young man
7. He wrote a letter to his sister	8. No, I have decided not to go	9. A little girl was singing
10. Several went forward and signed the pledge	11. Lead us not into temptation	12. It was all a dream

The Reveller.
Let's end this page full of temperance with a smile! 'The Reveller' is not really a temperance story, but more a funny tale about a man who is waited for by his angry wife after he has painted the town red all evening. The slides are 3.25" square.

More temperance slides.....

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