The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-08-29
THE WASTE PRODUCT
,.'. y.I. -. ..' ; -
Once Refuse Now Source
of Income
WORK OF SCIENCE

In comparison with the way we do
things now, the methods Of our an
cestors seems sadly wasteful, says
the. Southern Lumberman. What
they called refuse Is now u SOURCE
of Notwithstanding more profit
able than the main product. 1t is
said that the packers could afford to
give away the meat, because they
make more money out OF what used
TO be thrown away. When our an
cestors made soda, they let the
chlorine escape into the air, instead
OF utilizing 1t to make bleaching
powder. When they made charcoal,
they let the alcohol and the vinegar
and a hundred valuable ,me1icines
and perfumes go up in smoke. When
they picked the seeds out Of cotton,
they threw them away, never realiz-
ing the amount Of oil that could be
got out OF the seeds. A great many
OF our <necessaries and nearly all Of
our Injuries are manufactured out
or what used to be waste products"
And yet our fOrefathers tried to be
economical, and they really consider
ed that they We're very frugal-they
saved pins and matches, and care
fully gathered up and put away old
nails and scraps of cloth and other
trash. They did everything in the
hardest and longest way. In March,
the farmers wife made soap. For
months previous, she had saved old
bones and meat skins, bacon rinds
and such, and put them into a recep-
tacle for "soap-grease." Wood
ashes had been saved up in the ash
hopper to make I've. The month of
March, when there was most danger
of being burned to death while
standing around the bubbling kettle
In the back yard, was deemed the
proper time for making soap. 1t was
necessary to stir the soap with a
paddle, though winds blew and the
flames under the kettle licked out
hery tongues toward skirt and
sleeVss- A few dollars were saved
by the tiresome work. Two kinds Of
soap were made-"soft SOAP" for
scrubbing and laundry purposes, and
hard soap" for bathingH The two
were alike, except that the hard soap
stayed In the kettle longer and
hardened. Either would almost take
the skin\off the person who used it.
But If your hands cracked open when
you washed, them, you could rub on
lot of mutton tallow when you
went to bed at night. Next morning
your hands would fee1>a little better,
n II SnCr t.,
the good old way, with soap-grease
and I've, the farmers wife wasted a
very valuable acknowledgements
Prom 1t is manufactured a: terrible
explosive, which Is now much used
for blasting. And also other things
which the farmers wife, hanging
over the soap kettle, never dreamed
Of. .. .1,...
Perhaps our ways are eXtrayagant,
too, compared to the stiffness which
future generations will practice,
though 1t does seem that the meat
packers have brought the thing
dowJy to- a fine point--they claim
that they use all the hog but the
squeal. Mr.. Thomas A. Edison says
that, according TO his calculation,
we know "one-seventh-bi Of
one per cent about anything" 1t is
not likely, therefore, that we are do
ing anything in the best or most
economical way, though we have got
beyond building tobacco barns out
Of solid cedar logs or pig pens Of
walnut planks. No doubt Mr.. Edi-
son Will within the next few years
enlighten lis on many subjects. He
has made enough money to live on
and has retired from the field of
commercialism. He says he will de-
Vote his few remaining years to dis
coyeries that are for the worlds
benefit. '1n my forty-five years.
work as an INVENTOR" says Mr.. Edi-
son, Il have run across many queer
things that seemed to lead off into
undiscovered worlds Of thought
Now am going back to pick up the
threads that l left on the way and
see where they will take me. There
is no end of possibilities for the man
who starts out on this road, and
who is entirely Indifferent to the
pOnetary value Of his work"
The country will look forward
with interest to the future discover
les and inventions Of Mr.. Edison. In
q world full Of freaks and graftcrs.
n perfectly honest and sane man like
Edison is a great rarity.