The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-15
THE ORIGIN OF LAMPS.
r,yxyrrvs METHODS or MAKING
and USING AETIFfCIAL LIGHT.
Exhibit Mt the National Museam-'"''o"s
and Artistic Forms Of Ancient |'R"'
vesseis-Torch Of the INDIAN


-. ~ a. ,ov,iads Of new exhibits when
-. continued TO pour into Uncle sam
curiosity shop since the remo'ai OF H'S
-, .xbih,, from Chicago there Is no
sronn Of objects which more Thoroughly
,,npresses the common behoHer thah u''S
new creation which Mr. Waiter HOUR =
,he assistant curator OF the depaT.'"en
of ethnoIogy. has but Just now compie'eu'
after many days Of study ana Ton. III
the east hall, among the various taDl n,5...
showing the rise OF man. TINS nv Nv LII
zion occupies several cases on the man
.tsle Nor many years MIR. HOuSn mas
made a careful study Of the interesting
tublcct having collected many rencs III
tts line durine his travels in the ola con
sincpf buf not until the confusion OF the
recent reorganization had passed did the
opportunity appear wheh he could Ec'
together 80 series the many toIcH%S'
lanterns and lamps distributed among the
various departments and combine them
with the new acquisitions. 49,
in the long series which has led up 70
our present lighting systems America
npnears M both ends Of the string. Just
as the American arc light is the MshrSt
conception OF the daylight maker. the
torch Of the indian has been found ~
\. the crulcst effort ever made by man
70 count the inches before his nose IN the
darkness. These torches we're naugDt Dut
Eat pine tWgs. twisted together ana Sct
on fire by sparks created by ne Itt.'on
oil two pieces OF bark or Doafd. but dS
the savage brOncd his meat on wooden
fpits over his bonfire he noticed that the
fat clinging 10 the wood caused ii 10 HaHe
more brightly. so he made me l HIst Stt1 oe
toward candle-making by Efeasihk plht
wood and afterward by sticking tOrches
through the bodies Of FISH or birds, Gus
tom which still prevails among the natives
of the Northwest coast ana the Esqd-
mauX OF Alaska.
TIKI PRIMITIVE CANDLE.
In the South Sea Islands the savagcs
string oily nuts on sticks. which are kept
burning during their religious perform
ances, and the Mnlays 20 further 10y
using bundles Of the resin wrapped ~
palm leaves while the early English ana
Scandanavians dipped rushcs in heated
fat and afterward wrapped cloth fiber
in rolls OF WaX-nehce the CROWN OF Inc
tallow and wax candle. The first use OF
the candle IN China and japan, however,
s. lost In obScuTity The use Of the candle
in most countries may be dated from the
Introduction Of domestic animals ana
honey-bees into the territory
Likewise, the lamp IS found In its cru
dest form among the aboriglnes Of this
country. The EsqulmauX found on the
beach Il stone with natural depression
in It, which he filled with seal fat and
used a moss wick. This is also repeated
among the earliest tribes of other coun-
tries, the next step In the direction Of
Il globular vessel for oil being the irreg-
MAR earthen saucer while in America
turnips have been found followed out
for this purpose. and among the Penn
eylvania Dutch the primitive form crops
up to-day In the use Of the tin pan. with
tailOW wick. Mr l>ugh traces the
EenealO2y OF the lamp next through a
long Roman ancestry, beginning with the
rough clay bowls filed with OIL with a
WICK hanging against the side Then the
potter one day pinched corner in the
soft. undried vessel. and found that to be
a good restlng-pla for the wick and
this protuberance was alsO found useful
as handle, so two were made-One on
either side. more modern generation
shows the spout separate from the rim
or the vessel, there being a hole connect
Ing with the oil inside. Then the handles
grew curled like a little dogs tail and
Inaly appears the Roman lamp, which
Tor centuries was i'm vogue throughout the
Fast, lighting the lusty warriors to bed
~hen they came in late, and, perchance,
heating the curling irons of Cleopatra.
ARTISTIC FORMS OF LAMPS.
Inc Italians continued to improve the
,uea by the manufacture OF the same
shapes i'm iron. The Roman artists soon
learned 90 combine nece ssity with orna-
mentauOn, and, Judging from the beautl-
Iul specimens o. their work In Mr.
H0ugn's collection, where may be found
arustic vessels shaped in all sorts OF
fymbolical forms. some representing hui
man faces. shells, BIRDS hsh, etc. il
appears that the modern artist is unable
10 excel the grace Of these ancient d.
signs. But the greatest feature Of the
old collection Is group Of bronze lamps
from thu Luxurious dwellings Of the
Pompeiians. The Pompeians and Re-
mans both used scented oils In their
lamps. which. when lighted. filed their
apartments with delightful doors. One Of
these is n swinging lamp # elaborate
design, the tripod stand being supported
by feet fashioned after those of a frog
Whlch mop up tree. from whose branch
es niue lamp swings 10y chains with
q tWeezer ana prlcker suspended beside
Another design shows a stand formed
by a bronze stork battling with snake
or the same metal whose head is rear
ca high In the air, holding a small lamp
ana the utensils for picking the wick.
me Romans also made lamps Of brass,
designed after the ancient patterns with
spout and handle. From the catacombs
are shown some Of the lights with which
the Christians Of the fifth century light
ed the dark quarry cavefns in which
they were forced to live These are of
bronze and earthenware, fashioned some
what like the lamps OF earlier DAYS, with
the same nozzle and handle. the only
difference being that the ornamentation
consisted OF designs In which some sym
Dol OF Christianity was wrought. The
Roman lamps still later vary in the
number OF spOuts, having from one to Il
dozen, in different ages In this series
of Roman lamps alone Mr.. Hough has
)5O specimens.
THE LANTERN FORM.
The lantern, being conceived as a means
OF protecting the candle from the wind,
may be considered next in order of de-
vclopment. one Of the most Interesting
forms of this contrivance is a gourd, bored
full of small holes. This was filled with
large iireiiies and used on board a vessel
as a light for the compass Another fire
lily lamp of later date comes from the
Ct
inches high and is constructed IN three
stories, each like cage. with vertical
wicker or bamboo Stats and small doors
The brilliant tropical firetiies are I'M
prlsoned IN these, being fed daily, ana
retaining their brilliance n long time An
old English horn ianthorn, such as the
town Waterman carried in the old coun-
try, Is huge black cylinder having a
coTsscal roof ana an iron ring in the top.
The invention OF horn plates, which pre-
ceded glass, is attributed 10 the good
King Alfred who set up many candles
with which TO measure the time he spent
in prayer.
The unprotected candles were uncertain
time-keepers, when they guttered in the
wind making the time of his oevotions
irregular; so the King conceived me idea
or transparent plates. The English also
used, until many years later, lanterns
made OF tin punched full of holes The
japanese lanterns. like their candles have
changed little since prehistoric times.
The Japanese have always been charac-
cried as lovers OF light, and the more
colors they have added TO their paper
shades seem always to have made them
the merrier. These lamps are generally
OF paper; but what appears as a late IN
Nenton IS here on exhibition. IN the form
OF pocket lantern with cylindrical
wooden guard for the candle and n small
box. which holds the cover itself when
closed. An artistic design is the glfu sus-
pended outdoors in front Of Japanese