Artificial Light: Its Influence upon CivilizationLuckiesh, Matthew
History
Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization
Luckiesh, Matthew
Electric lighting; Lighting -- History
After the close of the recent war artificial light played a prominent
part throughout the country in the joyful festivals. A jeweled arch
erected in New York in honor of the returning soldiers rivaled some of
the spectacles of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The arch hung like a
gigantic curtain of jewels between two obelisks, which rose to a height
of eighty feet and were surmounted by jeweled forms in the shape of
sunbursts. Approximately thirty thousand jewels glittered in the beams
of batteries of arc-projectors. Many of the signs and devices which
played a part in the "Welcome Home" movement were of striking nature and
of a character to indicate permanency. The equipment of a large building
consisted of more than five thousand 10-watt lamps, the entire building
being outlined with stars consisting of eleven lamps each. The "Brighten
Up" campaign spread throughout the country. The lighting and
installation of signs and special patriotic displays, the flooding of
streets and shop-windows with light without stint, produced an inspiring
and uplifting effect which did much to restore cheerfulness and
optimism. A glowing example was set in Washington, where the
flood-lighting of the Capitol, discontinued shortly after our entrance
into the war, was resumed.
In Chicago a "Victory Way" was established, with street-lighting posts
on both sides of the street equipped with red, white, and blue globes
surmounted by a golden goddess of Victory. One hundred and seventy-five
projectors were installed along the way on the roofs and in the windows
of office buildings. A brilliant, scintillating "Altar of Victory" was
erected at the center of the Way. It was composed of two enormous
candelabra erected one on each side of a platform ninety feet high.
These were studded with jewels and supported a curtain of jewels
suspended from the altar. In the center of the curtain was a huge
jeweled eagle bearing the Allied flags. This was illuminated by
arc-projectors which delivered 200,000,000 beam candle-power. In
addition to these there were many smaller projectors. In the top of each
candelabra six large red-and-orange lamps were installed in reflectors.
These illuminated live steam which issued from the top. Surmounting the
whole was a huge luminous fan formed by beams from large arc
search-lights. These are only a few of the many lighting effects which
welcomed the returning soldiers, but they illustrate how much modern
civilization depends upon artificial light for expressing its feelings
and emotions. Throughout all these festivals light silently symbolized
happiness, freedom, and advancement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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