The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-04
FRANKLIN ORIGINATOR
OFDAYLICHT SAVING PLAN
Told Parisians 1872 Years Ago How They Could Con-
serve 60, $50, 900 Pounds of Candles Each Sum-
mer-Proposed a Tax on Shutters.

which We burn candles. the account will
stand thus:
"In the elk months between
, the goth ~ March and the
Goth of September there are
mgnts 1873
l"Hours OF each night In which
we burn candles. ........ Z
multiplication gives for the
total number Of hours. -. 1881
These 1881 hours. multiplied
hy 1907 900. the number OF
families. give ......... l2S, 100. 900
One hundred and twenty
eight millions and one
| hundred thousand hours
spent In Paris by candle
light, which. at half a pound
Of wax and tallow an
hour. gives the weight Of. 6i.o5o.o 900
"Sixty-four millions and nifty
thousands OF pounds. which.
. estimating the whole at
the medium price Of thirty
soils the pound. makes the
sum Of nincty-six millions
and seventy-hvs thousand
hvres tournois. ........... a6,nT5.Oon
An immense sum hat the city Of
Paris might save every year nv the
economy Of using sunshine instead OF
candles.
"1f II should he said tina, people are
apt to be ob~stinately attached to old
customs. and that IT will be difficult to
induce them 10 rise before noon, conse-
auently my discovery can be OF no little
use. ] answer. MI desperandum. Il be-
lieve all who have common sense as
soon as they rave learned from this
paper that II Ia daylight when the sun
rises Will contrvie to rise with him. and
to compel the rest I would propose the
following regulations:
First; Let a al be paid Of a louis
a window on every window that IL pro-
vided with shutters 10 keep out the light
Of the sur.
Second: Let the same salutary Cd.
Grafton OF police be made use Of TO pre-.
vent our burning candles that inclined
US last winter TO be more economical
III burning wood; that is. let guards be
placed I'm the shops OF the wax and
tallow chambers. and no family he per-
mitted TO be supplied with more thar
one pound Of candles n week.
Third. Let guards also be posted 10
STOP all the coaches. &c. that would
pass the street after sunset. excep,
'hose or physicians. surgeons and mid
wives.
Fourth. Every morning as soon a.
SUI A'S'S ii MI inc UeIlS IN every
church be set ringing. and " that Is not
suniclent LEI cannon he fred In every
street to wake the sluggards enectually
ana make them open their eyes To see
their true interest.
"All the difficulty will be In the first
two or three days. after which the ref
ormation will be as natural and easy
as the present irr~egularity for ce mes,
que 10 premier pas qui coute. Obilg a
mai m rNAA 4"
1t Is more than probable he shall, 20
willingly to bed AZ s In the evening,
and having had eight hours sleep ne
Will rise more willingly NJ 4 the morn
Ing following
u save In Winter Days Also,
But this sum Of n~inety.six millions
and seventy-fve thousand livrcs Is moi
the whole OF what may he saved by my
economical project. You may observe
that ! have calculated upon only one
half OF the year. and much may lie
saved in the other. though the DAYS are
shorter. Besides. the immense stock OF
wax and tallow left unconsumcd during
the summer probably viii, make candles
much cheaper for the ensuing winter
ana continue them cheaper AZ long AZ
the proposed reformation shall he sup.
ported.
q the great berent OF this dis
covery. thus freely communicated and
bestowed by me on the public. I de.
inand neither place. pension. exclusive
privilege nor any other reward what.
ever. l expect only to have the honor
Of Il. And yet 7 know there are LITTLE
envious minds who will. as usual. den,
me this, and say that my invention wa.
known TO the ancients. and perhaps the,
may bring passages out OF tho ole
books In proof Of II.
II will not dispute with theso pcopl,
that the ancients knew not he sur
would rise at certain hours. they pos.
sibly had, as we have. almanacs that
predicted Il. but It doe. not follow from
thence that they knew he gave lich'
as soon as he rose. This Ia what I claim
as my discovery.
"If the anclents knew Il II might ha v.
been long since forgotten. for II GER
tainl was unknown to the moderne. a
least to the Farisian.. which TO prove
need use but one plain simple argu
mcnt, They are as we'll instructed
Judic!ous n prudent a people as exis
anywhere In the world. all protesting
like myself. to he lovers Of economy
and from the many heavy taxes required
from them by the necessities OF III,
State have surely an abundant reaso,
TO be economical. say 4, is impossihl,
that SO sensible a people under suci
circumstances should have lived 80 lont
by the smoky. unwholesome and enor
mously expensive light Of candles (
they had really known that they Nigh
have a Al much pure light OF the SUI
for nothing"