1916.] The Invention of Fire. 7 



taintv within a second of time. The problem that had to be 

 solved was to produce a stick, tipped with a sufficiency of 

 composition to ignite it when struck. With matches in our 

 hands, almost since the day we were born, it is very easy to 

 overlook the details. First a composition had to be invented 

 which would take fire but would not explode when struck or 

 rubbed. Then it had to be brought into contact with some- 

 thing which would preserve the flame from it temporarily at 

 least — a little stick or strip of paper was the obvious solution 

 It was eminently desirable to stick the stuff on the end of the 

 stick so that the two things were always together and available 

 for immediate use. That means the stuff must be such as to 

 take fire when struck : it must be sufficiently adhesive to 

 remain on the stick while the friction is taking place ; and it 

 must be sufficiently powerful to set fire to the stick, which, in 

 turn, must be able to take and maintain the fire. 



These are only a few of the problems that have to be 

 solved in the production of a really good match. The match 

 must be protected to some extent against damp. It must not 

 stink like the early sulphur abominations did. The red-hot 

 head must not fall off and. for further safety, the match must 

 only strike on the box. Wood of suitable quality, not too 

 brittle, easily cut into sticks, and sufficiently combustible must 

 be found in sufficient quantities. Poison must be avoided 

 and so on and so on. Now we accept matches as a matter of 

 course, and we forget all the skill and machinery involved in the 

 production of boxes of matches by thousands of millions. 



Let the match-user put himself back only a hundred 

 years into the days of flint and steel and let the fire-user put 

 himself back a hundred million vears to the days of the man- 

 monkey. Then let him consider the absence of the knowledge 

 of a match and of the presence of skill to invent it. And let 

 him consider the absence of knowledge of how to start or even 

 to utilise and control a fire and the absence of skill in almost 

 every direction save what might be called instinctive. Only 

 by disabusing the mind of present knowledge in this way can 

 the meaning of the "invention" of fire really be brought home 

 to us in these days of civilisation. 



f< Then tell me, for thou knowest. what is fire ? " 



***** * * 



< { This fire I seek 



I 



Not for myself, 



But for my children and the after time, 



For crreat the need thereof, wretched our state " : 



******* 



** and withdrew a tongue 



Of breathing flame, which lives to leap on earth 



For man the father of all fire to come." 



******* 



Oh heavenly fire, life's life, the eye of day. " 



(Prometheus the Firegiver.) (By Robert Bridges.) 



