Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-06-20
TALES AND INCIDENTS.

LIGHTING MATcu.-lIad all the learned
pundits of an hundred years ago, 'pnt their
heads together" they could not have cx-
pounded the meaning Of these three words in
this particular order N.) Lighting e.
49, match.
''Box o'matches Penny box. Hare
box
Nobody looked, nobody said a word and
the ragged little interrogation point dodgel
this way and that through the crowd that
had knotted up on the corner by French's ll)-
tel, and was gone.
But he set us thinking-thinking of the
time when they tOled the curiew and cover
ed up the fires, before there were any match
es but slow matches, trotting matches, love
matches, and sometimes running matches and
Gretna Green. Those old days, when they
carefully raked back the glowing Goals, and
followed out bed for them in the ashes, aud
set up the chips and kindlings in the cnim-
ney corner " to be ready for morning, as
they said. And what time they had, to he
sure, when, after dligent search, at hal, pas.
four of a cold, wintry morning, not spark
could be found, snow two feet deep, and "a
half mile to the neighbor's Down came the
old musket from its wooden hooks over the
fireplace out came the Bit Of punk from
the rusty tobacco box, and the shivcriug OPP
orator after sundry trials with flint, So,
anu PUNK --uO you KNOW what phHh u .--
succeeded in striking Il light. And then what
vigorous whiting ensued, and shielding pr
the little flame from some saucy breath with
the hands, till it was pronounced " out J.
danger" Or perhaps there was solitary
coal and no musket Il coal one half dead, tie
other rapidly cIouding TongS in the dexter
hand, candle in the sinister, how softly they
seized the dying emler, and with the WIs, pt
the candle lovingly inclined thereto. } irW
for "a littln If, IL lr,. AL
and revealed the inflated checks Of Tie blow
er, and his lips prepared to pucker for am
other blast At last there's little llua
flame the wick Just ignites, but the urlurky
son Of Holus saw it Just too late, gave on.
puff too many, and 'oW brief candle % Aua
SO it went, morning after morning, winter at
ter winter
By and by, there was great talk Of won
derful little bottle, wherein if one spitciui,
thrust wonderful little stick, and withIr v
it, 10 little Almc Bat this, after all
was luxury, and few enjoyed it.
Next, you Snow, came the narrow striIs q
brown card paper, immersed in soma mystcr,
Gus preparation, each little package accom-
panied by sand paper tract Of precisely tv,
leaves. Did you want light lou lulIe
one Of those magical strips fercey thruug
the little folio sometimes it ignitcd, some
times it didn't so you pulled again am
again, like an angry man using th-Nl ~
These passed away, and then came the tu
LUcFERs, and no little tract. Things thH
go off at touch, go off of Themselves t.w
everybody has, everywhere, in their i"i'
their vestpockets, Mt home, and abroad. J
first they made them by hand, split the Iitu
sticks one by one, and dipped them l"to i
stygian kettle that stood by. But 81 ery' .a
wanted matches everybody must have tlru
So they rived huge trees by machinery, ii
kettle with its yillainous compound, suldeI
ly grew to a huge reservoir, the steam cngr
toled early and late, and so now, they sa
everywhere, Matches Penny box. Ha,
box .
The use of the match is now so establish,
that machines are invented to prepare II
tPllnts' In New York, one match manula
sory annually cuts up large raft of timb,
i0f matches The English matches are gel