Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-05-11
Where They Come From.

lou IL De SllOChtu lear, says Ol1Ver
ThoGne, in the Home Companion, when
l tell you that your doll came out of a
rag bag, her curls from the back of
goat, and her elegant china tea-set out of
maud hole.
But what will you say when I tell you
that your jelly is made out Of old boots,
and your delightful perfumery from hor-
rid-smelling coal tar.
You don't own all the made over things
in the family, either. Johnnie's new
beaver cloth over-coat was worn out on
the back of beggar, and perhaps even
played the part of scare-crow in some
farm yard before it began to come into
the world again; and the stable gelatine"
which every one Of the family loves to eat
once did duty as skin on the back of a
rat.
1t is really wonderful to trace things
back, and see where they come from,
and which has reason to boast of its an
cestors. Queer stories you would hear if
the things around you could tell their
history. There's your tatting shuttle. 1t
once made itself useful as bone in a
horse, while the ivory dice in your back
CANNON board adorned the jaw and
crushed the oats Of another of the race.
The pearl Of your paper knife lined the
shell house of modest little creature at
the bottom of the sea, while mamma 8
shell comb was the comfortable roof over
sea tortoise.
Your guitar strings were indispensable
to the internal comfort of some poor pussy
or unfortunate sheep, and your piano
would be but dumb wooden box with
out some of the internal arrangements of a
horse.
Your nice hair brush first saw the light
on the skin Of a dog. The crinoline that
stfens the bottom Of ladies' dresses was
used originally to switch the flies from
the backs Of horses, and the mattress on
which you sleep SO comfortably served
the same use before it fell into the man
ufacturers' hands.
Your dainty toilet soap-dear me, how
can tell you-was made of dead cats
and dogs, found in the streets, and the
':bitter almonds which so delightfully."-
favors your candy, from the horrible
smelling coal tar.
The scent-bags of that offensive ANNA
the skunk, furnishes some desirable adj
ditions to the toilet table, used TO-
removing freckles and tan, and the dread
| full stuff left in drains is turned into
fashionable toilet article, and adorns tn,
face Of the ladies.
To be sure, these disagreeablc material
have some pretty tough handling befor,
they come out in their new colors TIL
old boots, for instance. They do not ste,
from the gutter into the jelly kettle b,
any means. They 60 through long pr
cess of washing and soaking in lye ant
smoking with sulphur, and steaming ant
boiling before they come out white ant
delicate and fit for the table.
The coal tar, to grow into perfumery
goes through the hands of chemists, VIII
treat it to don't know what dreadful
process; and the dead cats and dogs ar
boiled to extract the grease, purified
whitened and perfumed before We Sc
them as soap.
The doll whose ancestors inhabit rag
mans den endured unheard of operation
of washing, soaking, bleaching, chopping
molding, and so forth, before she took he
place in the nursery to amuse the littl
folks, and the clay from the mud hol
was washed, and purified, and whitenec
and kneaded, and baked and glazed, BIZ
fore it ventured to call itself china, an
take its place on the tea table
The horse tails that stifed the dresse
and stuff our mattresses are washed an
soaked and boiled and baked before "
use them; and the intestines, which max
the voice of guitar and piano, wen
through long processes of scraping, soak
ing in lye and washing, before they wer
drawn out into the fine, tough string
with which you are familiar.
| Nearly all the things we throw away i
alleys, or even through our drains, tn
most disgusting things you can think o
are valuable, and, after going thorug
| the hands Of skillful workmen, come on
in new shapes, and have new fields {
| usefulness.
The feats of old-fashioned fairies, VIII
turned pumpkins into carriages, an
shabby old gowns into elegant robes,
not compare with the wonders performe
) in our workshops, by rough looking mer
in shirt sleeves and white aDrOns