The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1889-04-11
LIGHT AND LOVE.
THEIR INCOMPATIBILITY.
The Inventor of the Modern Lamp
the Father Of Modern Courtship.
THEFATAL ELECTRIC LIGHT

Courtship has without doubt
been largely modified by differ
ent systems of artificial light.
Now that the electric light
seems destined sooner or later
to supercede petroleum, gas, and
candles, it is time that the youth
Of our country should seriously
consider the probable influence
of the new light upon their fu-
ture happiness.
Hitherto courtsbip has pros
pered with every new improve
ment in artificial light. The
cave man and his cave girl knew
nothing of the delights Of court
ship. This was not merely be-
cause the cave man was igno-
rant of everything generally,
except the art of carving rude
pictures on the ivory handle of
his razor Or his toothbrush, but
because he had no lamps or can
dies. At night he either went
to bed or sat by the light of his
ca amp-fire. If his daughter and
her young man also Sat by the
fire, they We're restrained by the
presence of all the rest Of the
family and the practice of steal
ing girls was SO common that
no father would permit a valua-
BILE girl to move out of sight of
the campfire. The result was
that the cave girl was never
courted, but passed suddenly
from maidenhood to wifehood
by being bought or stolen.
Some advance in courtship
was made when candles and
lamps were invented.
1t thus became possible for
the young people to sit in the
library with their own light,
while the old people sat ill the
parlor. Bat the original lamp,
like candles ancient and mod
ern, was unmanageable. 1t could
not be turned down. The Greek
or Roman girl could not. OF
course, extinguish the library
lamp, for that would have left
her in the dark, which would
not only have been improper,
but would have led to unpleas-
ant consequences in case OF her
father suddenly entering the
room and stumbling over the
rocking-chair. It is true that
Pythagoras is said to have in
vented a semi-transparent col
lapsible screen, which could be
placed on d Roman lamp in or
der to partially screen the light,
and which could, in case Of a
sudden alarm, be quickly re-
moved and concealed in the
folds of the young mans toga.
Doubtless some good was done
by this beneficient invention,
which was designed by the in
ventor, so we are told, to meet
the frequent complaint among
Roman and Greek girls, that
their eyes we're sensitive, to ar
tificial light. However, the Py-
thagorean screen was abolished
by the decree of Cato the CEN
sor, who pretended that it was
really injurious to the eyes, and
recommended that Roman girls
should accustom their eyes to
artificial light, by using three
or four lamps in the place of
one. This decree alone is suffi-
cient to explain why Cato has
been pronounced to be a 'mean
old thing" by the unanimous
verdict of the feminine world.
During the Middle Ages the
rush-light superseded the Ro-
man lamp, probably because of
the high price of oil. Like the
, lamp, the rush-light could not
be turned down; and as the az
NOR of the young man Of the
period was kept in a high state
of polish, it reflected the rays
of light SO brilliantly that he
was nearly as powerful as a
modern parabolic reflector. OF
course privacy in company with
all illuminated young kaight
was impossible. When the faith
er, who was polishing his hel-
met or putting a new rivet in
his shirt, thought it was time
to look after the young people
and so clanked solemnly into
the library, he Invariably found
the brilliant knight and his
daughter seated at opposite ends
of the sofa. No medieval girl
quite dared to approach sc
splendid an object closely, know
ing as she did that her hair was
liable at any moment to catef
in the knights shoulder-scales
and that a mailed coat-sleeve
could not but shine in a most
conspicuous way against the
background of a feminine waist
Thus it came to pass that the
young knight knew no othel
[ method of courtship than thai
of writing sonnets and playing
, the guitar under his lady's win
, dow, and a very unsatisfactor,
method it must have been.
i The inventor of the moderI