Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-06

THEY ARE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS
OVER THOSE OF FORTY YEARS AGO.
The Unit OF Light Has Been Of InestimH
BILE Service To H.ukind-It Is "A Mistake
tn Think That Gas and Electricity Have
Entirely Snuffed Out the Candle.

tn Think That Gas and Electricity Hav,
Entirely Snuffed Out the Candle.
Now that candles have again come
into use as means for lighting recep
ton rooms where gas is considered toe
hot and electric lights too glarng, 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 10 the pound, that he bought at the
grocery or perhaps may have helped to
make in domestic way on Saturdays
when at home from school
1t is but few years since candle
molds were very important and neces-
sary part of every household. and yet SO
completely are they now banished 70
the limbo Of forgotten and useless
things that there must be thousands OF
young people to whom pair of shutters
and a candle mold would prove I'M
| doubted curiosities. They were not very
| pleasant TO the nostrils, those old fash
Toned tallow candles, their illuminating
u
constant snuffing was indispensable, and
| though the fingers were the handiest of
suffers 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 10 CEN
turtles and accomplished considerable
things on the way. Great scholars were
made by saved up candle ends, great
volumes written and the world enlight
ened, even If the writer's and teachers
CROPPED great deal
The great performances Of Garrick
and Siddons were 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 half its embellishments. "
In those days "early to bed and early
to rise" was maxim that had much
more significance, for il 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 a 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 10 some ex-
tent in families. Many of the people Of
the 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 ii is not 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 a
deadly poison.
No branch of industry has undergone
the change that candle making has in
the last 30 years. Formerly il was mere
ly mechanical operation. Anybody
could make candles and almost every
body did
Now it is scientific industry. bring
ing 70 its aid the resources Of chemistry.
Formerly candle was greasy, noisome
thing that one usually handled with dis
gust now il is artistic and refined and
can be handled without the least offense.
The wick Is so prepared that the COM
bustion is complete, and snuffers have
long been banished. An ancient candle
maker could only work with materials
already provided by nature, so that he
had TO use fats, with all their impuri-
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
do not grease the hands and
give a soft and pleasing light. Sperma-
ceti and way candles are also made.
The candle has ever remained the unit |
of light Sometimes you hear of a light,
say gas, being of 20 candle power. The |
standard is IA spermaceti candle burning !
at the rate of 1870 grains of sperm per
hour. There are candles, too, which are |
made of paraffin, but no candles are
used so extensively as the star or stea-
rine.
The great improvement in the manu-
facture of candles dates from the inves-
LEGATIONS of the French chemist NJ.
Chevreul. He discovered that the fat
Of tallow was separable from the oil,
and the result of the process was two
Notwithstanding and glycer-
In. Those who have used the candles of
the past can scarcely realize that can
dies can now be shipped to warm eli
mates. In former days merchant
would as soon have thought Of exporting
skates or snowshoes to Havana as n car