Illuminating Memories of Days Gone By

Something that only the older generations will remember and which we will probably never see again is the Old Lamplighter making his rounds.
When I was growing up in Philly in the 1930s, there was a ritual which happened every night, at about 5 o'clock. A little old man would travel the side streets and alleys of Philadelphia, carrying a four-foot ladder and a zinc coated bucket containing various paraphernalia, like rags, brushes, water and other odds and ends, which were used use to clean the street lamps and light them before darkness set in.
The Lamp Lighter would set up his ladder against the lamp post, the only way to reach the glass chimney-like fixture surrounding the gas wick mechanism at the top of the post, which had to be cleaned. He also adjusted the flow of the gas jet before replacing the glass chimney, after lighting it with a flint stick.
When the lamp was reassembled, he stood back to admire his handiwork before moving on to the next lamppost on his list.
These lamps were installed on the sidewalk of the side streets and alleyways which would otherwise be pitch black for the residents and pedestrians living in the area. They would remain lit all through the night hours until daylight, then they would mysteriously go out until the Lamplighter returned the next evening to follow the same ritual. There was a song written about this ritual, "The Old Lamplighter," which was popular in those days and still leaves a nostalgic memory for me and those of us who remember those days.