THE LAMPS EVOLUTION. EXCAVATIONS OF ANCIENT CIT- IES SHOW IT OVER SIX THOUSAND YEARS OLD, Originally was a Conch Shell and a Twist of Cotton—Western Ingen- uity Devised the Brass Burner and Regulator, By EDGAR JAMES BANKS, Ph. D. The Oriental lamp is the same now as It always has been—a simple dish of clay, stone, bronze or glass, filled with oil; its wick is a rag or a twist of cotton, one end of which is immersed in ofl and the other rests over the edge of the dish to be lighted. This was the lamp not only of ancient Babylonia and Egypt, but also of the Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, and all other early peoples. Even to this day it is the com- mon lamp of Mesopotamia, In Saint Sophia, the great mosque of Constanti- nople, there is no other method of il- lumination. ! The first artificial light with which primitive man brightenéd the dark- ness of night was the camp fire, the same fire with which he slightly roasted his meat and warmed his naked body. At just what age the idea of lighting by other means first occurred to him is no longer known, but the excavations at the Babylonian mound, Bismya, the ruin of the oldest known city in the world, have shown that it was in the very long ago, per- haps thousands of years before 4500 B.C During the excavations far beneath & temple which was egostructed at that remote date, amon#® the ruins of earlier ages, (here was found a large conch shell about 8 inches in length. its exterior had been worn smooth by constant handling, and a section at its opening and half o. its elongated valve had been cut away so that it formed a deep dish terminhting in a long snout. In its interior were slight traces of a thin, black deposit. At first the use for which this dish was intended was puzzling; it was weeks later when it suddenly occurred to me that this sea-shell was the pris lamp, the ancestor of the great family { lamps. Hive | {| been the civilized West, who would ne longer rest the wick upon the edge of the receptacle for the oil, to pass it through the brass arrangement which he called the burner, and to provide it with a screw in order that it might be raised or lowered, and the essentiuls of the modern oll lamp were as- gembled. While we have the sea-shell, the lamp ¢f primitive man of over 6,000 years ago, it would be interesting to know what kind of oil was burned. The olive tree produces the illuminat- ing oll of the model «+ Orient, and al- though In other parts of the world the fat of animals was used, the unchanging customs of the Bast lead us to infer that olive oil was also then employed. The wick was doubtless a twist of the cotton which grows wild along the shores of 'e Tigris and the Euplrates.—Lngineering News, — PLP Old Methods Sueceed, It has been claimed that old methods of doing business cannot succeed in this twentieth century of ours, but a striking example of where old manners have been and are yet successful may be found in the busiest city of the world ~~New York. Right in the heart of the wholesale district may be found a restaurant that is feeding more people every day of the year than any other house in New York City, and doing it along the line of “old methods.” It is ciaimed for this famous eating house that every pound of feod used is paid for in cash upon the day it is purchased and that the proprietors have never yet given a check In pay- ment for supplies, nor owed one dollar at the close of the day, and they keep no books. Each morning the dealers supplying this remarkable establishment deliver the necessary goods at the receiving department and then form in a line leading to the cashier's desk where each one in turn receives his money in good hard coin, When evening ft in the comes whatever is lef cash drawer is profit, less charges as taxes, light, fuel &e. A further boast of the owner of this taurant is that itg doors h.ve never locked sinee first opened, way in “wartime,” and knows where the key now ia such re back ” while excavat ten ng ple refuse | priests of 400 B. C. | | and discarded service, there zens of baskets vi Some time later, at & higher level in the heap, where the threw the broken ot the temp: itensil stone several ) which resembled the conch shell in shape. One of ala- baster was entire; were frag mentary, yet their original forms could be restored. They were the lamps which came into vogue after the conch | had passed away, or when it became | #0 scarce that it was no longer em- ployed, and stone was substituted in ft place. Although the conch was dis- carded, its triangular form remained, even to the natural snout for the sup port of the which was repro duced in the stone, To the early Babylonian, the pure, almost transparent alabaster lamp was perfect in shape; the next step in the evolution was in its decoration. In- stead of the plain exterior, it was engraved with reticulated or curved lines; but a more important step in its decoration was when the lamp-maker others WICK, AUR Cp ret ‘a © » DELIA [3 wick in a hole at the sharp cormer. One such example from the Bismya teople refuse heap terminated in a An idea of the number of people ted | | may be gained from the fact that table salt, used at the neal exclusively by the patrons tables and not including any cooking, Is purchased every nths in ten barrel lots, each containing three hundred | four mu barrel pounds, EE W anted All the Goodies. i3 about to be ten years old. f this interesting event Ted- 3 mother had ordered cream and cakes ond other dainties, Teddy was told to Invite his little | friends to a birthday party. The even- ing of the celebration came around, and all the goodies were walting to be enjoyed. Teddy and his mother were | also waiting Suddenly “Mother, was