The Somerset reporter., 1896-03-05
MODERN CANDLES.
THEY ARr GREAT IMPROVEMENT
OVER THOSE OF FORTY YEARS AGO.
The Unit of Light Has Been of Inestima-
BILE Service to Mankind 1t Is IA Mistake
to Think That Gas and Electricity Have
Entirely snuffed Out the Candle.


BILE Service to Mankind 1t Is Mistake
to Think That Gas and Electricity Have
Entirely snufed Ont the Candle
Now that candles have again cHna
into use as a means for lighting reccp.
ton rooms where gas is considered toe
hot and electric lights too glazing com.
PARSONS are being made with the can.
dies of today and those of the long ago.
He is not a very old man who still re
members the malodorous "tallow dip, "
six to the pound, that he bought at the
grocery or perhaps may have helped to
make in a domestic way on Saturdays
when at homo from school.
1t is but a few years since candle
molds were II very important and neees-
sary part of every household and yet so
completely are they now banished to
the limbo of forgotten and useless
things that there must be thousands of
young people to whom a pair of suffers
and candle mold would prove I'M
doubted curiosities. They were not very
pleasant to the nostrils, those old fash
lbJttl ldllOM NdDuleS, lItlI lIluIlllldiiuE
poweE was not good, and their need of
constant snui1ing was indispensable, and
though the fingers were the handiest Of
snutlers one was very apt to get badly
smudged in the course of an evening
Yet the world stumbled along with
no better light than that for lS cen
turtles and accomplished considerable
things on the way. Great scholars were
made by saved up candle ends, great
volumes written and the world enlght
ened, even if the writers and teachers
CROPPED great deal.
The great performances Of Garrick
and Siddops We're given behind foot
lights of tallow candles, and the candle
snuffer was one of the most important of
supers in the theater of the olden time
Without candle snuffer, says Gold
smith of play he had seen, "the piece
would lose haf its embellishments. -
In those days early to bed and early
to RISE was a maxim that had much
more significance, for it was necessary
to get more out of daylight than in this
era Of gas and electricity. Candles have
always occupied an important place in
public worship. In the old times Christ
mas was called the Feast of Lights, be-
cause many candles were used at the
feast, while the custom of setting can
die at the head of dead person after
being laid OUT is still practice
But if people think that candles are
not much used nowadays they are mis-
taken. There are still several candle
manufactures in New York A very
large export business is done here, chief
ly to the West Indies and Central Amer
lea. In the United States sales are prin-
cipally in the western states The min
ing region takes large quantities, for no
light but candles is used in gold and
silver mining.
Candles are also used for church pur-
poses, at country hotels, and to some ex-
tent in families. Many of the people o:
tho east side. newly come to the coun
try, use candles in preference to OIL be
ing accustomed to candles and afraid Of
the oil. Although it is not a great while
before they are won over to the use of
oil, there are always thousands Of others
who, for the first few months of their
being here, shun oil as they would
deadly poison.
No branch of industry has undergone
.he change that candle making has in
the last 30 years. Formerly it was mere
ly mechanical operation Anybody
could make candles and almost every
body did.
Now it is scientific industry. bring
| 4, 70 NJ 10 ,.f 81
| Formerly candle was greasy, noisome
thing that ono usually handled with dis
| gust; now it is artistic and refined and
can be handled without the least offense
The wick is so prepared that the com
bustion is complete, and snufiers have
long been banished. An ancient candle
maker could only work with materials
already provided by nature, so that be
had to use fats, with all their impurl-
| ties.
The modern candle maker by chem
ical process removes impurities. which
leaves him nothing but the hard and
white fat for his candles. Fat changed
by this process is called stearine and
from this material are made the star and
stearic wax candles These are extreme
| ly hard and are sometimes called ada.
mainline, do not grease the hands and
| give a soft and pleasing light. Sperma
ceti and wax candles are also made.
The candle has ever remained the unit
! Of light. Sometimes you hear Of IA light.
say gas, being Of % candle power The
standard Is IA spermaoeti candle burning
/ at the rate of 10 grains If sperm per