THE FIREPLACE 211 



sulphur matches; in fact, they often cause accidental fires. 

 Another serious trouble with the parlor match is that it 

 is deadly to the workmen (and these are largely women 

 and children) who handle it. They are frequently at- 

 tacked by a dreadful disease called "phossy jaw." For 

 these reasons many governments forbid the use of parlor 

 matches. 



Safety matches are less convenient to use than other forms, because 

 they must be struck against the surface of the box; but they are not so 

 likely to take fire, and are much less dangerous to make. The reason 

 for this is that safety matches use red phosphorus, instead of the more 

 active yellow form, and that the phosphorus is on the striking surface 

 instead of on the splint itself. The striking surface is red phosphorus 

 and sand; the tip contains antimony sulphide, some oxidizing substance, 

 and glue. A " strike anywhere" match is now being made with phos- 

 phorus sulphide, a substance that does not cause the evil effects of 

 yellow phosphorus. 



238. The Fireplace. It is hard for us to realize that 

 modern methods of heating are of such recent origin that 

 our grandparents, or certain!^ our great-grandparents, 

 lived at a time when all of these methods were little 

 known, and when the heating and much of the lighting 

 of the house was done by the open fireplace (Fig. 201). 

 No modern method of heating brings into the house the 

 cheer and sentiment that belonged to the fireplace; hence 

 men try, whenever possible, to use it as an ornament, no 

 matter what system they use for the actual heating. But 

 the fireplace is more than an ornament, for it is one of 

 the best means of ventilation (cf. 248), carrying out the 

 foul, cooled, lower air, and making room for the warmed, 

 fresh air that is so much needed for health and comfort. 



The accessories of the fireplace were numerous. The necessary 



