Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-30
Our Progress on the Lighting
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We are just over the worst Of a
sleet storm in our town of Carriers
vile. We have had the mildest win
ter can remember within my life
1t has been more than remarkable
it has been a record breaking win
ter for general good weather.
So January, 1928, up to the 22nd
day was the mildest of all Januarys
and then we had the change!
There was continuous blow and
then a driving rain-with the blinds
slapping to, and the twigs and
leaves driven against the house
and then the sleet, and then land
MOSTLY the Georgia Railway and
Power company had it's accident
and the light failed to come along!
1t was a wake-up to an old body
like nlyself-because we had only a
lamp with just a little oil in the
house, and two or three candles
(of age, and we had no light what
ever from the outside-and no pros
pect of an early return of the cleo
tricity-within forty-eight hours-as
the towers were blown down be-
NFSSAA AS o1lu 6AIldlIdS dnds Ol
course, the Frustrated wires must be
raised again, before the current
would move along as usual.
Ny mind went back to my youth
full days, when nobody ever ex-
pected to use anything but candles
and whale oil of the smelling va
riety. And candles were only used
by the well-to-do and lamp oil was
very scarce to rural folks. There
was, however, plenty of rich pine
Knots and the people kept a stock
on hand for the student to get the
lessons by and for the women folks
to see how to pick up dropped
stitches in their knitting.
A hundred years ago, and a lit.
tie over, all the cotton was hand.
picked, for the women to card and
spin and weave into domestic gar.
ments and other uses.
With a. big fire in the big fire,
places and plenty of blazing pine
knots, the people were well con.
tent to do without candles, unless
there was sickness in the house
and the doctor wanted to see the
patients tongue or be able to count
the drops as the medicine was pour
ed into the spoon from the phial
he took from his saddle
bags. In my early home we had
plenty of beef cattle and the taIlow
was moulded into candles. There
were also many bee raisers around
and the wax was carefully prepared
to help out in candle-making, to
harden tallow.
My Industrious and capable mother
had a stated season of the year for
candle-making, and her candle.
moulds I well remember, in my
childhood. She used some beeswax
to every pound of beef tallow and
the candle wicks were made of soft
spun cotton thread and deftly
strung into these tin mouIds and
held taut, before the melted wax
and tallow was poured into the
moulds, and afterwards were set
aside carefully to get hard and
cold.
These candles were not wasted,
you may be sure. They were es-
pecially needed for the breakfast
time, and it was the rule of the
Georgia farmer, rich or poor, to eat
breakfast before daylight except in
hot summer time.
In these primitive days, it was
common to hear talk like the follow
ing: eve were eating breakfast by
candle light when so and so fell
sick and died." or maybe cit was
not quite candle light when the
preacher or the doctor got to our
house" That word candle light
played a big part in early southern
homes, as a ready division of time,
to be easily understood.
We had nothing but candles to use
when was married except a kind
of transparent liquid, sold as burn
ing fluid" largely composed of tur-
pentine, if the smell was a. true in
dication. I know had many eau
tionary words, when our people used
it in some new-fangled lamps that
were kept on the parlor mantel for
extra dress up occasions.
But candles Waned, and burning
OIL vacated when kerosene oil was
discovered a few years after the
struck lie"
Somebody said the Yankees
brought it to us like chicken cholera
and the Epizootie-and as early kero-
sene Oil was very inflammable, acct
dents were frequent and the care
full, plain folks still favored can.
dies. In the cities, gas took the
stage, for popularity, but the plain
folks in rural homes and small
towns went fairly crazy over the
kerosene lamp and it's bright light
because so different from the small
candle.
But the world took a big leap for
ward when electric lighting fully ad-
vertised itself. 1t is still in the day.
dawn of it's glory, expect, but there
has been nothing discovered in the
past hundred years that "can hold
a light to electricity"
When 1 was a school girl, we had
famous man in Georgia, who has
never been given the credit that
should have been bestowed on his
great mind, as an enthusiast over
electricity. His name was Rev.
Alexander H. Means, and he was a
professor of chemistry at Emory
college when I became acquainted
with him, and he was frequent Wis
itor in the home of my parents.
when he came to preach in the town
of Decatur and in other churches of
the section. for he was a magnificent
preacher of the Methodist church
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