The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-23

leu 10 the perpetual fire in the Temple Iof Vesta, but 1t was point of reli- zion not to extinguish any lamp serv- mfg domestic purpose, letting it go out of itself, because, as they said, of the respect which was due to fire. a benefit so great that when one is no longer Served by 1t one should leave 1t for the use of others.
 (This piety was less inconvenient be cause the Romans spent very little time inside their houses)
 l The rooms of the ancients were. in fact, so large and their means of Ight- ling so inadequate that they were gen. ferally obliged to give up serious work at tho approach of night, In the mid ldle ages members of the guilds were forbidden by tho rules of their orCer to work after sunset. Only on great oc- jcaslons were streets and dwellings lreally illuminated. The custom of fes- tival illumination was universal and many disastrous fires were caused bv candle being placed incautiously near isome costly piece of lace or drapery. brought out to do honor to the fete.
 The ancient means of illumination may be roughly classified as lamps in- tended to be set upon table or shelf, hanging lamps and torches or candle sticks to be held in the hand. The na- lterial used varied greatly A candle stick being one of the first requisites of household life, 1t was made in the sim Iplest or the eostlieSt fashion, according to the means of the uss, Branze was Imuoh used, because it was easily worked and did not rust. Wood was llnfammable and could not be cleaned, land the colors with which 1t was some times decorated would not hold Wooden candlesticks became a proverb flor shabbiness and dirt and finally eame to be used only for offices in which they couh be burned immedi- ately, as of funerals or in the offices of tha Tenebrae.
 Iron was probably used more or less for lamps and candlesticks, but few of these have survived the attacks of rust. Silver lamps, candelabra and chandeliers were much used in princes houses, and an astonishing number of them may be found in the inventories
 of noblemen. For some reason or oth- Ter, gold seems to have been much less in favor.
 One of the primitive means of illu- animation was the lightwood torch, fa- imlliar to our colonial ancestors. It early came to be recognized that a light to be effective in a hall or living room must be placed high. An early
 device for this purpose was the metal ltray or brazier shown in an old print as swung on chains from the ceiling,
 with sort of lamp chimney rudely fashioned of metal above, and ser
 want tending fire of iightwood knots upon 1t, while the master and mistress of the house converse near by.
 The seven branched candlestick de-
 scribed in the Mosaic law served as a
 model for great many church candle sticks. Specimens modelled exactly
 upon the biblical design are to be found at Essen in Prussia; at Milan, al
 Brunswick and Messina, and the pat
 tern is known as the ''Tree of the Vir. gin." Another Interesting form o1 light is the Lantern of Malchas, which is somewhat in the shape of ar eaf.
 The lantern seems to have beer : known in comparatively ancient times . The Lamp of Gideon" is sometimes represented as a lantern, but the ex.
 planation given by Roger Bacon is tha' 1t was some form of hand grenade } The Romans. had lantern bearins } slaves, called "lanternaru. Among tht
 sculptures on the Trajan column is 2
 large lantern hung from the poop of {
 ship. Diogenes and his lantern havt
 become 0 proverb.
 Lamps have always had a semi-reli
 gious significance. Among old Roman } lamps are many which were evidentl, 3 lgiven in fulhlment of a VOW made t, lsome divinity, and decorated accord a Iingly. The Lamp of Jupiter was sur
 mounted by an eagle holding thunder lbolts, that of Vesta by the figure O that goddess One of the most curious
 is the Lamp of the Sun ornamenteC with the figure of griffin crouchet between two columns, one of the paw
 of the animal resting on a wheel as i to indicate the circular movement o
 the sun in preserving and renewing al a things, the columns symbolizing tn
 tropics. the euuinoxes of the solstices g Upon many Roman lamps appears tn I lgoose, sometimes replaced by thu
 swan, and slgnifying vigilance. Thi $ lcommemorated the occasion when tn,
 geese saved Rome, and the body, heat land neck of the bird sometimes form s very graceful little lamp. The bat wa lalso used as an emblem of wakeful lness
 a A less serious use of ornaments ap Ipears in the choice of gifts for friend lof pronounced taste.To a lover O Ehorses was presented lamp shaped like @ horses head; to a comedian or
 poet one decorated with masks; to Iyoung girl one adorned with the em ; blems of an appropriate goddess. - Like the parents of to-day the peopl lof the ancient world gave their chll . ldren miniature pieces of household fur t lniture, lamps among them. Thes Iplaythings were given on their birth days or some festival occasion, by pa rents, friends and even the slaves o v the family. and the toy lamp was of ten buried with the dead child, b IChristian as well as pagan families. With the coming in of the Christian ;