| Order number: |
MMS/Home/Photographs/Scripts/Boxes 1-5
|
| Summary: |
One of the methods used in the UK by the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society to raise awareness of their work overseas was lantern lectures. These lantern lectures were given around the country most usually to Methodist audiences (some aimed at Sunday schools) in halls, meetings rooms, etc. Sometimes these lectures were given by mission staff, but more often than not they would have been presented by someone locally, who would read from a prepared script which was accompanied by glass slides whose images were projected through a projection lantern (sometimes referred to as a 'magic lantern').
The scripts and sets (with the exception of a few commercial ones) were compiled by mission staff or those involved in publicising mission work (such as Frank Deaville Walker, editor of The Foreign Field and The Kingdom Overseas). They were produced by the Home Organisation Department (HOD) who then publicised them, arranged lectures and loaned out duplicate sets and scripts. The most common source used to publicise the sets and scripts was the HOD newsletter - 'A monthly message from the Mission House to the helpers at the Home Base' - which ran from 1915 until 1976 (MMSL MG088). The HOD newsletter frequently makes reference to lantern lectures and which sets and scripts are available. Identification of some of the compilers of sets and scripts as well as the date they were created have been gleaned from the HOD newsletter but it has not been possible to make a comprehensive examination of this resource. No doubt a thorough reading of the HOD newsletter from its inception in 1915 until at least the 1950s would yield more information.
Whilst we do hold many of the original glass lantern slides I am afraid that due to the fragile condition of the glass lantern slides it is not possible to make them available. Only scripts will be produced for consultation. Furthermore no films or filmstrips have been deposited with us. However, some slides have been digitised and included on the Getty funded Internet Mission Photography Archive (IMPA). Sets which have had slides digitised are noted in the detailed list and can be viewed on the IMPA website (http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/impa/controller/index.htm).
The scripts themselves are generally in a good condition although a few have suffered water damage (fortunately this has not impaired their legibility) and in a small number of cases scripts are incomplete. Scripts contain a title, often their compiler's name, their number and in a few instances their date. All scripts contain a list of the slides that accompany the lecture and text to describe each. In some cases black and white prints have been attached adjacent to the relevant descriptions. (When consulting these particular scripts you will be expected to wear gloves).
A few scripts give advice on how to structure and present the lecture. It is clear that many scripts were still in use during the Second World War as in some instances there is a note at the front of the script warning the reader that circumstances reported in the lecture may well have changed as a result of the ongoing fighting. However, it is also evident that some scripts were revised during the Second World War to take account of changing conditions.
|
| Previous numbers: |
MMS/01/20/02/01
|
| Extent: |
5 boxes
|
| Arrangement: |
Although each script has a number it is apparent that this is not a unique number. As a slide and script set became obsolete its number was re-used for a new set . For administrative reasons scripts have been stored sequentially (excluding odd sized scripts in Box 5) but have been given a new reference numbers reflecting an intellectual arrangement based on geographic location. Scripts will not be produced individually but by box instead. |
| Document(s): |
MMS_Lantern_scripts_public.pdf
|
| Access status: |
Restrictions Apply
|
| Access conditions: |
Only scripts will be produced. The glass magic lantern slides themselves are not available for consultation.
|
| Copyright: |
Copyright mostly held by Methodist Missionary Society. |
| User restrictions: |
For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance |
| Language: |
English
|
| Finding aids: |
Handlist available (see 'Document' field above)
|
| Format: |
Archive
|
