The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13
COLONIAL LIGHTS.
Dip Candles, Night Lamps and Dark
Homes.

Homes.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat
Contrasting the methods Of illumination
when the century was young with the
present era Of electricity, Mrs. Florence
Coates Earle, who writes 50 Delightfully."-
and exhaustively of everything pertain
ing to colonial times, describes the lights
then in use and writers of much earlier
date also refer to artificial light as Sc
rlous problem with early settlers Al first
without candles, or lamps, they were
compelled TO depend upon rush lights as
substitutes. Daylight was such an i'm
proVement upon the latter that early to
bed and early to rise" was not only prov
ERR but practice in their humble homes
IN the wilderness of a new country. JOS
selyn in 1915 mentioned Knots of pine
and hr trees used instead Of candles,
put casting sickly palor.' Again by
authority we are told that the pines
gotten for candle wood were makeshifts,
cropping and sputtering pitch wherever
they stood" AS early as 1880 Higginson
dep!ored the want of taliOw for candle
making in New England but stated that
hsh in abundance could afford oil for
lamps Old invoices snow thar lamps and
weeks We're among early impOrtations, but
met with scant favor. Why unless diff
cult to prepare the oil, or from tenacity
of custom, is hard to determine, but GER
tain 1t is that lamps, although a much
needed convenience, Were slow in coming
into general use.
Colonial DANES individually and as an
organizatiom, ambitious for ancestral be-
lonSings have by diiseut search made
many interesting and educative collections
In recent years. Much coveted as a Gu
RIO Is the Betty" supposed to be the
first form of lamp used by the colOnists
e Isl
was a convenience in England until the
end of the eighteenth century, and in
Scotland even fifty years later 1t is eX-
ceedingly simple in conslruction-merely a
shallow receptacle of pewter brass or iron,
with projecting nose or spout. Filled
with oil and a bit of wick introduced Il
will burn for several hours. Night and
nursery lamps have in late years been
manufactured upon the same principle as
the old Cruise" but with certain change
TO conform to nineteenth century ideas
OF beauty and cleanliness. Their chief
recommendation is perfect safety, as it
is impossible for them TO explode. Camp
ers often provide themselves with light
by putting some sort of liquid grease in
a saucer, and using a tighuy-twisted bit
of rag 10 float and burn as wick This
is, even at the present time frequently
the makedo of hunters and trappers.
With tallow speedily appeared the dip
candle, bright and shining light" in
deed, TO eyes accustomed only to the dim
uncertain luminaries that had preceded It,
The process of making was very simple
and household task I'm which the pill
grim mothers became notably skillful.
WickS cut in suitable lengths were fae-
tened at equal distances on sticks and
thus arranged, dipped ~ a kettle of hot
talow, then withdrawn ana allowed to
cool, and this repeated until the candles
were the right size. Not until later was
discovered the wax or tallow of the bar
berry bush, which afterWard became a
standard product of New England, ana
for a long time was advertised as such
in the papers of its various towns and
cities 1t is described as mot greasy. but
when refined hard, almost transparent.
delicate green in tint. and with a pleasant
odor." 1t seems from this that perfum-
ed candles belonged to colonial as well
as modern times-the fragrance natural
rather than the result OF the chemists
art, as in the present day. The candles
made from barberry wax We're superior
in quality and an elegance of the "best
ROOM" or to light the hospitable board
around which gathered the flowers of pill
grim househ0lds-the pretty. bluShing
'Prisc!Ilas," Roses" Faiths" and
''Thankfuls" and their admiring SWANS
Not until sperm oil and spermaceti can
dies came into general use (about 1850
W0lo tHe HoIhtS OF the cOlonlStS Sulf1-
GENTLY lighted to render reading, writing
or plying the needle pleasant evening en-
Payments.
The candleholders of early invention
We're wooden sticks with metal sockets
and fastened TO the wall or in standards.
Probably from these primitive affairs
comes the present term "candlestick.
Among the choicest relics of colonial
homes are the silver, pewter and brass
candlesticks, sconces snuffers and trays
of later date