There is not a higher or more beautiful example of the operations of nature than a burning candle. Consider the cup formed by the rising air cooling the outside wax, while the heat within melts the fuel. See how that melted fluid ascends through the wick against gravity, driven by the quiet beauty of capillary attraction. In that glowing tip, carbon and oxygen join in brilliant union, radiating warmth and light. There is no door through which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy better than by considering the phenomena of a candle.