ILLUMINATION.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVI, Issue XXII, 30 May 1896, Page 627

ILLUMINATION.

About eighteen years ago Edison produced the electric light as known to-day from a dynamo machine, and people stared in wonder at the sight. Now electric lights are among the commonest things in use, and little village streets all over the country are brighteued by them. Humphrey Davy, however, produced a carbon electric light in 1802. Before the electric lights came into general use. gas was supreme, and yet gas is a modern invention. Coalgas for illuminating purposes celebrates its centenary this year, but it was not introduced into London until 1807, and it was many years later before it was widely adopted. Moscow was not lighted with gas until the latter part of 1866. Previous to gas people went about at night with lanternsand torches. In 1415 suspended lanterns were placed in the streets of London, in order to relieve the darkness. These lanterns had glass sides ; but the first lanthorn, as they were called, was invented by Alfred of England, and scraped horn was used instead of glass. Lamps are very old. and were originally manufactured ot earthenware. Epictetus, the philosopher, had such a lamp, which sold after his death for three thousand drachmas.

Oil was burned in lamps during the time of Abraham, and the olden nations used them extensively. They were very curious affairs, though, and would not be of much use to day, or rather to-night ; but those old-time folks used to go to bed so early that they never minded such things. The Romans used candles, which were made of a string dipped in wax or pitch, while splinters of wood with fat were used by the lower classes in England in 1300. Wax candles were very expensive, and people a century or so ago used to make their own candles or ’dips ’ from tallow. The Chinese have candles of wax made from the berry of a tree.