Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-31
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES +. TRACEWELL.

Eating breakfast by candelight,
With an electric toaster on the table
and radio In the next room sounding
forth setting up exercises from New
YORK, furnishes rather startling evi-
dence of the worlds progress.
Here the old and the new are brought
together. 1t was by such light as
| this that George Washington ate. but
he never prepared his toast at table
nor heard the sound OF a voice origi-
mating hundreds of miles away.
Yet it IL something Of question
whether we live any better than Wash
ington did-in the bigger meanings of
the word live. II any one doubts
this. he has but to journey down to
Mount Vernon and let the durable sat
lsfactions OF life sink into his soul for
while
We would trade our electric toaster
for that view OF the Potomac, and our
radio for the quiet---hlessed quiet'--of
| a Summers night
Whether we would he willing to go
| back To universal candlelight is an
other question.
Yet what perennial interest candles
have for mankind.
The candle Is one of the few cen
tury.old articles still in use through
out the world The candlestick maker,
as well as the butcher and baker, is
still with us.
There is perhaps not a single home
in Washington equipped with electric
lights that does not have also mum
her Of ornamental candles. These
come in handy on the rare occasions
when the lights go out and are
! often used by housewives at
| luncheons.
~ II
Your average male creatures can
see no particular point In eating by
candlelight, but most women seem to
get considerable kick" out of il. just
as they "dote" on whipped cream.
Candles do, of course lend touch
OF difference to the meal, which per-
haps might as well be secured this
way as any other. Children particu-
larly are enthralled by the occasional
treat Of being allowed to eat by candle
light, and it is a good thing for them,
giving them a taste of the romantic,
as we'll as showing them practically
what life used to be.
Certainly in the ordinary conven-
| fences of everyday living more prog
| ress has been made in the past 30
to 100 years than In as many centuries
before. When one stops to think of
| known before our Civil War; of our
beautiful white tiled bathrooms, of
electric lights vacuum cleaners. wash
! ing machines and host Of other in
ventions, he realizes better than usu-
ally the extent to which living is in
debted to applied science.
The candle Is one of the inventions
of man which left a lasting impression
on the race. Even our electric lights
are rated by ''candlepower. 1t is
interesting to know that this measure
of light was first defined by an English
law enacted in 1860, which declared
that "candlepower" is "the light
given by a sperm candle of which six
| weigh / pound and each burns 1870
grains an hour
Figure il out for yourself.
Every one knows, however, without
any figuring. that one real candle
power is most miserable light. Some
times one wonders if so of them really
would give as much light as 60
| candlepower bulb.
Certainly the light of so candles-or
of any number, for that matter
would not give the flicker free light
of our modern electricity. to say moth
ing Of our illumination being less
costly and absolutely clean.
1t is hard for us TO keep in mind