12 
A great mountaineering authority sums up the whole matter 
in these words. ‘‘ The prudent climber will recollect what he 
owes to his family and to his friends, he will also recollect that 
he owes something to the mountains, and will scorn to bring 
them into disrepute. He will not go on a glacier without a rope, 
he will not climb alone, he will treat a great mountain with the 
respect it deserves, he will turn his back steadily on mist and 
storm, he will not go where avalanches are in the habit of 
falling ; above all if he loves the mountains for their own sakes, 
for the lessons they can teach, and the happiness they can bring, he 
will do nothing that can discredit his manly pursuit, or bring 
down the ridicule of the undescerning upon the noblest pastime 
in the world.” ‘ 
THE HISTORY OF LIGHTING FROM THE 
EARLIEST TIMES. 
By EDWIN LAWRENCE, January 20th, 1891. 
How many ages man lived on the earth before he discovered 
fire it is useless to attempt to ascertain. His first fire must 
have been made of sticks and his first light a brand taken from 
the fire. He would soon discover that certain sticks kept 
burning while certain other woods that made capital fuel were 
unsuitable for carrying a light. Wherever the pine tree grows 
man uses a solid torch. This the Romans called ‘‘ Teda’’ and 
the Greeks ‘‘ Das” (6as), and in modern Greece the name 
is “Dadia” (dada). We are told that the ancient Greeks 
specially prepared the trees (pinus maritima) by making large 
incisions near the root, twelve months before they cut out that 
portion of the tree which had by this means become full of 
turpentine.—This plan of forming excellent torches is still 
practised in Modern Greece, in Norway, in America, and in fact 
wherever pine trees rich in turpentine flourish. Where, however, 
as in Italy, pine trees were not very common, man discovered 
that a “‘ bundle”’ of small twigs of almost any sort of wood keeps 
alight. The Romans called such a torch ‘ Fax,” (a bundle), 
the Greeks ‘‘ Phanos”’ (favds), and Oak, Ilex, Hazel, Hornbeam, 
and Vine are mentioned as specially suitable. (Athenzeus 
xv., 57, 61.—Pliny H.N., xvi., 18., xviii, 26—Aristophanes 
Lys: 308). Pliny likewise (H.N., xix., 2) mentions Spanish 
broom. ‘Torches of this description were in such general use 
that early evening was called <‘ first torch” (prima fax).’ These 
torches in later times were usually filled inside with fibrous 
