Daughter. Yes, mother, it has taken fire; but I had to hold it up to the lamp much longer than I did the paper.
Mother. Now take this piece of hard wood, and do the same with that.
Daughter. The hard wood takes longer still to catch fire, mother.
Mother. Yes, my child. And now I am going to make the hard wood take fire more quickly than the paper did.
Daughter. Dear mother, how can you do it?
Mother. I am going to show you, my dear. Here is a small phial, which contains something that looks like water. It is spirits of turpentine. I shall dip the point of the piece of hard wood into the phial, and take up a little of the spirits of turpentine. Now, Caroline, touch the point of the hard wood with the turpentine on it to the flame.
Daughter. Why, mother, it caught fire as soon as I touched the flame with it!
Mother. Yes, certainly; and you now see that some things, like the spirits of turpentine and the paper, take fire very readily, and others take fire with more difficulty.
Daughter. Yes, mother; but when Alice drew the match across the sand-paper, there was no flame nor fire to touch it to. How, then, could it take fire?
Mother. Hold this piece of paper up to the blaze of the lamp, my dear, but be careful not to touch the fire or flame of the lamp; only hold it close to the blaze.