American inventions and inventors . cooked are partly protected from thecold by their thick, shaggy cover-ings of fur; but even in very coldregions they have no warm firearound which to gather. Man isthe only fire-making animal, andto this fact he owes much of hispower. If we read the histoiy of theworld, and especially the story ofthe earlier life of the different na-tions and peoples, we shall find thatfire was considered by them all to beone of the greatest blessings belong-ing to man. They thought that thegods whom they worshipped alsotreasured fire. The Romans offered sacrif
American inventions and inventors . cooked are partly protected from thecold by their thick, shaggy cover-ings of fur; but even in very coldregions they have no warm firearound which to gather. Man isthe only fire-making animal, andto this fact he owes much of hispower. If we read the histoiy of theworld, and especially the story ofthe earlier life of the different na-tions and peoples, we shall find thatfire was considered by them all to beone of the greatest blessings belong-ing to man. They thought that thegods whom they worshipped alsotreasured fire. The Romans offered sacrifices to Vesta, thegoddess of the fireplace, and it was the duty of the vestal vir-gins to keep a fire always burning on her altar. Among theGreeks the hearth or fireplace itself was an objector w^ early peoples regarded the blessing of fire as sogreat that they believed it must have originally belonged tothe gods alone. Many of them had traditions that the godsdid not permit men in the earliest ages to have any knowl-. A VESTAL VIRGIN. HEAT—FIRE. I 5 edge or use of fire. Myths or stories have been foundamong the people of Australia, Asia, Europe, and America,telling how fire had been stolen from the gods and broughtdown to men. The best of these stories is that of the Greek,Prometheus, whose name means forethought. This an-cient mythical hero was supposed to have been the greatfriend and benefactor of mankind. But of all his gifts tomen the most valuable was the gift of fire. According tothe old myth, Prometheus went up into Olympus, the Greekheaven, and was welcomed by the gods. While there heexamined the fire of the gods and thought what a blessing itwould be to mankind. Acting under the advice of Athene,the goddess of wisdom, he stole some fire from the sun god,concealed it in a hollow reed, and brought it back with himto earth. In early times there were no matches, and if a fire wentout it was not easy to kindle it again. Probably the peoplewondered how the fi
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