The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-22

part of the celebration of the birth of Christ is of indefinite origin, vars ious countries of the old world hav- | ing their own traditions extending | back many centuries.
 The Swedish story is that in olden days, mysterious lights shone from | the branches of particular tree during the Christmas season. The Vikings told of three mes- sengers, Faith Hope and Love, who were sent by the Lord to light a Balsarn Fir Tree. The German | stories associate the lighting of trees with shining stars as seen through the evergreen trees.
 Dangerous Combination When candles were developed 1t was only natural that they be used to simulate the traditional lights, but candles and pine trees, with their inflamable branches, made an unfortunate combination.
 When the age of electricity brought incandescent lamps to take the place of candles, Q great saving of life and property resulted.
 It should be borne in mind, how. ever, says Electrical Inspector Mar. tin c, ORourke, that fires and acci- dents still occur with the use of electric lighting. He urges all house. holders in Waterbury to follow few simple rules so that no tragedies will mar the joy of Christmas In this. community.
 It should be realized, MT. O'Rourke continued, that Christmas tree sets are not of such quality that they will last forever, in fact, some of them appear to be constructed with the expectation that they will be de- Stroyed after use during only one season. Tn any case, lighting sets should be carefully examined be- fore they are put on the tree. Sec that the insulation of all wires Is ir1- tact, and that the insulation Is not pulled back where the wires enter the sockets, SO as to expose the copper conductors. If such weak nesses are discovered, the set should be discarded.
 See also that when lamps are screwed into the sockets, no Tive" metal is exposed. When lamp bases are too long or sockets too short, metal is left exposed which may make contact with tinsel or metal reflectors. Short circuits caused in this way resulted in @ number or fires throughout the country last year. Precautions regarding the condition of insulation should De applied with even more diligence Tn the case of wires used for decorating trees out of doors, because shock hazard is greatly increased In the presence of damp earth. In pre- paring outside decorations for the first time, 1t is well to have Q com petent electrician prepare the light ing set. Indoor sets are not sult- able for use out of doors.
 Electrical Toys
 If children are to be given elec- trical toys at Christmas for connec- ton directly to the house circuit, parents should expect to make care- ful inspection of their condition 50 long as they are in use. Electrical toys require more care than Is com mon with most toys. Particular at- tention should be paid to the quality and condition of attachment cords, especially if these are of the suo' standard variety.
 If cords become worn, they snoulo be replaced or removed before there Is possibility Of "live" conductors be- coming exposed. These wires are particularly subject to wear at the point where they enter the toy. The cords on toys, as on all appliances which comply with the safety speci- fications of Underwriters Labora- tories, carry bracelet.like labels wrapped around the cord, indicating such compliance.
 Sparks
 Two or three fires were reportea last year as being caused by sparks from electric trains falling into the cotton piled around the base ol Christmas trees. Electric trains employ transformers to reduce the house voltage and have excellent record for safety, but, of course, 1t IS not intended that the tracks be imbedded in fluffy cotton.