By S. E. Forman
1911
THE MATCH
There never was a time when the world was without fire, but there was a time when men did not know how to kindle fire, and after they learmed how to kindle one, it was a long, long time before they learned how to kindle one easily. In
these days we can kindle a fire without any trouble, because we can easily get a match but we must remember that the match is one of the most wonderful things in the world, and that it took men thousands of years to learn how to make
one. Let us leam the history of this familiar e object, the match
Fire was first given to man by nature itself. When a forest is set on fire by cinders from a neighboring volcano, or when a tree is set ablaze by a thunderbot, we may say that nature strikes a match in the early history of the world, nature
had to kindle all the fires, for man by his own effort was unable to produce a spark. The first method, then, of getting fire for use was to light sacks of wood at a flame kindled by nature-by a volcano, perhaps, or by a stroke of lightning
These frebrands were carried to the home and used in kinding the fires there. The fire secured in this way was carefully guarded and was kept burning as long as possible. But the fame, however fathfully watched, would sometimes be
extinguished. A sudden gust of wind or a sudden shower would put it out. Then a new firebrand would have to be secured, and this often meant a long journey and a deal of trouble
in 1827, John Walker, a druggist in a small English town, tipped a splint with sulphur, chlorate of potash, and sulphid of antimony, and rubbed it on sandpaper, and it burst into fame. The druggst had discovered the first friction-chemical
match, the kind we use to-day. It is called triction-chemical because it is made by moong certain chemicals together and rubbing them, Athough Walker's match did not require the bottle of acid, nevertheless it was not a good one. It could
be lighted only by hard rubbing, and it sputtered and threw fire in all directions. In a few years, however, phosphorus was substituted on the tip for antimony, and the change worked wonders. The match could now be lighted with very me
ructing, and it was no longer necessary to have sandpaper upon which to rub t. It would ignite when rubbed on any dry surtace, and there was no longer any sputtering. This was the phosphorus match, the match with which we are so
Which of the following is the best paraphrase of the second paragraph?
O Fire often comes from nature, such as a volcano or lightening striking a tree. Before human could create their own fire, it only came from nature Humans first got their own fire by lighting sticks of wood from where nature
caused a fire. People guarded the fires to keep them from going out, except that sometimes, would go out Wind or rain would put out the fire and then they would have to find more fre
O Fire was first only available from natural causes, such as volcanos or lighting strikes Humans would take fire from natural causes and bring it home
O in 1827, a man named John Walker came up with a formula of friction (sandpaper) and chemicals (sulphur, chlorate of potash, and sulphid of antimony) to create the very first match it didn't work incredibly well, as it needed a
very hard strike and five got everywhere, so he changed his formula later. Matches now needed less pressure and different chemicals and didn't need to be struck on sandpaper. These are the phosphorus matches that we still use
today
O The earth has always had fire, but humans didn't know how to make themselves. After they finally learned, it was hard for them for a while. Today, it's easy because we can just get a match, but matches are amazing it took
humans many years to learn to make matches, so let's examine the history of the match