some jce- and the youngster said you think it's time to at the ice-cream and cake now?” “No, indeed, my son,” she replied ‘we must wait until your friends are! here.” “Well, to tg began ‘Leddy, font Jl you the } ust thought that for once in my life I'd like to have enough goodies, so 1 guess we betler begin | now, ‘cause 1 didn't Invite anyone." LAMPS OF LATE BABYLONIAN AND PERSIAN PERIODS. mam's head. the lighted end of the wick projecting from its month. After the discovery of the hole for the wick, it was an casy step to cover the entire lamp, with the exception of an opening in the center to receive the oll. Thus the lamp of classical times originated Another interesting example from Bis mya is" an extremely large marble lamp, oval in shape and with vertical walls. The snout for its wick Is a deep groove extending out about 2 inches, and with its support fren be- peath it resembles the handle of a mod- ern dish. This lamp beld about two guarts of oll, and, as it was found in the ruins of the temple, its unusual size suggests that in the Babylonian temple, as in the synagogues of a later era, and in some churches, even to the present day, a light was kept perpet. sally burning. Previous to 4000 B. C. the lamps, as well as most dishes and household ef fects, were of stone; after that time objects of burned clay began to ap pear. Before that datg lamps were found only in the ruins of the temple; later clay lamps were found in the dwelling houses of the people. Of the latter a variety of shapes have ap peared. Some are triangular, the shape suggested by the conch; one is a min. lature bout; others of a later period are identical in shape and size with those of Rome and Greece, The lamp of these nations was undoubtedly bor. rowed from the older civilization of Babylonia. The common clay lamp of Persia and of the time of Haroun er Raschid assumed a round form avith a dent In its fp for the ish ih resembling In every an mink. fring pan, ton which the handle The lamp of modern Bag: differs from it nd er fom it only in bing wet NOW THE WATCH TRUST. Representative Vrecland the Victim of a Joke During Watch Monopoly Controversy. When Representative Raimey of I1i- nois, a few days ago, made a speech in Congress on the alleged watch trust, he opened up a subject that has been of decided interest in Congressional circles ever since. He had a collection of watches on his desk Which he showed as exhibits, Representative Vreeland of New York found another phase of the watch question which he wanted to talk about, and proceeded to stock up with sample watches and watch cases. He had the assortment nicely displayed on his desk, when, by a prearrangement, he was called out into the eorridor. As soon as he was gone a joker in a neighboring seat produced three mem- orandum spindles, two short and one tall. He set them in a row on Vree- land's desk. Then he produced three do you like my new hat? uy Mr. Ferguson. —Do you want my real opinion of it, Laura? Mrs. Forguson~No, 1 doen't, you mean th — “Do think a man's {portance Wht by his pocketbook pot,” answered Sorghum. “A pocketbook couldn't FAMOUS VIRGINIA HOME. Srn— WOODLAWN MANSION, PART OF WASHINGTON’S ESTATE, NOW CHANGES HANDS. A Gift trom the First President to His Adopted Daughter—Playwright Paul Kester Disposes of Manor to Princeton Woman, Another change of owners has come to Woodlawn Mansion, that historic property having been bought by Miss Elizabeth M. Sharp, of Princeton, N. J., from Paul Kester, who dramatized | “When Knighthood Was in Flower,” and other plays. Woodlawn Mansion was the home of | { ington and Flelding Lewis, | rence that no gue; | year 17 { Lorenzo lewis at i M. Troth, ia part of the original Woodlawn tin | who now.sells it to Miss Sharp. of Fred ericksburg, and nephew of the George Washington. The wife of Law Lewis was Nellie Custis, grand- daughter of Mrs. Martha Washingt and the adopted daughter of George Washington. The marriage of Nellle Custis and young Lewis was the social event of t! 89. The marriage took place house at Mo on the bi rthday of Washington the year of his death Wasnt gave i couple a tract of for covering a range of hills on the M Vernon property two miles gout} {of the mansion house. Lewis per ily saw that a part of the wo Wore cleared away, and in the clearing he bad erected the great house which he called Woodlawn, The place passed to the death of his mother, Nellie Custis Lewis, and by him was eold in 1848 to two Quakers from New Jersey, Chalkley Gillingham and Jacob M. Troth. The sons of these i men live near the estate to-day, Jacob the younger, liviug on an adjoining farm and on land that was The house passed through many hands and 1900 was bought by Paul Kester Ereal the mans! mint Ver: y the (Continned from preceding page.) Currier, of New Hampsl where it Is commonly understood cue of the chief ire, Lawrence Lewis, son of Betty Waeh-)penditure on battle ships, WOODLAWN industries is that of raising rocks granite, and marble, protested his assertion that the farmers were in sympathy with the freeseed busi | They declared the farmers of their State demanded them anyhow Mr. Cocks read letters from the edi- | tors of practically every agricultural paper in the country, against not ness, denouncing free seeds, and when he frankly admitted he had written these editors asking their opinion of the proposed action of the committees he wa attacked by the advocates of free seeds as if he had committed sowe crime, ALL ABOUT SEED “ADS. Mr. Bartlett wanted to know If these papers carried advert.sements of the seed dealers, to which Mr. Cocks af. firmed that he bad no doubt of it, as the business of selling seeds was a legitimate one. Mr. Fordney did not believe the