The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-02-25
SOAP EATING IN
AMERICAN NAVY
rom the New York Sun:

From the New York Sun:
whenever you hear of a high per-
centage of sickness among the sailors
of the American navy" said Jack Mon
tGomery, with a cheerful grin, don't
set excited about it. Not unless
there's a bunch Of deaths resulting.
These epidemics among the jackies
come pretty regular, but they don
yield a very heavy percentage of dead
or disabled.
Il had plenty Of shore leave every
trip I ever was on and most of the
time In navy yards, and there was a
lot of others just as lucky. Awful
percentage of illness on the ships
those days, and probably is today, for
one bunch of jackies will always teach
their deviltries to the next crowd.
That's why 1 say never let your
self worry about the men Of Uncle
Sans navy, and never let yourself
imagine that the hard work or the
rations Is likely to kill off any Of 'em,
not even If you hear that two-thtrds
Of the North Atlantic squadron are
helpless in their hunks and that 80
per cent of the European squadron
amt expected to live.
you've heard how convicts eat soap
to make them look sick, act sick and
really be sick. when they want a layoff
from hard labor? Well, believe
some ex-convict must have told some
sailor the secret, and, of course, the
information spread.
"Anyhow, soap eating has become
almost craze on naval ships these
days, and Ill bet little something
that half the men in the sick bay go
there from eating soap. It's the most
popular method of getting shore leave
that anybody has ever introduced, and
there's been q lot of games tried, at
that
ION board my ship the habit spread
like wildfire. It's the easiest thing
In the world-just chew up a bar of
scap-no, no, not all at one time-and
you'll be the sickest man that ever
walked. You'll have staring eyes, and
a coated tongue, and agony in the
stomach, and all kinds of fr1ghtful
symptoms
"The best thing about it is that the
symptoms vary with different men.
They'll all be sick, but their illnesses
won't be enough alike to make the
doctor too knowing.
well, after you get properly and
thoroughly i'll you are hustled to the
sick bay. 1t will be only couple of
days before you will be able to move
around, but you will be so sick, SO pale
and so generally woebegone that the
doctor will always prescribe shore
leave, anywhere from two to six weeks,
and it's away for land, with the health
returning in large, rapid jumps with
every stroke the ore takes on the way
to solid ground
''Now, as you may suppose, the trick
Of eating soap isn't one to appeal to
an epicure. In fact. there's nothing
in the world that tastes much ranker
than cake Of soap, and tho moro you
eat the worse it tastes.
you can get accustomed to olives
and get so they taste good, but I never
yet saw anybody who had acquired a.
genuine fondness for real, honest soap,
no matter whether that soap was red,
white, green or notified, or pink and
driven to all kinds of schemes to worry
the stuff down without being sick too
soon.
I've seen them cut the soap in thin
slices, put it between slices of bread
and chew it down that way, with eyes
rolling and chests heaving as the
lovely old taste hit home. I've seen
the lads put ketchup and mustard all
over the soap, and get it down under
this kind of disguise. Sometimes they
chop it into little cubes and drink it,
two or three cubes in glass of water
get it down fast before 1t can dis
solve. Oh. fine, fine for the palate,
and great for the Digestion!
"And that's why you needn't fear
for the health of the American navy
| whenever you hear of a mysterious
epidemic the doctors can't quite COM
prehend, take it from me that Uncle
Sans men behind the guns have de-
voured all the soap in the toilet locker,
and that the shore leave colony is
going to be largely increased within
the next few days."