The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-05-06
From the New York Tribune

w little thought to what 1t would
be to go back to the primitive customs
of our forebears in their every day life.
When we take a match and with single
scratch strike light, we do not put any
particular value on anything so common
as a match. Not even the odorless little
spitfire of "parlor match" commands
our appreciation to any great extent.
The fire on the hearthstones of our fore
bears was guarded with as much jealous
care as the vestal virgins guarded it on
the ancient altar of the temple of Vesta.
The fire was never allowed to die out en-
tirely on the heartstones in the days
before matches were invented. The red
Goals were buried under the ashes SO that
they could be uncovered and famed into
flame when more fire was needed.
The process of rubbing two sticks of
wood together until they produce a flame
is a very ancient one. 1t is one of the
most primitive ways of obtaining fire.
1t is said that process obtained in the
| days of ancient Greece and Rome, when
the priests of Jupiter had to kindle a
fire, and all the American Indian tribes
used it when they wanted fire. The in
ventiye MIND of man began to improve
on this method long before the idea of
such a thing as a match was ever con-
ceived. One writer who has written ex
haustively on the subject of fire says:
Labor was saved, as well as greater
rapidity obtained, by using a bow. and
by one turn of its string twisted around
the vertical stick, which we may call the
drill so that by moving it back and
forth the drill revolved with great rapid
ity in the lower piece of wood which
is technically called the hearth A fur
Their advance was made. Man has only
two hands, and he found that a third
point of resistance would be advan-
tage. This he could get when he had
companion. but not when he was alone.
So he began to use his mouth to steady
the drill, while one hand impaired the mo-
ton with the bow and the other held the
hearth. Hence we get the mouth drill,
the additional part of the apparatus be-
ing a mouthpiece of hard wood, bone or
stone with a hole in it to receive the
head of the drill Soon it was discovered
that weight tells, and a weight was,
therefore, added to the drill, giving great
err impetus, greater speed and greater
friction and, consequently, greater heat.
In this way the Iroquois pump drill was
developed"
One of the first matches was made
by cutting very thin strips of highly res
nous or dry pine wood, about six inches
long, with pointed ends dipped in melt
cd sulphur; thus prepared, the sulphur
new departure in craftsmanship, and
it stamps Congressman Hobson with orig
inality as we'll as bravery and good looks;
and 1t is right in line with Congressman
Hobson's policy of doing things
Huntsville Banner: As soon as Hunts
Vile gets the Nashville and Huntsville
railroad we must take up the matter of
direct connection with Birmingham, and
when we have the road to Birmingham
we will get iron and steel plants here.
Cullman Tribune: We say 1t in all
kindness of HEARTH is a mistake for
young girls to be lettering on the streets
or congregated at street corners, or other
public places, too often during the day.
Not that there is any harm in this, of
itself, but tongues will wag, you know,
and gossip is no respecter of innocence.
A young girl can not afford to say that
she does not care what gossip says, be-
cause the more she shows that she doesn't
| care, the more poisonous and more per-
sistent does gossip become.