CHAPTER XXIX 

 ARTIFICIAL LIGHT 



197. The First Artificial Light. Primitive man did not 

 have much use for artificial light because he did no reading 

 or sewing; he found ample time during daylight to do his 

 work. The open fire was the first artificial light employed 

 by man. With fire some of the food was prepared and 

 the rude dwelling places were lighted. Man then learned 

 to carry a burning piece of wood while going about in dark 

 caves or at night. Pine wood or wood dipped in animal 

 oil or fat served well for this purpose. By experimenting 

 with animal oil man found that it could be molded into 

 sticks with some kind of a substance in the center to serve 

 as a wick. As with all inventions it took many years for 

 the candle to be perfected. The candle was used for 

 several thousand years without much improvement or 

 modification except in the method by which it was 

 made. 



198. Oil and Gas. During this long period of man's 

 improvement of artificial lighting from the discovery of 

 fire to the perfected candle, and during many millions 

 of years before this, there were being formed in the earth 

 large quantities of petroleum, gas, and coal. These were 

 formed of plant and animal matter which was deeply 

 buried millions of years ago by the deposit of sand and 

 clay which was carried by flowing water from the highlands 

 into the low and swampy places and by the rising and 

 sinking of the crust of the earth. It was not until recent 



