Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-11
In their most elaborate lamps the Japanese
use the saucer OF oil with a rush or pith
wick. going back to ancient methods.
Some Quaint Forms.

In their most elaborate lamps the Japanese
use tne saucer OF OIL with a rush or pith
wick. going back to ancient methods.
Some Quaint Forms.
The Chinese never manufacture folding
lanterns their patterns being mostly of
large fiat sheets of waxed paper or glass;
decorated with highly colored figures of
dragons and other NEUROLOGICAL designs
Mr. Hough also shows beautiful Chimes
feathered chandelier manufactured of many
colored feathers set IN with gilt the main
body representing palace with banners
ana bangles hanging down from every
point. From this miniature house six arms
hang over. suspending as many swinging
lamps, the whole being about four feet in
height. That the paper lantern was intro
duced 10 the world back in the ages and
has not always remained in the iowery
and celestial Kingdoms seems probable,
inasmuch as Mr.. Hough has discovered an
ancient Egyptian painting showing the fig
ure of man bearing a paper lantern, no
ticeably japanese. The paper lantern how
ever. has never been found in early ruins
on account of its fragility. An old Egyp-
tian harem lantern recently sent from Chi
Cdgo Is a peculiar contrivance consisting
Of three bottle like vessels with glass tubes
in their ccnters. around which wicks are
wrapped, water being used under the oil
where the wick does not extend. The top
handle OF this lamp is of bronze inlaid with
silver punched work. which bears indica-
lions of at least a hundred years.
The United States lamp has a mixed his
tory on account of its cosmopolitan owners,
so Mr. Hough has been able to trace it's
ancestry generally back to Europe. A
favorite pattern of the early Pennsylvania
Dutch was the iron pot lamp with a curved
handle chained to a hook spike, which was
driven into the wall. generally alongside an
open fireplace. This type is called the
Schmutze lamp. The 'petticoat lamp of
Massachusetts, used about ninety years
ago. is also in the American group and is
SO called because the lard oil reservoir is
bling a petticoat. After the lard oil lamp
In this country came in order the spirit
lamps. the ethereal oil lamps, the petro-
leum lamps. and last the gas burner and
electric light.
Curioxities In Lamps.
Ore of the cases containing this new COL
lection is devoted entirely to curiosities
which cannot be placed in any chrono-
logical order. Among these is a small lam
tern. brought over by Mr.. Hough from
Madrid. where he found 1t used by the
snail hunters Two other small ones from
Seville were used by the cavaliers, who
hang them on their stiftiy waxed mus
taches. A few days ago two lamps from
different contributors Unexpectedly arrived
by express at the museum and being exact
~ alike. created considerable curiosity
among the curatorS. They are both brass,
resembling small coffee pots the bodies
being shaped like inverted tunnels. One is
from Belgium. and the other from Flem-
ish family in Illinois. In this case is also
to be seen common brick, with a hole
dug in one end filled with fat, a piece of
rag furnishing the wick. This was found
at Oxford. England. among the bakers who
use this cheap method Of lighting alto
gether
There is here also a Flemish finder box
shaped like a dipper, with a long handle: a
bronze candlestick from Damascus, and a
terra Gotta candlestick from Italy, with the
figure of a reclining Bacchus holding up
the socket. There is also box of floats
Tor night light tapers, quite common fifty
years ago. Another feature Is Sticking
Tommy consisting of an iron candlestick
with two sharp pronss at right angles, one
being used to stick the continuance into
the wall. and the other to fasten 1t to the
top of a table or mantelpiece. These are
still used on board fishing vessels. There
is also round finder box from New Bed
ford. with It's supply of candle molds tai
low dips and other articles. on which peo-
pie depended for light d half century ago.
DIR. Tarleton Fl. Bean contributed to this
collection an odd old lamp which he used
thirty years ago In Pennsylvania. and to it's
smoking, faring light we owe much of the
valuable Information given us In his valu-
able studies in ichthyology. 1t is of tn
with an oblOng bowl Containing an orlfice
for filling the basin with oil. and a long
silt for the wick, the whole supported on
an upright standard. Scores Of other
strange freak lamps are piled one upon the
other in this case
Used to Mark Time.
ThiS most interesting group relating to
light includes the subdivision, 'timek eeping
by light and fire" Mr.. Hough says, in this
connection, that the use of fire and light
Tor II measuring time Is an almost unnoticed
fact in the history of timekeeping The
oily nuts described in the early history of
torches Is here referred to again, the night
being divided off by the Pacific Islanders in
as many periods as Il takes the fire to con-
sumo a certain number of nuts. In China
the prescribed time during which the royal
procession at the coronation of the en-
peror must move between the palace and
the temple Is regulated by the burning of a
JOSS stick OF a certain length. The Chinese
doctor also Uses the joss stick. broken into
several angles. to mark the time when his
patient must take his medicine Chinese
messengers who have but short period Of
sleep awake themselves by placing a short
piece of joss stick between their toes
Today the Chinese palace clock Is an OIL
ed paper lantern, incosing hemp rope
soaked In inter. divided into four parts by
cords tied to it. Time Is announced from
this by lantern placed before the kings
window having transparent slides on which
the hour is marked A specimen of the
graduated candle. with all of the hours
marked upon it. is also to be seen there