of it have been found in Greece and Egypt.

Fire and light have been closely associated in various religious creeds
and their ceremonies. The Hindu festival in honor of the goddess of
prosperity is attended by the burning of many lamps in the temples and
homes. The Jewish synagogues have their eternal lamps and in their
rituals fire and light have played prominent roles. The devout Brahman
maintains a fire on the hearth and worships it as omniscient and divine.
He expects a brand from this to be used to light his funeral pyre, whose
fire and light will make his spirit fit to enter his heavenly abode. He
keeps a fire burning on the altar, worships Agni, the god of fire, and
makes fire sacrifices on various occasions such as betrothals and
marriages. To the Mohammedans lighted lamps symbolize holy places, and
the Kaaba at Mecca, which contains a black stone supposed to have been
brought from heaven, is illuminated by thousands of lamps. Many of the
uses to which light was put in ancient times indicate its rarity and
sacred nature. Doubtless, the increasing use of artificial light at
festivals and celebrations of the present time is partly the result of
lingering customs of bygone centuries and partly due to a recognition of
an innate appeal or attribute of light. Certainly nothing is more
generally appropriate in representing joy and prosperity.

Throughout all countries ancient races had woven natural light and fire
into their rites and customs, so it became a natural step to utilize
artificial light and fire in the same manner. It would be tedious and
monotonous to survey the vast field of ancient worship of light, for the
underlying ideas are generally similar. The mythology of the Greeks is
illustrative of the importance attached to fire and light by the
cultivated peoples of ancient times. The myth of Prometheus emphasizes
the fact that in those remote periods fire and light were regarded as of
prime importance. According to this myth, fire and light were contained
in heaven and great cunning and daring were necessary in order to obtain
it. Prometheus stole this heavenly fire, for which act he was chained to
the mountain and made to suffer. The Greeks mark this event as the
beginning of human civilization. All arts are traced to Prometheus, and
all earthly woe likewise. As past history is surveyed it appears natural
to think of scientific men who have become martyrs to the quest of
hidden secrets. They have made gre