The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-14
LIE FIREPLAoE AMI ITs HISTORY.

ecturing as to what we should have all done
there had been no water in the world; but
is not probable that many give a thought
to how society could have existed or,
hdeed ever have been formed, without the
ID of fires and lreplaces.
" Say what we may of the many benefits
hich have been conferred on humanity,
ending TO make them more civilized, it is
ertain that there would have been very little
the domestic feeling-of the love of cheer
ll society and ''neghborly visits"-if it had
lot been for the fireplace. A cheerful open
Food fire, or a CRATE filed to the brim with
i be "bituminOus," presupposes lively COM
any present, and a good supply of humor
nd kindly feeling generally. Sidney Smiths
eceipt for happiness is pretty generally
nOWn-"a cheerful fire, kettle simmering
IN the hob, q paper OF sugar-plums on the
= hantel-piece, and a novel in his hand :" IL
will be seen that cheerful fire" comes first,
n nd " ell 1t may, for what would the sweetest
Fugar plums, the brightest kettle, or the most
!. Interesting novel be, unaccompanied by
blazing fire to she'd cheerulness and warmth
irOund the apartment?
Tne early records of all ares refer to time
when fire was unknown. When Magellan
Il,
abitants believed themselves to be the only
PERSONS inhablting the globe; were without
Everything which we regard as necessaries,
nd had never heard of fire. On the occasion
If their huts being consumed, they believed
was alone through the agency of an animal
Who had deVOuTed them. There is an old
bgend as to the origin of fire, which is plea
ant to believe, though, Of course, not true.
t is said that Vulcan coming upon some
hurninO trees doU (which had hpan frn1
by thundeIbolt), invited his friends to
draw up by the fire :" that they did so, and
nus was held the first social meeting of man
. Kind.
The earlier races of mankind lived in caves,
'1>nal1iDg flies in the middle of them, the smoke
&going out through a hole in the top. The
4xEgyptians had hearths in the centre of some
Of their rooms, on which they made fires to
&Warm the others, they carried arOunda lighted
81 charcoal from one room TO another. During
2tb wanderings OF the Jews they built fires
in the middle of their tents, letting the smoke
&go out of an aperture above. Chimneys were
Hnot known, and Burah in speaking of Mount
ISion, makes mention OF "the faces that were
bbckened by toe smoke that cometh out of
tie temple" The fuel most generally used
among Inc Greeks was green wood; on
days Of ceremony they burned fragrant
Nsubstances. The Romans made fireplaces,
but could not get rid of the smoke nuisance.
The principal fireplace in Roman
house was in the CdLddrium or sweating
room of the bath. 1t was something like a
furnace, called a hypocaust, and had pipes
connected with it which led to the upper
stores, giving warmth to them. These pipes
had covers over them while the green wood
was burning; when it had burned to charcoal
the covers were removed and the warm heat
allowed to escape. Those rooms which could
not be heated in this manner had charcoal
IL ,1f%
Some of these bIaZIets displayed very fine
4 workmanship. There is one at the present
4 time in the museum at Naples, tWenty-eight
inches square, which has four towers, one at
each angle, fitted with lid that can be raised
by ring.
When the Romans landed in England they
found the inhabitants living in huts or caves,
without chimneys to them, and half the time
stuffed with the smoke from their fires. The
Welsh historian Gyraldus, gives us the fol-
lowing amusing fireside picture OF life in that
IA line: -
"Families inhabit a large hut OF house
"a which, having a fire in the midst, serves to
warm them by day, and to sleep round by
night" He describes the Glands of young
Amen who followed no profession, visiting iami-
E lies to whom they were always welcome, and
passing the day with the most animated cheer
fulness. AT night, sinking into repose on a
+ thin covering of dried reeds, spread round the
great fireplace in the middle, they lay down
promiscuously, covered only by coarse made
cloth, called Crychan, and keeping one an.
other warm by lying close together; and,
when one side lost its genial heat, they turned
about, and gave the chilly side to the fire
The great men endeavored to improve on
this custom during the day. A Welsh prince
had an officer in his court, called a fast
bearer whose duty it was, at meal times
when his master was seated at table, to sit
4 with his back TO the fire, and keep the princely
feet warm and comfortable by cherishing
them in his BOSOM" During this period the
majority of people, who could not afford tC
have a fire, kept warm during the day by
active exercise, and at night by sleeping
close together.
We find the first mention of coal made in
the year 1899, when King Henry the Third
granted charter to some OF the residents OF
Newcastle to dig for it; butthere was a great
prejudice against its use, as many supposed il
to be dangerous to health. 1t was not gene
rally used until the seventeenth century. In
the meantime, the pipe for the escape o.
smoke was modified so as to become Wha
we now call a chimney. An old writer o
about this time, by the name of Leland, il
speaking OF Bolton Castle, says =
zone thynge i muche notyd in the hawl
OF Bolton, how chimeneys were conveyed by
tunnels made on the syds Of the walls be
twyxt the lights in the haWle, and by thi
means, and by no covers, Is the smoke OF tn
the harth in the hall strangely conveyed.
Soon after this chimneys were generall
adopted.
There is an old saying to the effect tina
Zone good hre heats whole house," Blu
81 this is only applicable to the houses of tn
poor in the oiden time. Only one good fiji
was kept up in the houses of the rich, an