The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-05-23
STREET LIGHTNING.


llSnllhp Oh lne StrecJS OF Iafls. Inc |
world was invited to W itness the nov |
el scene. 1t was believed to be the |
highest achievement Of modern civ
ilization; neither tho Greeks nor the
Romans seem to have thought of the |
wonderful invention. Yet the lights
OF the Grot city consisted only of
dim lanterns and torches dispersed
mt distant intervals, and compared
with the bright glare of modern gas
would have seemed only dusky
gloou. Whether the Greeks and
Romans lighted their cities at night
is stjlI in doubt IL is probable that
Rome, except in Che rare instances of
festive Examinations, was left in dark
ness, It's epic, when they went
cut at uigut, carried lanterns or
torch $, or else wandered, in moon
less nights, exposed 10 robbers and
stumbling over obstacles Antioch,
in the fourth century the splendid
capital of ,he East, seems to have
set the example OF suspondlug lamps
through its principle streets on
around lis public buildings. Con
stautino ordered Constantinoplo to
be illuminated on every Easter-oyc
with lamps and waX-candles. All
Egypt was lighted up with tapers
floating on vessels Of oil ut the feast
Of Isis; and Rome received Cicero,
after the flight Of Catalina, with u
display of lanterns and torches, Yet
the practice of lighting upa whole
city at night seems, i'll fact, . mod
ern invention.
Paris and London dispute the prl-
oYitY Of the useful custom. At the
opening of the sixtconih century,
when the streets Of Paris were often
infested with robbers and lnccnda-
RES, the inhnbita Is were ordered to
keep lights burning, after nine in the
cycning' b.iorc the windows of thor
nouscs3in 1858 vases filled with
pitch AID other combustiblo matter
Woro kept blazing Mt intervals
/ th,ough the Streets. A short time
/ arjGNarl tmjrrna We're provided Mt
! q pu,lio cost. Nhcy were at first
cp1 employed durnG tho winter
months, nat wee soon k ptconf tant-
| ly burning. Noyorberating lamps
were next Invented, and were usual
Iy sur,umaoi by throngs Of curious
Pariaiaus. lniIi1 the road bctwcon
Paris and Y r5allio8, for nearly nmC
, mics in tougth, w,s lShtod; and II
tue present century the lrench me
tropoIis has Bto&diIy improved 1t;
street lamps, until the introduction
OF gas made the streets OF Paris n
brilliant by night as by day. 1t
light was never qnonched until, in
recent humiliation, its glittcrins
bouloyarls and sparkling park $ were
hidIen in unwontod gloom.
London claims to have lighted Its
slroois with lanterns rs early as l4l4
"'lO rl O''s S,'l,,t Irce ,Ln c;t;ynro wor,
'''', N'1',' =" ,,I,an U" . lom,, IN frort ..
~ "'''''U.' ~ i''.,a ,;'I,f ,L,r;n', ~,
Vn''I ,''",'@ ",,, ,,,,Y, ~, n0 1sqE 1hn rnI,
was i,upcyio9tly obeyoI, robbers fill
co l'' n,''io" @ ''avGr"' ,'ar1'. s"fn " IN do,Ii
, PioPoi'y WY Io'1i ,,,ona ~ ,,orI ;ntrn
Hess u ,'' -, '""il' ",lo ,.,,,a. "o,a tSai
uucc" "O 'no i'''D''o o ~ '"'o, al ta
io'noti iIl AU'' .ho . 1""t N oor,,,ry th,
, wa" ''o .'p', ,,,,,n, on,,n,,,nnn
cih"on" VI l'''',''' ~ ', "Ii1 t;,>,I aUagn,,
, b. po''. u ",N'' 't'i no Wv Nv, ~ l,,,;nasa,
: "i S'ioc' ,''i'' ,r''' "'o', a'l' , ~" ,,tnm;n,
thhC u i"'iS' in0 ,' 'o'',,' -. n;',h
from i"o t,'S 'oi 'oson .,I - I,,F,'a -
miles "eio ii"'' "''n " ","l W mlm
At INo cto'''"" Va oIt'i"' 90, ~ ;c''"t
, ehe en'oI ""' ','o" i,' ~ w. ~ 1;n nn'
ana |i''V "o"''' Nv" ,,;a,. pJ u' r'ht M
d'''lal "',"y =, ''l"An ,no 'nn,a,rs %
! Se'i'e' '"o', o''V ,,',. ", 'i,o D,, nna,s nolo
tho lihe. Nc'I''1.' 'I ,,; "nn i'oot' ;uat;,n ~
br"'eu INC h'oh"y '''",','" "; po,.
tho o'9r8to"n. ~, .nl'''a,, ',, ,;t;ns fnIlow
ih anu "''''. ,-''''iI,'';' !, ;', I, ". T,nnJon
, ed lho 'A'",j' 10 - ~, ",'' pI.;I,Ta,,,h;. d.
ana NC" i"iM "A CIV a.1n nrn,,
carry auop''u i ''o t''''Hn' ,l,, ,,.,noa ~
Atone sI'il ei,"6,ls 70 ',"ot ,'o I"o ,m ,;ab y
OF inc Nll'",1 49, MieS' p",as as .i"o1;Ir on i"
IT'S SJ,ee'S 'lo ol'" '.;' S'o"'nJ w W
|, poS'd 'he llG'"'i'',i ',.vo',''''' n'. ""'
pre- erred n.fAllosS 10 ns"'i ,nsnIor,,,, 81
AT lenS'h came u Moh"eii'! % ,, az
vance fof '''reo o'ii','i @ ioH o',','n'' r'
ton ha" vaI'iea l's'.l upon ., i,S ';n i,,np !,
OF lanterns 1t was ,I, NO" l; w. s'lI"o I -
novel hriII'"hry' ne CliinoSe, WIN
seem 10 nave Org 'n''Ioi ,; "',nou' fo, ro,
iect'nS most moaern iisoptlo,S' ha'
long been accustomed lust, ao Sith In ,u1u ,'at',
! into beds OF coal' anu cary l's laa'. M