Project Gutenberg's The Chemical History Of A Candle, by Michael Faraday

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Chemical History Of A Candle

Author: Michael Faraday

Release Date: December 26, 2004 [EBook #14474]
[Date last updated: October 1, 2005]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHEMICAL HISTORY OF A CANDLE ***

Produced by Clare Boothby, Richard Prairie and the PG Online
Distributed Proofreading Team

THE CHEMICAL
HISTORY OF A CANDLE

A COURSE OF LECTURES DELIVERED BEFORE A JUVENILE
AUDIENCE AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION

BY

MICHAEL FARADAY, D.C.L., F.R.S.

EDITED BY

WILLIAM CROOKES, F.C.S.

A NEW IMPRESSION, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON

CHATTO & WINDUS

1908

PREFACE

From the primitive pine-torch to the paraffin candle, how wide an
interval! between them how vast a contrast! The means adopted by man to
illuminate his home at night, stamp at once his position in the scale of
civilisation. The fluid bitumen of the far East, blazing in rude vessels
of baked earth; the Etruscan lamp, exquisite in form, yet ill adapted to
its office; the whale, seal, or bear fat, filling the hut of the Esquimaux
or Lap with odour rather than light; the huge wax candle on the glittering
altar, the range of gas lamps in our streets,--all have their stories to
tell. All, if they could speak (and, after their own manner, they can),
might warm our hearts in telling, how they have ministered to man's
comfort, love of home, toil, and devotion.

Surely, among the millions of fire-worshippers and fire-users who have
passed away in earlier ages, _some_ have pondered over the mystery of
fire; perhaps some clear minds have guessed shrewdly near the truth. Think
of the time man has lived in hopeless ignorance: think that only during a
period which might be spanned by the life of one man, has the tr