Lamps and Light
Before electricity entered our life, we had some interesting times. Not ever having had any of the conveniences electricity was able to give us, we didn't miss them at all.
One of the main inconveniences we put up with was our lighting. We had nothing but kerosene lamps in the house. One such lamp was designated as our upstairs lamp. Every night, when it was time to retire, one of us was elected to take the lamp upstairs and set it on a chest in the hallway between the two bedrooms. There it would stay. First the younger children retired, and then the lamp was turned low until the older girls went to bed. They would then extinguish the flame. The next morning it was carried downstairs so it would be ready for the next night.
In our kitchen, the lamp was situated at one end of the long room. It rested in a bracket and had a reflector, which could be turned to focus on a specific place. This place was usually the sink, where we had many dishes to wash after feeding a large family. Other jobs done in the kitchen that required more light such as preparing food, baking and cleaning, were usually left for day time hours.
After chores, when the work for the day was completed, we had a few hours that we could spend together as a family. The dining room table was the hub of this activity, as this was the lightest place. The lamp was set in the center, and all gathered around to do his thing. It was a cozy feeling. Sometimes we read or did our school work. Many times we played cards or some of our favorite games like lotto and dominoes. It was also around this table that we learned to knit and crochet by lamplight. We always looked forward to this time around the table with our family.
Later on we got an Aladdin lamp. It was bigger and fancier and gave more light than an ordinary lamp, but it was still just a kerosene lamp. In 1939 when we moved to Wausau, we took this lamp with us and had it converted to electricity. For some reason, the chimney for that lamp is still in my basement. It landed there when we moved and was just never disposed of.
Our newest and most modern lamp was a gas lamp with mantles. It hung from the ceiling in the living room. It gave more light and spread it a greater distance, but was never as friendly or cozy as the kerosene light. We seldom used it as no one lit it but our dad. It flared up when it was lit and we were all afraid of it. Furthermore, our living room was only used for company, and that was not a daily occurrence.
Finding our way in our log barn with a kerosene lantern was often quite awkward. The lantern hung in the center of the barn, and all the corners remained dark, as the light did not spread that far. Except for the presence of the friendly cows, it was not a very cozy place to be at night.
When we moved to Wausau (in 1939), we had electric lights. In all the rooms in our small house, we just had a cord hanging from the ceiling with a light bulb at the end. We had no light fixtures or floor lamps, but we appreciated turning on the lights when evening came, without the extra job of washing lamp chimneys and filling the lamps with kerosene.
This was also the year I started teaching, so when we moved to town where there was electricity, I went to a country school to teach where there was no electricity. So I went right back to struggling with kerosene lamps. And during the two years I was at this school, I did struggle.
In my school I had a gas lamp with mantles and a kerosene lantern. On dark days, when I should have lit the gas lamp, I lit the kerosene lantern instead. I had never lit a gas lamp before and I was not about to start now when all the children present were my responsibility. At least, by lighting the lantern, I felt like I was doing something to try to help the situation.
In winter, it got dark very early at the end of the day, -just like now. Having stacks of papers to correct after school, with all eight grades, as well as preparing for the next day, I would light the kerosene lantern, set it on my desk, and get to work. This was not very conducive to keeping healthy eyes! Besides, the lantern threw eerie shadows and made the schoolroom look "spooky". I finally decided to pack up my work, walk in the dark to my boarding place, and finish up there. I must not have been quite as "spooky" then as I am now, because today I would pack up my work as soon as it started to get dark!
With electricity and lighting as it is today, I often wonder if we appreciate our lights and other conveniences as much as we ought to.