FIEE AS AN AGENT IN HUMAN CULTUEE 213 



made for the purpose. The tallow rendered by boiling and straining 

 was placed in a large crock the depth of a candle. As the tallow 

 was used water was poured in, and thus the tallow could be used up. 



The dippers began by separating the rods to each end of the 

 frame. The crock was set between them and one dipped with the 

 left hand the other with the right. They dipped, the wicks and 

 placed the rods back of those not dipped, continuing till the candles 

 were of the proper size. As the dipping was done in the cool autumn 

 weather, very little grease was spilt and the candles would "dry" 

 rapidly. Newly dipped candles were as yellow as beeswax, but after 

 lying awhile in the dark candle box they became bleached. When 

 the candles were throughly cooled they were squared at the bottom 

 by passing them carefully over a skillet inverted over hot coals. 

 Near the latter part of the dipping candles became too large at 

 the butt. These were reduced by swinging them through the hot 

 tallow. The final act was to trim the wicks and store the candles 

 in tight boxs. The rush makes an excellent wick because it burns 

 to ashes and does not require snuffing. It could be used for dipped 

 candles but not for molded candles, as it was not strong enough to 

 draw. In Ireland a boat-shaped iron dish called grissette was used 

 for dipping candles. It was set on the earth and candles were 

 dipped when needed. Wax candles were almost invariably made 

 by hand, by pouring melted wax on the wick from a ladle or by 

 drawing through a die in making tapers. The earliest method was 

 forming the softened wax around the wick by hand manipulation, 

 and finishing by rolling. The ladle method came later, and the 

 drawing method later still. Flambeaux are described as being con- 

 structed of four wicks covered with wax laid together and wax 

 poured on them, then smoothed by rolling. In the developed 

 candle industry wax candles are made in molds. Candles in 

 Japan, Korea, and China were molded in paper tubes set on a 

 board pierced for the rod holding the coiled wick. Candles 

 of soft material were coated with a layer of beeswax by 

 dipping. 



CandlewicTcs. — It has long been recognized that the efficiency of a 

 candle depends upon the character of the wick, the criteria being size, 

 construction, and combustibility. The domestic art had worked out 

 its formula in the number of threads in the cotton wick, the advan- 

 tage of a half cotton and half flax wick, the improvement of the wick 

 by twisting, and the value of a flat braided wick which curves over 

 out of the flame. Franklin's discovery of the light given by two jux- 

 taposed flames was applied in the two-wicked candle called " cobbler's 

 candle." About 1845 a candle with a hollow wick was invented, fol- 

 lowing, no doubt, the idea of the tubular lampwick increasing the 

 aeration of the flame. The Soho candle lamp of this period was of 



