Light My Fire

Today we were advised to use long matches to light our fireplace gas instead of the handy dandy Bic lighter we had been using. So off to the hardware store. Two boxes of Long Reach Matches were purchased. That ought to last us for a while. I decided to light a candle. Couldn't get that match to strike. We haven't had matches in the house for years. No need for them with a BIC. So what is the deal? The match wouldn't light. Struck it on a rough trivet, some sandpaper, and finally went outside to try cement. Nope. I had looked at the box and noticed that the matches were made of wood from a responsibly managed forest. What I didn't see was the square brown space that was labeled "Strike here." Always read the instructions.