Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1889-03-01
Reminiscences-No.5 5.

Let US notice in passing small and ap.
parently Insignificant invention which has
perhaps brought as much comfort to man
kind in general as many of the greater
achievements in science or art. refer
to luctfer matches. Napoleon was wont to
say that "there is but step from the sublime
to the ridiculous; y but then even he didn't
know everything and there is as much
creative power exerted and inventive genius
displayed in the creation and invention of
small as great things. 1t required nothing
less than Gods almightiness to create an
insect, nor less than such chemists as Lebig,
Stall, .or Sir Humphrey Davy to study out
the amalgam tor the end of a lucifer match.
"Let us not then despise the day of small
things" since all large substances are only
compounds Of particles, and the Earth her.
self is only an aggregation of atoms.
In order to estimate the real value of these
little brown.headed friends, let us look back
II few years to see how our ancestors got on
without them. My father had an old cont.
mental flint-lock musket, and if the family
needed fires he'd put powder in the pan of
| this lock- snap it over cotton or tow, and so,
after several trials, get fire. This was about
the only way of obtaining fire for warmth
and culinary necessities in that neighbor-
hood. Persons addicted to smoking, carried
flints and little bars OF steel in their pock-
wood, called spunk, they could get sparks
enough to light their pipes or cigars, Others,
in fair weather, accomplished the same ends
with sun-glasses.
But with what little expense and how
much easier do we obtain fire now. What
family would be without matches? Who
would suspect that there is fire enough in
the little speck on the end of pine splinter
to burn down city? And yet there is
enough there to dispel, in an instant, the
darkness from our chambers and fill the
whole space with light. II you treat them
tenderly, you may carry their fire in your
pocket, but if you handle them roughly
they'll rebel and make it too warm for you.
Yet our great grand parents knew no more
of these little comiorters than the great
Washington did of steamboat.
Another event of the present century in
which the convenience and prosperity OF
the people at large are greatly concerned,
is the excellent financial system of the Nation
al Government Not very many years ago
if man had occasion to visits neighboring
State, he had to purchase gold at premium,
exchange paper at II discount, or run the
risk Of having his currency shaved at every
hotel or depot on his route. While the
United States Bank was in existence, he was
subjected to no such annoyance or incon-
venence; but Gen. jackson crushed the
life out OF that corporation, in defiance of
the great influence of Nicholas Biddle, its
President. Since which time, we have had
| no system OF finance as good for the whole
country us the present one. The ultimate
III. ravnIn,inn h,d cansnd a oannraI distrpst
NJ oil n.,,ar ,,,,rra,,,v .,,,d yybor S,ot hanLs
baca,np rel;ahia az ,f, danos;,5,r;a, ,hay
iii ,',,ld 49,, .r,,,',, ~, rn,,I,;,a ~
eo'u nv nv, Pa. W
I,.n,in,, ~, -, Ir,i,aI Stn,ns ,.,ar Is
nnrran, , ','i,' -, al ,a,rts ,c III poi,n,rn
Ln, in ~ e., ',,,,arnia 'r,,s,
IF Enrnna H,,vauS7.,. n,,1.i, ,herarara aan,a
.n a,Iri, 49,, ~ ,,.r,., W., ...
~ ~ .'',is;,7., ,'..',,.. gu, ,a,,e.
,h " shu " 5.',s ~ aa ,," n%
vii; ,a,ar, ,hn 80, 81 .,,, Nat;ono1 d..
hi Observation-Disclosures pnstn~. il obaan ,ha
800, ~ sa;I .',,. - 81 ',inp, an
80, ~ r. ,h,.a !, -, ,,,,i -, r.i,,,.,
NO. ,;al'.rr;an ~ aoI,ar, Nv ia.,nr ~
r,i, -, y :. ra..ti2,a -, $3.50
ar ;,lanii',a andarnan,o,,t hv Inc sondor II /.
,nnso, - ,rTi,., ~, ~ ,i,,,,,a a., ~, e.,
,aiinr5a. w nnara,;,,ai, &C., wh,n
Gr,, ~, ~ trr;,a i,.,;o,, H." si..,, hah
he r,ldsd 90 no ~ leave !, bIanx siJs tnr Inc
aJdrass ~ !, roa"irad snIlf,i I a ~, "" ~,
.un;d n,at,inr nI,,,iin,r ;,'t, nf II rho, !,
Mad =, w., aao,,rod ,,,i,i, so,i;n' -, ysov ~
80 w. r,s',,raJ 80 a., a,rnps NJ ,',iI,a
~ Ill - -, -, ,.,a,, M W.
l,innr ~ r., ~ -, a e., ,,,,o a.
oia,rIa -, 49, go, 49, iaf. a.
nt,iSoas haoa,,., ~ ;aIl;i;,, wv ,,nni,I;aoas
~, raS n',I';'rh ra," 5au 49,, ;ndia,i,,o,
re,p',ni,rsnt.a Of h.,r,;,', MID ,,;r,v cents
nnca To- dovh,a litter Inc c'.n,a,ts W
which o,onun,ad ai,nui ,o ,h;e ct ,aLe NV
men in hand IN tcll Won that / am we'll and
Pen ., -, ,a,' ~ 'oa' w." ON a',',
~ J'u "ir ''S t'' 'i'iS ~ PiS9Si't'
n,a,n, ~ IT, rsr1',;n,, ~ 49, - a"u
aa aa,o,',r iauars i s,o;ai o,rraa,a',a,s
~ 10 Win 3n,,h,,r, :, NV an,nt;nnnr nvoa,,
,;., , ~ -, r., ~, 800, ,,,.' ~,
valons ;neta,J - ,ha catind shao, Ina a.
100 ,,ro,o;d nil, start t,,ta on ~ ;,a
;on,na,, ,pa r., d,us ;,eta,d 81 e, ~,
waaEs ~, tnrn,ari,, ,,iiI h,;nr an s,ya ~
Pnsinass nf all t;,Ss il 'rras,tIv can;,;tatoa
Nv this r,r;d and convn,iont ;nt.r .cn,nn,n'
n;;,a,io ~ ia,,ors ,,a,, ayohan,,, ,anaar
sa,,;ra,,, a ,,,ho,' ,h,,"ad IL .u y"
nos, ns aao;Iv ~. ~ tngatIar IN tha f,n;l;ar
n,rI,r
NJ, ,;e ,;,,,, to, o,,nar,,a n ;, ono ~ c.t,,,o
ita as,ae,,lt,o,ao i,' az s
~, L,s,, ,,,,,,ts oS sn,'e,, Tho
i;a'''s'''" ~ W. a. Tal;c'r; dr,'., .l,o
'1;aa' VI 80 ,i'a -, -, r.
panisi ~ rs NJ hnr,, ' i i Amea " ,nu
49, d. o ,,S"a ~, d,'';.r,tad H., ,I LAY
0 .,nr n maH 800 49,, t1r ,ha, wos,a ,n1 al
P"roho 6na ' u6,n1 man frnn, uhnna had
,A.,ol e -. i,hn ~, h;a "a ,I
npoJ 10, nrn ~ r., ha bo n. ahnr,lv
,.i,I' ,i oNp, 49, ~ IF ,oHnnv ,vhon sho
WIN n'H po d,, 49,, ,d ! Wy, III" -, hau "
"ao w oo t ', Tsiis np' Id Sho Noe naver
,',', ~. y, Ell ahn,,, ,;,ar
~ ,,i - ~ 81 o 'N'
| S,enban Girard WAS then the onIv million
aire Of whom had ever heard. He was re.