Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 211, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1910 — STRIKING A LIGHT [ARTICLE]

STRIKING A LIGHT

ODD WAYS EMPLOYED BY CIVILIZED AND SAVAGE. . * World Was Thousands of Years Old Before Matches Were Known— Took Chemists Years to Perfect Tip. The world was thousands of yearaold before matches were known. The little tip of the match looks very simple, yet it is made of so many substances put together that it took chemists years to discover “Just what materials could be used in. making it Savages know nothing about matches so make their light in other ways. Sometimes the uncivilized people rub two dry pieces of wood together until one catches fire. Often they use two stones, striking one against the other until a spark falls amid some dry leaves and starts a small blaze. The Australian bushman uses a method of his own to procure a light. First he selects two pieces of light wood each about a foot long from the cork tree or black fig tree. One a flat piece he lays on the ground amidst a pile of dry leaves. Upon this strip of wood he kneels In order to hold down the ends. Then he rolls the other pointed stick between the palms of his hands so that it bores a holefinto the flat strip of wood. This makes fine wood dust, which catches on fire, sending its spark among the dry leaves. By blowing upon the tiny light the bushman soon has a fire which he feeds with more leaves. The Malay sailors follow much the same plan as the bushmen. They use a pieee of split bamhoo, making a notch across its hollow side. Sawing into this notch slowly, then rapidly with a sharp edged piece of bamboo, wood dust is soon made. This catches fire and falls upon the dry leaves, which the wise sailor has placed to catch the sparks. In the forests of South America the natives often strike two stones together until a little spark flies out. Instead of using dry leaves to receive this tiny bit of fire they prefer to build little heaps of fluffy bird feathers. “Striking a light” is a term which has come to us from our ancestors. They struck two flint stones together until the spark flew into a tinder box of charred threads of linen. This tiny light was blown into a flame. Then a match tipped with brimstone or sulphur was lighted from the little fire so that the candles or stove fires might berlighted. These tinder boxes and the brimstone matches were always kept where they were very easy to get.