(1) The poignant opening is a description of him as a child, fascinated by moving light, watching the lamplighter come up the street lighting the lamps.(2) At dusk the lamplighter would go along on his bicycle carrying matches and a ladder over his shoulder.(3) A bit before the sun broke upon the horizon, the lamplighter put out the lamps that lined the streets.(4) These days they want to know about the history of people who were not kings or queens, but weavers and miners, felling hands and lamplighters .(5) Elevator operators, typesetters, and airplane navigators have followed milkmaids and lamplighters into oblivion.
