Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-27
MODERN CANDLES.
THEY ARE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS
OVER THOSE OF FORTY YEARS AGO.
The Uuit of Light Has Been of Inestimar
BILE Service to Mankind-It IL "A Mistake
To Think That Gas aud Electricity Have
Entirely Snufied out the Candle.

To Think That Gas and Electricity Have
Entirely snufed out the Candle.
Now that candles have again come
into use as means for Lighting recep-
ton rooms where gas Is considered TOO
hot and electric lights too glaring. com.
PARSONS are being made with the can.
dies of today and those of the long ago
He is not very old man who still re-
members the malJdOruus "tallOw Dip"
six TO the pound, that he bought at the
grocery or perhaps may lave helped to
make III II domestic way on Saturdays
when at home from school.
1t Is but a few years since candle
molds were very important and neces-
sary part of every household and yet so
completely are they now banshed TO
the limbo Of forgotten and useless
things that there must be thousands Of
young people to whom pair of suffers
and candle mold would prove IN
doubted curiosities. They were not very
pleasant TO the nostrils, those old fash
Toned tallow candles, their illuminating
power was not good, and their need Of
constant snutfing 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 Is cen
turtles and accomplished considerable
things on the way. Great scholars were
made by saved up candle ends, great
pn1, x.rit, I b. 1,,.l
ened even if the writers and teachers
CROPPED a 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
snpers in the theater of the olden time.
Without candle snuifer, " says Gold
smith of play he had seen, 1.-THE piece
would lose half 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 a 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 10
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 i'll 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 ,Althoughit Mt q g Eat while
before they are won over TO he use OF
oil, there are always thousands Of others
who, for the first few months Of their
being here, shun oil as they would O
deadly poison
No branch e industry has undergone
the 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 a scientific industry, bring.
ing TO its aid the resources Of chemistry.
Formerly "A candle was greasy, noisome
thing that one 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 shutters 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 far for his candles Fat changed |
by this process Is called stearine, and |
from TINS 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 soft and pleasing light. Sperma
;eti 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 25 candle power The
standard Is "A spermaceti candle burning
at the rate of 100 grains of sperm per
hour There are candles, too. which are /
made of parafiin. 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
products-stearine and glycer-
IN. Those who have used the candles Of
he past can scarcely realize that can
iles can now be shipped to warm eli
mates In davc ,,,arc,ant |