Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-04-03
MODERN CANDLES.
THEY ARE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS
OVER THOSE OF FORTY YEARS AGO.
The Unit of Light Has Been of Inestima-
BILE Service to Mankind-It Is "a Mistake
to Think That Gas and Electricity Have
Entirely snuned out the Candle.

into use as means for lighting recep-
tion rooms where gas is considered to-
hot and electric lights too glazing, com
parsons are being made with the can
dies of today and those of the long ago
J he Is not Il very old man who still re
members the malodorous "tallow dip, -
six 10 the pound, that he bought az the
grocery or perhaps may have helped to
make in domestic way on Saturdays
when at home from school.
IT is but few years since candle
mOlds We're Il very important and neceS-
sary part Of every household. and yet so
completely are they now banished TO
the limbo Of forgotten and useless
things that there must he thousands of
young people 10 whom a pair Of suffers
and candle mold would prove I'M
doubted curiosities They were not very
pleasant 10 the nUStrilS, those old fash
toned tallOw candles, their Illuminating
power was not good, and their need of
constant snutiing was Indispensable, and
though the fingers were the handiest of
suffers one was very apt 10 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
volumes written and the world enlight-
ened, even if the writers and teachers
CROPPED great deal.
The great performances Of Garrick
and SlddolS were given behind foot
lights OF tallOw candles. and the candle
snutfer was one Of the most important of
supers in the theater of the olden time.
without candle snuffer, says Gold
smith OF play ne had seen, "the piece
would lose half IT'S embellishments. -
In those days early 10 bed and early
10 rise was "a maxim that had much
more significance, for il was necessary
70 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. 4 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 III the western states. The min
ing region takes large quantities for no
light but candles j. 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 Of
the east side newly come 10 the coun-
fry. use candles III preference 10 oil, be-
ing accustomed TO candles and afraid of
the oil. Although IL Is not IA great while
before they are won over 20 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 80 years Formerly it was mere
ly a mechanical operation. Anybody
could make candles and almost every
body did.
Now it is scientific industry, bring
ing 10 its aid the resources Of chemistry.
Formerly IA 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 i so prepared that the com
bustion is complete, and snutfers 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
mainline, do not grease the hands and
give Il soft and pleasing light. cperma-
ceti and wax candles are also made
The candle has ever remained the unit
of light Sometimes you hear Of "A light,
say gas, being ~ - candle power The
standard Is a sp,rmaceu candle burning
at the rate Of 40 grains Of sperm per
hour There are candles, too, which are
made OF paraG,h, bat 40 candles are
used 50 ext nsiyely ~ the star or stea
rine
The great improvement IN the manu-
facture of candles dates from the inves
LEGATIONS Of the French chemist. NJ
Cheyleul He discovered that the fat
of t.llow was ,cpuahle from he oil,
and tie result Of the process was two
valuable prnducts-s,eaIiuo and glycer-
IN Those who have used the candles of
the past can scarcely realize that can
dies can now be shipped 90 warm eli
mates In former days merchant
would ~ soon have thought of exporting
skates or snoWshoes to Havana as car
20 of tallow candles. They would have
all melted into an indiatinguishable
mass going ACROSS the gulf of Mexico
| But sugl candle, rs are made NOW can