answers represented an honest opinion, as the replies had boon sought. Mr. Cocks endeavored to proceed with his argument, re-enforeing it with eitations from a stack of letters, but he spoke amid a confusion that marked the day as the most unruly of the ene tire séssion. Mr. Gains shouted hime self hoarse—and that is a difficult] thing, even for Mr. Gaipes to do; Mr, Mann scolded, as he often does when he falls to approve; Mr. Fordney, Mr. French, Mr. Sims, « . Chandler, and others asked questions simultaneously, and the chairman of the committee all but broke his gavel Ip a vain endeavo to maintain order, At one time I looked as If the mace, that symbel of the dignity and power of the House, would have to be taken frow its perch and waved over the heads of refrac tory and angry freeseed mutineers who re fused to take thelr sats when After threatening to all members by name if they did not obey, the band of agriculturists, shouting and yelling for the free-seeds “loot” quieted down, and Mr. Uooks was enabled to proceed, SEEDS VERSUS BATTLESHIPS. Free seeds found another doughty champlon in South Trimble, of Ken- tucky. Mr, Trimble asserted that the seed dealers of the country were instigating the newspapers to fight free seeds. Real farmers wanted wiese seeds, but Kkid-glove farmers who run the granges did and did not want them. If this was (graft, he said, it was the only kind [of which every one of the 70,000,000 | people of the country got a piece, Advocating economy | tions, in other direc. Mr. Trimble sugg sted less ex “If we stay MANSION it home other people alo battle needs sh DA n houted Mr. trifle not need them | § he {duction of gold postage stamps, and cash, Instead of the seeds he has been sending out since he came to Congress. The read- ing of these letters again plunged the House in disorder and confusion. PITY THE POOR FARMER. Mr. Gaines, of Tennessee, endeay- ored to be heard above the noise and confusion, As he sat down, by com mand of the Chair, he managed to say { that the bill was loaded with all kinds of appropriations to take care of and suppress the “mouth and foot disease, hollow horn, and hollow tail,” but took away from the farmer the few that he every year looked to receiving. This new the part of outhurst of eloquence on Mr. Gaines threw the | House into convulsive Inughter. | When the members had partially re covered their composure Mr. Gain9s rushed down the alsle, carrying a mass of manuscript in both hands, holding it aloft, shouting that he had hundre 9 of letters from farmers favoring free seeds, As chairman Wadsworth reached out his hand for them, Mr. Gaines laid | them on a desk and began pullt=g ithe bunch various docun ents It developed that among these “hun | dreds" of letters there were an UnNusy {ally large portion of bills of various { sorte and other “pul. does.” that had no relevancy to the seed question Agnin the members shrieked gathered in the forcing chairman to resort {mentary expedient { When the bill the free ses were continues by a vote of 1603 to 82. A fight for the shment of the free seod practice nue, for It ig bel eved that sending out of the past ¥ are « practical benefit to the farn of the country, that next vear propriation when It and the time a nN 1 nHort tl House will su and le, tr every to secure order, came up for a vote hol the s bj will find the ap for these seeds omitted] comes from the committe proba bilitie it by that ty of bers of the in ittee. are th Since 1804 | galant | let. ng bulls, read | ) “ SON) (XK er A ge AS AO UNUSY Year MO O00 O00 wa era seeds | in fact, forward | are « from | | &ile | what | able | panions! the | pariia- | {men who are | areas, par will | if no | nz ela wagon | 4 and it is safe to say | ts ual pro- ade In the 1 ai FARMER IMMIGRANTS, pr— Some of Our Citizens Make Good Farmers~But Poor City Dwellers. Many of our Italian Immigrants are good farmers, after their fashion of laborious intensive cultivation, They, are wretchedly poor, but they are chil- drei of the soil and where they occas sionally do get into the same con- genial occupation in this country they make good farmers and eventually | good citizens, The greater part of the immigrants, now pouring into the country better qualified for agricultural and horticultural purs than for any others, These pursuits were theirs in their European homes, and but for certain difficulties they wouid natural- ly resort to them here, The troutue is, there is nobody ready, as a general thing, to offer them employment, in groups, on the land; and transporta- tion to the land is more or less expen- sive, On the other hand, there are al- ways contractors reddy to engage them for railroad, mining and similar em- ployments in the seaboard States, and sometimes in other States: more often they simply settle down in the big and ady congested They take they can get; and, more espe cially, what will be most likely to en- them to enjoy te continued com- ip of their fell immigrants, The newcomer dreads the isolation which will usually be his Jot if he ace epts employment on farm Under the far-gighte lita cities yw plan of the Western and are of to- _—_ part ‘alifornia w Mexico, all the difficulties d (rou { agri iit iri in + RAMe brought } owners on easy 80 Ob- Ne ie them wd land of which ir for others I'S / he jab r on to the ially when, may be own aqy ible sur- his race. alr profit demon- the to od places that we all should Yellowstone Park: Swiss Alps: Jar; A Kilondyke Camp; Cathedral, Rotterdam; Mexico City; Emperor Chickamauga Park: World's Fair; Hol Well, Pekin, Shinai the Mississippi; Garden of Gethsemane, 1a iol at ashing: lagara Falls; William 11 tures. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers