The Press., 1888-06-21
THE OLD TINDER-ROX.

Probably there are few children of the present day who have ever seen, or even heard, of the old-fashioned tinder-box and matches. Yet fifty years ago the friction match, now 80 universally used, had but just been invented, and did not come into general use for many years.
 Before the year 1886, or thereabouts, housekeepers 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 brim- stone. 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 brim- stone 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 burnt rags, and this was called tinder.box. In order to obtain 8 light a common gun.hi was struck with considerable force against a piece of steel made of convenient size, which produced few sparks these, lodg- ing 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 n blaze) were afterwards extinguished by a round tin cover called a 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 10 succeed only with great patience in "striking light" If one happened to be cross or nervous the chances were that he could not succeed at all nor was it an infrequent sight to see the good wife of the house running across the street with a shovel to borrow q shovel | full of Give coals" from a neighbor, the chimney of whose dwelling pro. claimed that she had fire. The change to the match of commerce was one of the first of what we now consider modern con- veniences. In many families it was one of the "children's chores" to prepare wood for the matches, and to dip the ends in melted birthstone. These matches were sometimes to be bought in shops, but New England economy more frequently led each family to prepare its own. Still it was not uncommon for poor children to make trife of money by selling punches of matches to their more fortunate neigh bors
 In sparsely- ly-settled neighborhoods great care was exercised at night by the head of the house to "keep the fire." He took precaution that there should be good bed of Hive coals" at the hour of retiring 1; these he covered with many shovelfuls of ashes to prevent them from burning out The next morning the coals were usually found to be "live" on raking open the ash es, and served to start the days fire. It was not an impossible feat to thus preserve the family fire through the year, without recourse to finder box and matches.
 The modern friction match was welcom ed by most housekeepers, although here and there some old people objected to it., considering it dangerous article, as no doubt it Is when carelessly used or left ly- ing about. The first friction match in- vented required to be drawn across a piece of fine sand-paper in order to produce n light. This was called a lucifer, and was much safer, although not so convenient, as the present match. Then came the pres ent patent friction matches, which used to be called "loco-focos." There were no fancy match boxes in "old times, and the tinder-box was not considered an orna. mental article, but wac kopt out of eight in the cupboard or on the kitchen mantel. piece.
 We find in a Salem newspaper of June 30, 1886, the following:
 | A WONDER.
 Notwithstanding the convenience of those dangerous little articles, friction matches, which are in almost everybody's hands, but which with all their charms bid fair to prove a heavy curse to the community, we learn that there IS one man in Salem, a respectable tradesman, who keeps a store where we should generally expect to find such things but who has never sold them, nor allowed them to be used on his premises At his house and shop, he sticks to the old-fashioned flint, steel and finder. He shows his wisdom in so doing. How many more can say as much ?"
 Henry M. Brooks, in June Wide Ao,dke,
 An enthusiastic ornithologist in England has amused himself by Investigating the