Lesson 30 About Burning

We are going to have a chat tonight about things that burn, said Fred.

Father says he is not busy now, so I have asked him to come in and help us, for fear anything might happen. Here is father. Now, Norah, go and bring me your rag-bag, with your doll's pieces. I have a lot to show you.

Fred went and found a candle. He lighted it, stood it on the table, and spread out all the things they had got.

Now, children, said his father, "I think I had better do the burning, if Fred will show me what he wants. Then you won't get into mischief."

All right, father, said Fred. "Are you all ready? Then let us begin."

His father then held a lot of things, one by one, as Fred gave them to him, in the flame of the candle. As they caught fire he put them out quickly.

First there were pieces of muslin, cotton-wool, silk, and cloth from Norah's rag-bag. Then a piece of paper, some feathers, a piece of wool, and a piece of leather. Then a thin stick of wood, some hay and straw, and a strip of whalebone. As they burned, Fred laid them aside in two heaps on the table. Just then Fred's mother looked in.

What are you children doing? she cried. "I can smell something burning. I hope you are not playing with the fire." She had not seen father there."

All right, mother, said he, "I'm here. They shall not come to any harm."

Now then, said Fred, "all these things take fire, but some of them burn more fiercely than others. I have put some in one heap, and some in another. In this lot are the silk, wool, cloth, feathers, leather, and whalebone. Don't forget that we get all these things from animals. They all burn very slowly."

Show us the burning wool again, father, please. It frizzles slowly in the flame, and so would all the others.

In this heap are the cotton-wool, muslin, calico, paper, hay, straw, and wood. We get these things from plants. If any one of them is put into the flame, it blazes up in an instant. All animal substance burns slowly; those things which come from plants blaze up quickly.

Our little Norah, with her cotton frock and apron, must keep away from the fire. Her clothes would quickly blaze up, and then she would be burnt to death.

SUMMARY

We get hay, straw, paper, muslin, calico, and wood from plants. These, and all other things which come from plants, blaze up quickly in the fire. Silk, cloth, wool, feathers, leather, and whale-bone come from animals. They all frizzle slowly, but do not burn well.