The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1878-03-01

formed its mission, and we have care
lessly thrown il away. that Il has a
history Of lis own, and that, like some
more pretentious things, its journey
from the forest to the match-saie Is
Full Of changes.
Tire match Of today has q story
far more interesting than tina, Of the
old.toshioned match. As We have
said much Of the timber used in the
manufacture comes from tho immense
tracts Of forest IN the Hudson Bay
Territory. IL IL Aoatcd down the wa.
ter-courses to the lakes, thro' which
il is lowed in great log.rafts. These
rails are divided; some parts are pull.
cd through the canals, and some by
other means are taken to market.
When we'll through the seasoning pro-
cess, which occupies from one to two
years. the pine is cut up into blocks
twice rs long rs a match, and about
eight inches wide by two inches thick.
These blocks are passed. through .
machine which cuts them up into
"splints.' round or square, Of just the
thickness Of a match, but twice its
length. This machine is capable, rs
we are told, Of making about 1000.
900 splints in day. This number
seems immense when compared with
the most that could be made in the
old wsy--by hand. The splints are
then taken to the setting machine,
and this rolls them into bundles about
eighteen inches in diameter, every
splint separated from its neighbors by
little spaces, so that there may be no
sticking together after the dipping
In the operation Of setting a ribbon
Of coarse stuff about an inch and q
half wide, and an eighth of an inch
thick, is rolled up, the splints being
laid across the ribbon between each
two courses. leaving about n quarter
Of an inch between adjoining splints.
From the setting machine tina bun
dies 60 to the dipping" room.
After the ends OF the splnts have
been pounded down to make them
even, the bundles are dipped-both
ends--inio the molten sulphur and
then into the phosphorus solution,
which is spread over a large iron plate.
Next they are hung in frame to
dry. When dried they are placed in
machine which, as it unrolls the rib
bon, cuts the sticks in two across the
middle, thus making two complete
matches of each splint.
The match il made. The towering
pine which listened 10 the whisper OF
the south wind and swayed in the cold
northern blast. has been so divided
that We can take il bit by bit and
lightly twirl it between tSo fingers.
But what il has lost in size il ha.
gained in use. The little fame it car
rics, aud which looks so harmless
flashing into brief existence, has &
latent poser more terrible than the
whirlwind which perhaps sent the tai
pine-iree crashing to the ground.
But the story is not yet closed.
From the machine which completed
the matches they are taken To the
"boxers" mostly girls and women
who place them in the little boxes.
The speed with which this is done Is
surprising. With one hand they pick
up an empty case and remove the
cover. while with the other they seize
lust a sufficient number OF matches,
and by a peculiar shutting motion
arrange them evenly, them is done
The little packages of sleeping fire
are taken 10 another room, where on
each one is placed a stamp certifying
the payment to the government Of one
cent revenue tax. Equipped with
these passes the boxes are placed in
larger ones, and these again in wood
en- cases, which are to he shipped to
all parts of the country, and over
seas.
All this trouble over such little
things as matches. Yet on these fire
tipped hits of wood millions OF people
depend for warmth, cooked food and
light. They have become necessity,
and the day of flint, steel and finder
seems almost as far away in the past
as are the bow and iire-stick Of the In
dian.
How apt to our subject is that al
most vermont Latin phrase, "muii'mn
~ pafro, much in little. Much Ia
bor, much skill, and much usefulness,
all in little piece of wood scarcely
one.eighih of an inch through and
about two inches long.-IF. u. C.,
Il. Nicholas for March.
A TRI'E LADY.-I was once walk