The Oil Lamps Do two ruDimentary lighting Devices carry the weight anD power of generations past anD those to come? or are they mere relics in a worlD that has moveD far beyonD their form by Mike ScruggS I have two oil lamps on my living room mantelpiece. They have been there a number of years now and I light them frequently, even when the electricity is working fine. I find familiarity and comfort in them, but I've never taken the time to ask myself why. Are my oil lamps simply objects that I enjoy viewing and on rare occasions actually find useful, or do they have subliminal sig- The oil lamps' simplicity is also their complexity. nificance? I suspect that may be the case. Why otherwise would objects with no artistic merit, limited utility and little financial worth deliver November/December 2015 17