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'Why, I thought you just blew," said Paul. "Just blowing' is likely to blow the flame down into the oil and cause an explosion," replied Mother. "The right way is to turn the flame low and then blow across the top of the chimney, never straight down into it."

"Do lamps eat up air?" asked Ruth.

"Yes, and they make the room hot, and often smell unpleasant. So now you see why Father and I decided that you had better have electric lights in the play-house. The electric wire glows in its little glass house and does not burn up any air or cause any danger, if the wires are fixed properly.

"Another thing that makes electric lights safer," said Uncle George, "is that they do not need any matches. It's a wonder to me that in the olden days

they managed at all, with nothing but candles and lamps to burn and no matches to light anything."

"No matches!" exclaimed Ruth.

in the world did they manage?"

"How

They

"Next time you come over to our house," replied Uncle George, "I'll show you an old tinder-box that belonged to my great-grandfather. used to strike a flint on a piece of steel, and when it made a spark they would catch the spark on a piece of tow."

"My, what a nuisance!" exclaimed Ruth. "And

now we still have the candles and lamps, and gas and electricity besides."

"I wonder, Ruth," said Uncle George, "what sort of new, unknown light your great-great-grandchildren will be using."

THINGS TO DO

Let us see how a flame "uses up" air. Find a flat thin cork, about an inch across, get a small birthday-cake candle and fix it in the middle of the cork. Float cork in a pan of water. Now get a tumbler and after lighting the candle, slowly invert the glass over the floating candle. Press down into the water. Notice how the candle behaves. Notice how the cork behaves after the candle stops burning. Can you tell why more water could come into the glass? Does this help us to understand why a flame “uses up" air? Try to find out what part of air the flame used up. Is this an important part of air?

Get some modeling clay. Find pictures of early lamps, such as those used by the Romans, and model an open lamp. Perhaps you can have it baked in an oven. Try putting some oil and a wick in it, as the ancient people did. Is it a good lamp? What does it need, do you think?

Try to make a dipped candle.* It can be done with tallow or parafine, and some very coarse, soft cotton cord for a wick. Try to scheme out a way to melt the wax without burning it, and a way to dip the wicks so that they will hang straight and harden into good candles. You will have to look at pictures and read in books on Colonial life to get ideas before you make your own plans.

* Examine a good modern lamp and pick out the parts of it that are not found in the ancient lamp. How does each new part add to the usefulness of the lamp.

Examine an electric bulb. Where does the light seem to come from? Is there any flame? Do you know if there is any air inside the little bulb? Does it need air to give us light?

THINGS TO REMEMBER

As soon as houses were built people had to have artificial light. The first artificial light was probably a torch, and very soon a poor kind of lamp. Later chimneys and burners were invented for these lamps. They permitted the flame to burn brighter and gave better light. Candles, first dipped, then molded, have been used since very early times. These forms of light burned vegetable oils or animal fats, which our ancestors early learned to use. Much later men discovered that they could get oil and gas from the earth. Then they learned to get gas from coal. People began to use kerosene lamps and gas for lighting and cooking.

All of these things, gas, oil, candles, give light from flames. Flames give heat. Flames use up oxygen from the air and put a gas called carbon dioxide back into it just as people do when they breathe. Matches are needed to light these kinds of lights, and matches are dangerous if we are careless. Electricity gives light by making the little wires in the bulb so hot that they glow when we turn on the current. For these reasons electric lights are better than gas, oil or candles. If you do not use electricity some good rules to remember about lights are:

The wick of a lamp must always be clean and well trimmed.

A lamp must be well filled before lighting.

Turn up the wick before lighting. Then put on the chimney and turn wick down till it gives the best light.

When you want to put out the light turn down the wick till the flame is low. Then blow across the chimney.

Never put a lamp where it could be tipped over by people or by curtains blowing against it.

Never take candles or lamps into closets to look for things.

When you light the gas always strike your match and hold it near the gas jet before you turn on the gas.

Never go to sleep leaving the gas or a lamp burning unless there is some responsible person to look after the light.

Can you think of other safety rules about lights?

TO THINK ABOUT

How did people in the old Roman and Bible times light their homes?

Do you think the people in Colonial times used any lights in their homes that we have? What have we that is better than their light? Did they light their churches? Their streets? How? Can you compare the amount of artificial light they used with what we use? What are some reasons for the differences?

What three kinds of lights are flames? Why are such lights not as good as electric lights?

How can we avoid dangerous accidents when using gas or oil, either in lights or stoves?