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Show NEW YORK TOWN STICKS TO CANDLES AND LAMPS Towns aro llko Individuals. Thoy seldom get over early prejudices. Thero Is ono town within n day's travel trav-el of tho metropolis where n majority 01 tho residents still burn lamps and candles In preference to gas. The town has never run away with Itself, but It has manngod to keep lu sight of tho procession by Jogr4ng nlong nt a conservative gait, except lu tho way of light. Ono of Its Inhabitants Inhab-itants who was hero the other day explained ex-plained what to Mime pooplo Is a peculiarity pe-culiarity of his town. "A" good many years ago, he said, "after a good deal of dickering and persuasion, our town gavo the right of way to a gas company to lay mains and put up lamp posts. Tho peoplo, however, declined to havo gas In their i.ouses or In their places of buslnoss. Women were afraid of It and thnt settled set-tled it. "A year or so Inter a denomination that had a number of rich members built n new church. It would havo been an attractive edifice for ovon a moro pretentious town. After 'It was completed a blhhop waB Invited to dcdlcnto it. "Tho gas company saw In tho event nn opportunity to crush out a prejudice, preju-dice, and proposed to light tho new church on tho ulght of tho dedication dedica-tion with gas. Tho main In tho street wns tapped nnd a pipe was 'run Into a portable gas reservoir which stood In front of tho church. From this rubber tubes wero distributed through the church. "As tho gas was turned Into tho reservoir It gradually expanded tho rubber lining until the latter assumed tho proportions of nn lullnted balloon. A gas company would not do It that way now, but It was tho only way known at tho tlmo I mention. "Tho crowd was outsldo Instcnd of In: The gas display was a revelation to the town. About the only peoplo In tho church wero tho bishop, tho minister, tho choir nnd tho governors of the church. Tho choir sang all the music It knew, and still tho congregation con-gregation tarried without. "Somo time after tho hour when tho service should have been undor way thero was nn explosion. Tho lining of thq reservoir burst. Tho crowd scattered. Tho lights in the church were extinguished. "A fow minutes later the bishop and tho minister nnd tho choir and tho governors escaped by windows nnd doors. Tho ntmosphoro that hangs over a gluo factory was like now-mown now-mown hay compared with that of tho vicinity of the now church. "Of course, nfter tho explosion had occurred every old woman in the town said sho know It would. And they still bellovo U Is liable to burst any minute, and that Is why our town, moderately up to date In other respects, re-spects, Is still burning kerosene and cnndlcs In Its houses. "Somo of tho moro modern folks have ventured to try electric lighting, but thero Is ono town In this country whero tho gas trust never got In Its work." New York Sun. |