It was a 1931 black-and-white silent film starring Charlie Chaplin, a wandering tramp who meets a blind girl selling flowers on the street and struggles to raise money for her hospital bills to help her regain sight.
The blind girl can see the world with his help and eventually recognizes the poor but warm-hearted protagonist at the movie's end. Charlie Chaplin's shy smile toward the girl who recognizes him in the film's last scene is a famous scene that remains in the memory of many who saw the movie.
The title of the movie City Lights refers to the city streetlights illuminating the night's darkness. The audience watching the movie realizes the warmth and light illuminating the world's darkness is ultimately the poor, wandering protagonist. The city streetlights illuminate the darkness, showing people where to go and promoting safety and security. They don't have the light and warmth of the tramp.
Historically, the first streetlights were torches installed in public places and major roads during the Roman era. In the 18th century, streetlights using whale oil lit up the nights of major European cities such as London, Paris, and Amsterdam. In 1807, the world's first gas lamp was installed in London, illuminating the streets at night until the early 19th century.
After Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, the world's first electric street light was installed on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in 1878. Streetlights using electricity are still in use today. With the advancement of science and technology, LEDs are now used in streetlights instead of incandescent bulbs.
Until a few years ago, yellow light was widely used in street lights. Yellow light is generated by sodium lamps that emit light by discharging sodium gas. Since it has the second-longest wavelength after red, the light can be transmitted far, making it easy to see even in foggy and dusty weather conditions. That's why car fog lights and signals are yellow.
Unlike white lights, which help distinguish the color of an object, the disadvantage of yellow street lights is that it is difficult to determine the color of an object. However, when driving at night, this is not a problem because you only need to check the size and shape of the car for safety, rather than the car's color coming from the opposite direction.
These days, they are replaced with white LED lights that consume less electricity. Pope Leo XIV, elected in the conclave on May 8, 2025, delivered a message in his homily at his first mass on the 9th, saying, "I hope that the church can brighten the night of this world."
There is still much darkness in the world, such as poverty, hunger, the gap between the rich and the poor, human rights issues, war, and various crimes. As the new pope said, I hope that the Catholic Church will drive out such darkness and become a light that brightens the world and a light to the world. Every Catholic believer should strive to become a light that dispels the darkness of the world and a light source that does not let the light that the church has lit go out.
"You are the light of the world." Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)
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