New-York tribune., 1909-03-21

In the time of Seneca the Romans were far more
addicted 10 continual and luxurious bathing than
even the Englishman is 10 his cold tub Inc
nearest thing in use in early times
appears to have been manufactured by the Ger
mans and Gaus. The Germans also appear TO
have had soap ball. into which were mixed IN
gradients for dying the hair not cleansing It. Ihls
used a sort Of pomade To German soap
Pliny gave the sapo. title which Win
trifing variations spelling is used by nearly all
nations to-day. The Arabian chemist Abu-Mussar-
Jaafar-al-Sof in the second century writes about
soap prepared from taIlow with potash and llme'
and states that It is used medicine. and that
by employing II to wash with all dirt may DO ie-
moved from person we'll as clothing.
So far is known, cleansing fluids were mace
from vegetable matter until the Germans oriEi-
mated hard soap, prepared from crude taIioW py
I've Of ashes potash, then boiled down ana sateu'
pretty much it Is now Among the Germans
the art Of making soap long preceded the Knowledge
of the chemical principles underlying the process
Just peoples who made use Of the detergent
principles of oil. castor oil. palm oil olive
oil. almond oil meal and saponaceous plants
which found in practically all parts OF the
world used then-when cleanliness desired
much as we use soap and probably never dreamed
that they could be soIdifed into cakes. perfumed'
tinted and that they would enter INTO commerce as
soap.
In history it IS shown that many Amer
lean Indiuns highly priced the novel possession
OF a cake of soap trade tracts Of land for it.
Civilized persons have not infrequently obtained
valuable concessions from the aborgines IN e1-
change for soap. which many of them tried first as
an article of food. and merely thought civilized
tastes a bit queer Even old missionary moro
pRlatable. For cleansing purposes Indians. and
later negroes and isolated whites in the Caribbean
Islands and Southern United States, employed
forms Of cactI and roots OF palmetto as We use
soap and strong potash preparations. The juice OF
the prckly pear cactus proved not only a good
substitute for liquid soap, but also. as pomade
was thought to make hair sprout from even a bald
pate
While these people and aborgines generally had
no recourse the products Of stock yards and
garbage cans refined into merchRntable wares for
cleansing purposes. they had access TO soapherry
trees the pulp Of which is powerful detergent
much stronger than ordinary soap. SoapWort and
similar plants furnish natural supply of soapy
matter Roots and leaves OF soapwort are fire.
Quently used washing while in nearly all parts
of the world to be found vegetables that are
excellent substitutes for soap. Perhaps the fact
that these plants nave such short shrlft in the
Arctic regions accounts for the Esquimau's aUhor-
renee OF frequent ablutions.
The lower class of Chinese, 100, said TO
shrink from too liberal an indulgence in the bath
one naval officer some years ago was authority
FOR the statement that when new coolie was
employed certain sailors were detailed TO scrub
him down first. When they thought they had
secured all the dirt of the coone they discovered
that they had merely arrived at another suit OF
wearing apparel. In Corea and Japan contrary
state exists among the poor Bathing among them
IS conducted frequently ana openly in street
and house porch sometimes to startle Euro
peans, who conhne public bathing to public baths
and peaches, and then retain excuse for
attire.
The New York Medical Journal" states that
centuries ago the Turks adopted soap calling II
"sabun," and the Firms made Of the German
product under the title OF "satppio" The Greeks
OF that period It is somewhat astonishing to learn.
used flesh sCrapers. which often manufact-
ured OF precious materials 1t was considered
proper to present gold ones prizes To winners
in a to- Ia guNi,
soap Indispensable TO cleanliness. Il does ap-
pear that all ancient peoples to whom soap
unknown either upCeanly unhealthy.
There were clean people and those otherwise
to-day. and individuals and communities who de
sired spotleSsneSs were always able obtain b.
sttujes for soap and for water the extrayaEant
substituted milk wine.