Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-04-28
SCIENCE or SOAP.
sapo- Historical Sketch ---Babbitt's
Great New York Mandatory.
Immense Facilities Description oi the
Largest Soap Kettles inthe World
One and a Half Million Pounds
Of Soap Boiling at Once. -
Manufacture Of SaleratuS, Sal Soda,
Cream Tartar, Yeast Powders, &c.
Interesting Account OF One Of Our
Great Domestic Manufactures,

Interesting Account OF One Of Our
Great Domestic Manufactures
From the Chicago Republican,
4f NEW YORK, Feb. 10.
now WE CAME TO 60 THERE.
While crossing the Jersey City ferry not
long since in ono of those miscellaneous
crowds that surge over the river at thar
point, we were approached by a respectable
looking party carrying heavy basket on his
arm, and who politely tendered us per-
of soap. We are not in the custom of maxi
ing purchases on ferry-boats;.i it Ia possible,
too, that we might have been slightly in
censed that Ourpers0naeL should induce any
one to believe us inneed OF 80 suggestive an
article as soap; although, thought we, not a
bad place to use an unlimited Quantity there.
of; we we're, therefore, with considerable
asperity OF countenanCe, about To de-
cline the proffered purchase, when, to our as
tonishment, we found it to be d gift, and still
more to our wonder, as far as we could see,
every man, woman and child ON the boat, both
filthy and neat, received similar present.
To the majority, it must be said, it was an
appropriate gift. Surely, thought we, the true
philanthropist is abroad, and why should
NOV Piii"mvnroPy nnu al appropriate sphere
in combating filth since cleanliness ia next to
godlness?" Might not the influence of a
cake OF swoet-scented soap go farther than a
tractt Muslng thus, we reached the law
Office OF friend on Broadway. He slood Ia
a beautiful attitude before the fire, holding
to his nose like gift which the aoap-colpor.
teur had Few minutes before placed in his
hand.
"Look here, this is good thing" said he.
holding itup; and thcreupon we compared
notes and soap, and discoursed concerning
soap and legislation--w daily jostled to and
fro by the throngs OF "the great unwashed.D
and convinced by the logic of dirty facts.
Thus reasoned we-if, as has been said, a
peoples civilization is measured by the guam
lty OF it's detergonts-if these are the rela-
tions between cleanliness and refine ent OK
pressed In the proverb of Emerson or its
converse. "The less dirt the more piano.
why should not the elective franchise, for in
stance, be. conditioned upon the personal
consumption of specific quantity of this
agent ''And were the framer of such a
law" said our friend, gancng at the cake he
held in his hand; wherever in such act of
legislation the word soap should
should modify it," Doubtless" replied we:
"the soap.maker should stand well up among
the worthless Of the Industrial Peerage." And
and it was in this wise that we became there.
upon visitor at one of the greatest SOAP
manufactures in the land, and learned for
the first time how soap for the million ia
made The interest thus excited and deep
ening with investigation; the immense sta
tistics reproduction and facilities so entirely
beyond the common order of things will war
rant relation of what we saw. If our peo-
pie made themselves more familiar with the
methods by which the common necessares
of hIe are produced, doubtless they Would
be served with those of greater purity and
excellence. -.
sAPo,HIsToSn.aI.
Not even the learned BacAmann, ,sIb.lfXS
written 30 well about common lhlnns. canS
tell ua certainly who fllst dlaeoyefe soap,
ifmotinvented by the NGapls, as Pliny init
mates, possibly, like me, II was stolen from
the gods by some dirt-despising son of an.
tiqnity. Nature intended the use of deter
gents when she furnished men with Sapona-
ceous plants, one OF which certainly, the
Sb'Ndifu11, WAS anciently used for cleansing
purposes; but that there were pre-sapona-
ceons days when clothing was merely rubbed
or stamped in water without the aid of any
erasiye substance or mechanical contriyance
whatever, Is evident from Homers descrip-
ton of an ancient washing day whom Nausioaa
presided over her washerwomen.
''Theu, emulous, the royal robes they lave
And plunge tho Vestures In tho cleansing wave
danes OF more than angelic dispositions. or
the early masculine portion OF our race
doubtless had not survived the horrors oh
many ages OF successive soapless washing
DAYS The first recorded manufacture Of
soap was from goats tallow and the ashes of
the beech tree; this the Germans learned
from the Gauls and communicated 10 the
Romans, who used their first soap rather as
a cosmetic than detergent. The latter are
said to have attained to considerable prof.
cheney in the manufacture, although we can
hardly credit the statement that a complete
soap makers establishment was dug from
the ruins oil Pompeil, when we learn to what
shifts the ancient washers and scourers we're
put to procure an alkali, as they wero COM
PEELED TO collect for this purpose tho urine of
animals and men, in which IL is found-a
practice common in England at even late
| period, The soap-makers OF the time of
Queen Anne used potash and salt as at tho
present day; but 1t was the discovery in 1904,
by lie Blanc, OF means Of producing a
cheap alhali from common salt and that Of
Cheyreal, in 1911, in determining the con.
sttuent elements of fats, that raised the
manufacture Of soap to the dignity and ex-
actnef Of mn art.
| IL Is safe to suppose that most people do
not understand the philosophy OF soap. The
fats, once considered simple products, are
composed OF an acid and base; the latter is
readily displaced when the fat is brought in
contact with an aikalij the potash, for in
| stance, forms a new compound or soap with
the fatty acid, and the value OF soap as
means Of removing dirt, consists in the read
mess with which that latter union is partially
dissolved on the application Of water, leaving
the alkali in modified form, free to attack
the substances called dirt, with which IL
unites and becomes th9 vehicle, 80 to speak,
operation that takes place In washing with
soap an operation ''not TOO traing 10 Be rem
dered useful, or, AT least, agreeable, by being
treated In scientific manner"
d. T. BABBITT.
The leading soap manufacturer OF this coun-
try, laid the foundation Of his present i'm
mense business quarter OF century ago.
on the spot now occupiedby his prost mt mag.
nifcent establishment. His sncceasful ca
recr from small beginnings, against disheart.
4 ening difficulties, presents q rare illustration
Of what may bo accomplished by q life long
persstency. Enterprise, energy and close
application TO business. are not, however, In.
fallble elements OF success; there must be
largo foresight, special adaptation OF genius,
an inventive, or, at least a mechanical turn
Of mind, aB well rs good deal OF good luck.
10 insure great success inbuildinR up great
mandatory from nothing Qualities and in
cidonts, none OF which, fortunately wero in
this instance. wanting. The single email
building which, 20 years ago, waa ample to
contain such facilities as his incipient
business warranted, has grown into an enor-
nous pilo OF brick and stone, covering oloy-
ON entire lots, from Nos. "a to IA Washing
ton street inclusive aud comprising on ia
various floors, asuperlicial area available for
! manufacturing purposes Of over 100000
square feet, all OF which IL occupied, and
wbich 10 soon TO be still further enlarged ana
improved In obedience tc tho demandsl of q
business now numbering on its books be-
tween thirtyand forty thousand regular Gus
toner's and the operations Of which extend
from Maine to California, and from tho Brit
ish Provinces 10 tho Gulf Of Mexico Such
results are not the mushroom growth OF
somo patent specific, but are the slow and
steady aecretion ofyeafs--a popularity found
el upon the cheapneas and iho. intrinsic mer-
IL OF tho articles manufactured and their abb
aolula nenoaaitv To every family In tha land