The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-11-06
THE sTEREOPTIC0N IN THE SUNDAY
SCHOOL.
By REV. W. f. DIcKERMAN.
(Hillsdale, Mich.)


| The king of illustrators in the Sunday
school work is the stereopticon. 1t is no
longer a scientific toy, but an instrument of
research without which no physical labora-
tory would be complete. For Sunday-school
work it is without rival. In fact, know it
to be good servant of the church. AS a
substitute for festivals, fairs, etc., which cost
so much labor, it commends itself as more
instructive, attended with less labor and
more profitable. For Sunday school use,
there is no limit to the variety of the intel
lectusl feast it can spread before young and
old alike. Every want can be met, every
taste gratified. The astronomy, geology,
mineralogy, geography, topography, china
tology, botany, zoology, anthropology, agri-
culture, handicraft, art, architecture, archse-
ology. domestic life, furniture, utensils, i'm
plements, religions, languages, biography,
history and navigation of the Bible and the
Holy Land can be beautifully and accurately
illustrated by means of the stereopticon. OF
course this cannot be used on Sunday. The
blackboard will be most expeditions then in
outlining your work. At best the time for
illustration on Sunday is very limited. The
bulk of illustrative work could be best per-
formed at a time specially set apart for that
purpose. have in view something of this kind
for our Sunday school at Hillsdale. month
ly or semi monthly song and picture service,
at night, admitting only the regular attend
ants on the school and subscribers to the ste
reopticon fund. At this service will be prac-
ticed new Sunday school music, the words
and notation being projected on the screen.
The lessons of the past two weeks or month
will be illustrated on the screen by photos
and drawings of the cities, buildings, fruits,
plants, animals, implements, garments. man
ners and customs, or whatever may be re-
ferred to in the lessons, with short descrip-
ton or explanation. In addition few ideal
istic representations of an elevating charac-
ter will be used, such as "The Triumph of
Truth and Righteousness" "The Angel of
Peace" ''Mercy's Dream" Look not upon
the Wine" "No Cross, no Crown" and other
beautiful subjects to be had of the dealers in
such goods. For variety, fine copies from
the statuary, celebrated paintings, and pho
tos of remarkable buildings and miscellane-
Gus matters. At these meetings instructions
will be given how to prepare pictures for
projection, by an easy method, so that schol-
ars can bring in specimens of their skill in
this work to be thrown upon the screen. thus
promoting art culture as we'll as furnishing
material for the projections. If this plan is
we'll executed, it will secure large school
and prove very efficient fundamentally.
Now, for the objections to this scheme.
First, its expensiveness would seem to put it
beyond the reach of all schools that subsist
upon the financial leavings of the church.
To schools without Libraries, the stereopticon
would be good substitute, and much less
expensive than library. The first cost
is the chief obstacle, but from one to three
well prepared stereopticon entertainments
will purchase the whole outfit. Every school
contains Il person of sufficient mechanical
| skill to construct a stereoptieon, with an out
lay of twenty dollars for materials, that will
do as good service as a fifty dollar instru-
ment Even fifteen dollars will purchase
materials for an instrument that will do fair
work.
Another objection is the cost of views.
That, of course, will depend upon the selec-
ton and the experience OF the person who
makes the purchase. 1t will be necessary to
have a stock of views that will cover the
main features of instruction for a year
These should consist of first-cass photos of
ruins, cities, edifices, portraits, natural fea-
lures of the Holy Land, etc., and will cost
from fifty cents upward, each. But all views
of plants, garments, implements of war or
agriculture, and thousand other simple
things, can be made by members of the
school from engravings in Bible dictionaries,
ETC., either by photography or superposition
and tracing on prepared plates. Gelatine
films can now be purchased at slight expense.
One of these laid over an engraving and with
the point of a needle scratch the lines of the
picture into the film, which is placed between
one-fourth size plates of glass and thus used
for projection. Or any photographer can
furnish for trife old one fourth size mega
tive plates, which can be cleaned and coated
with the following preparation: so parts by
weight of high grade alcohol, So per cent, or
Atwood's will do, parts mastic and parts
damar; dissolve we'll and filter. Warm the
glass pldb6 duu uOW IL WIN Ln6 ABOVE; when
dry you can write on it with common or
India ink, preferably the latter. After writ
ing, flow the plate with negative or tin-type
varnish; dry, and cover with another plate,
and it is done; the second flowing may be
omitted, if you cover with glass plate. Ground
glass will make good plates without the first
coating, but flowed after the copy is made
with lead pencil or ivory black applied with
brush. These pictures will make good illus
trations to use along with the stock of fine
views, which can be increased from time to
time as you would add books to library
These should be well cared for by the opera
tor, who may be elected by the school as any
other officer. A stereopticon room would be
a convenience in which to store the appara-
tus and views, and provide few appliances
for view making
IN 1tLemoriam.