The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1892-03-05
ANofnkR usE FoR soEe



Is Nay BE Used ~ Al Adjunct 70 the sew.
ing Machine.
II had an amusing experience the
other day said a middle.aqed lads TO
. visitor, Is they sat INDUCING in q bit
OF gossip "A very amusing expert.
ence and one which aptly illustrates
the smartness Of young and inexperi.
eneed human nature. 1 presume yod
remember, years aga before sewing
machines were as perfect as they are
now, that with many machines there
came, among other fittings a cake Of
soap ABOUT one inch wide by an inch
and = half long, In those days most
OF the cotton cloth was full of dressing;
indeed, it is but q few ysaEs since soft
finished cottons came into general use.
Well IS I said before, these cakes of
soap were often furnished with sewing
machines They were used TO rub
over the seams Of these starched goods
when there was any extra thickness to
stitch through. If you never tried it,
you would scarcely believe the differ
ence 1t makes either for hand or ma
chine sewing, if the goods are the least
bit stiff. Ihave always made a prac-
tice of soaping the seams of goods that
had any suggestion of dressing in them.
/ had q number Of cakes of this soap,
and they lasted me for years.
Not long since / had some white
avn to make up and, as it was very
full Of dressing, | was about to use the
soap according to my custom, but found
that thnRa rsTn1 @Hnna 1nfR 1rh0 nn~A
time that / was down town, / stepped
into the salesroom of the company
whose machine L have been in the habit
of using. The retail department hap.
pened for the moment to be in charge
of a youth who, from all appearances,
had for the hrsttime in his life assumed
the responsibility Of such a position. l
asked if they had any such cakes of
soap. and you would have been amused
at the impertinent airs that youngster
put on. He couldn't understand what
use the operator of a sewing machine
could have for soap. In sympathy for
his Ignorance, / explained to him the
use of the article, making some remarks
on its convenience, and the greater ease
Of sewing dressed fabrics and the less
danger of breaking needles. With a
supercilious smile and an air of superb
GRITTY which vas absolutely overwhelm-
ing, he informed me of course he didn't
know what cheap machines might re-
quire, but theirs needed no such assist
ance, and equally, OF course, they kept
nothing of the sort
There may be among the rising gem
GRAFTON many persons who have not
learned the advantage of this old Gus
tom. To those it might be well Il say
that a bit of well-dried CASTLE soap
kept in the sewing machine drawer,
and used upon thick seams or dressed
fabrics, would not only save many a
needle, but is almost a certain prevent
i've of cutting the cloth. 1t softens the
fbers of the fabric, and allows the nee
die to pass through much more easily
and smoothly. Indeed, it is as usefu:
as an emery cushion, and will be found
of great advantage either for the wom-
en- who occasionally sew a seam or for
those who earn their livelihood by the
use of the sewing-machine. One might
morslize a little on the marvellous
smartness of the average youth, and
wonder if the time win ever again
come when boys will be boys, and not
at least in their own opinion-minia.
ture encyclopedias of universal knowl
edge."--N. Y. Ledger.