CHAPTER II 

 FIRE AND HEAT 



I. HEAT, ITS USES AND CONTROL 



28. Uses of fire. What are some of the important common 

 uses of fire? Prepare a list of its uses in the home, in indus- 

 tries, and in the arts and sciences. Compare present uses of 

 heat and heating appliances with those of the age of the Pil- 

 grims in New England. 



Fire has played an important role in the spread and settle- 

 ment of men over all the earth, as is quickly recognized from 

 a rapid survey of a few of the chief facts. What was the cus- 

 tom of the ancient Greeks in respect to fire when they were 

 sending a colony of the young away to a new land? How did 

 the Romans show their regard for fire? Without the aid of fire 

 could men have conquered the northern and colder regions 

 and acquired their natural resources ? How in our present 

 world could manufacture, transportation, and travel continue 

 without the energy produced by fire? 



The production of fire and the discovery of its uses must be 

 considered supremely important events in the history of man- 

 kind. By means of fire man has increased his control of the 

 world and its resources. Through its use he is enabled to 

 endure the rigors of climate, to increase wonderfully the food 

 supply, and to improve food materials for all purposes. The 

 clothes we wear, our buildings, the tools, machinery, utensils, 

 and instruments employed in the industries, are largely made 

 possible by the magic effects of fire. Fire and the wheel have 

 together been the means whereby man has made into thorough- 

 fares the vast and uneven stretches of land, the restless oceans, 



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