Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-06-30
The Old Tinder-B Box.

'D The Old Tinder-BoX.
Wide Awake for June. 't-
Probably there are few children of
the present day who have ever seen,
or even heard, of the old-fashioned
Undertook and matches. Yet fifty
years ago the friction match, now so
universally used, had but just been
invented, and did not come into
general use for many years.
Before the year 1886, or thereabouts,
house keepers were obliged to use
matches of domestic manufacture.
These were small pieces of white pine
wood, perhaps twice the size of our
match, the ends of which had been
dipped in melted birthstone. A
small iron skillet in which to melt
the birthstone was once a common
kitchen utensil in many families in
New England, if not elsewhere.
The only way to light one of these
birthstone matches was to bring it in
contact with a spark of fire. For
this purpose there used to be kept in
every house a small tin box filled
with burned rags, and this was called
a Undertook. In order to obtain a
light a common gun-fint was struck
with considerable force against a
piece of steel made Of convenient
size, which produced a few sparks
these, lodging upon the burnt rags,
made sufficient fire to enable one to
readily light the match.
These smouldering rags, (for the
sparks thus obtained did not produce
a blaze were afterwards eXtinguished
by round tin cover called damper.
To thus create fire required some
experience, especially in damp
weather, or with cold fingers on
winter mornings. We have known
people to make "a bad piece of work.
with the flint and steel and to succeed
only with great patience in striking
light" If,one happened to be eros;
or nervous the chances were that he
could not succeed at all ; nor was it al
infrequent sight to see the good wife
of the house running across the street
with shovel to borrow a shovelfu
of Give coals'' from a neighbor, tn,
chimney-smoke of whose dwelling
proclaimed that she had a fire. TIL
change to the match of commerce
was one of the first of what we nov
consider modern conveniences. Il
many families it was one of tn
"children's chores" to prepare WOO,
for the matches, and to dip the end
in melted birthstone. These matche
were sometimes to be bought in shops
but New England economy NOR
frequently led each family to pre-
pare its own. Still it was not uncom
mon for poor children to make
trihe of money by selling punches G
matches to their more fortunat
neighbors.
In sparsely-settled neighborhood
great care was exercised at night b.
the head of the house to "keep tn
fire." He took precaution tina
there should be a good bed of div
Goals" at the hour of retiring; thes
he covered with many shovelfuls {
ashes to prevent them from burnin
out. The next morning the coal
were usually found to be Give" O
raking open the ashes, and served
start the days fire. 1t was not a
impossible feat to thus preserve tn
family fire through the year, withou
recourse to Undertook and matche;
The modern friction match Wf
welcomed by most housekeeper
although here and there some oil
people objected to it, considering it
dangerous article, as no doubt it
when carelessly used or left lyin
about. The first friction mate
invented required to be drawn aero
piece of fine sand-paper in order
produce light. This was called
lucifer, and was much safer, althoug
not so convenient, as the presel
match. Then came the presel
patent friction matches, which use
to be called "loco-focos." There we
no fancy match boxes in "old times
and thetinder-boX was not considere
Il ,.,,r l.