Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-04-13
King Altred's Lantern.

DID you ever try to imagine, when you
were studying the beginnings of English
history, what kind OF people those old
Anglo-Saxons were, and how they lived?
They we're our far-oft ancestors, and our
language for the most part was made from
theirs; in fact, we are called Anglo-Sax-
ons ourselves; so we ought to be Interest,"
ed in them.
They were rude people IN many re-
spects, and lived in rude way, compared
with ours. How would you like windows
which had no glass in them-very small
windows, too-but had oil paper and
sheets of horn instead2 OF course the
rooms must have been dark and dismal.
you will say. And what would YOU
think of houses without chimneys, or
anything zoe should call chimneys9 But
matters were really not much better, even
in Kings houses, about ten hundred years
ago.
The most important room in those DAYS
was called the hall; and was large enou Oh
to accommodate the family, the great
company of servants, and all the guests
who chose to come. They ate there, sat
there and most of them slept there, on
rough benches, or rolled up in skins on
the floor. 1t was open to every chance
traveller, to the wandering harpers, to
beggars and everybody else.
The fire was built against clay or
stone arrangement, answering for fire.
place, at one end, or on an immense
stone hearth in the middle; and the
smoke, after floating up overhead, found
its way out through an opening or kind
OF turret in the root. At dark they
heaped high the logs and fagots: and
happy was he who on stormy night
could get near the blaze. When supper
time came, servants stood behind those
at table and held torches over their heads
till the meal was over; and VIXEN bed
time came, the guests who had any
other place than the hall to sleep in were
lighted to it in the same way.
AS for the king, he was more priv.
lodged thsn that; though just what they
first used for lights, and just when
lamps became common among the Anglo
Saxons, it is not easy to find out. We
see in some very old pictures simple
little lamp, shaped perhaps like sau-
Ger, hung by chains at the side of the
room, and holding, no doubt, piece Of
wax or some kind Of oil, with strip of
cloth in it for wick. Sometimes. in
the royal chambers, for very long time
after King Alfred's day, a light was
kept by means of cake of wax in a
silver basin. They knew how to make
candles, however; but instead of putting
one in candlestick it was put on it.
The candlestick had a point at the top
called spike, and the candle was made
hollow at the bottom and slipped down
over the spike; one so fixed was kno wn
IS ''pricket.''
There is, emong other illustrations OF
old customs, picture of candlest.ck
which is very queer though very elegant,
and looks like little piece of furniture
1t is tail stem rising from three-foot-
ed, three-cornered stand, very much or
namented; it comes to point at the top
and a little way below is plate to hold
the tallow or wax that might run down
! We do not know that King Alfred had
snything like this; but he had what no
body had ev,r seen be ore in that coun.
try, for he invented it himself, and that
was a lantern.
This good King was very busy man
the people around him might be willing
to idle away their days over the fire
listening to the harpers, telling stories
and playing with the hounds, but be fell
he had great work to do He wanted
to make his subjects more civilized, tc
teach them useful arts, and be had not ar
hour to waste. He built towns he bull
ships, he read and studied and wrote
ana that was wonderful, indeed, in thos,
days when there were out few books, anC
when even Princes could not write thei
Own names. He was the best, the wises
and the most learned King that tn
SaxOns ever had.
He used to carry in mis- bosom "mem