The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-06-30
CADAVER SOAP.

There is something ghoulish ln the idea that bodies of men killed on the battlefield are bundled and tagged and shipped to chemical company which reduces the human remains to soap and candles. Such stories have now come repeatedly from Germany, told by refugees and prisoners, much to the disgust or the Allies, especially the Russians. The German government has ofl!cl- ally and emphatically denied the truth of these stories but they per sist. The very latest is the arrival of a physician with sample or such soap which at least he sus- poets is cadavor soap and proposes to have the same subjected to ana lytical examination to test whether
 it be made from human offal or no.
 There is something depressing in the idea, but human necessity such as may exist in Germany may not be fnicky and except that 1t may lead to awkward complications upon the Day of Judgment when one looks for the same bodies as one had in this life, possibly not such serious matter. No doubt the oils made by the human fat are excellent for certain purposes ard waste could wisely be eliminated.
 It is possible that human beings should object to their bodies being disposed of in this way: but Ii Great Caesar dead and turned 10 clay may stop a hole to keep the rats away, why should talloS candle be a more inglorious purpose In any event it is in order to point out that while human beings have a very particular abhorrence Ct abusing dead bodies, many regar1 abuse of the living temples of tha soul without any adherence what ever.
 After a man is dead, he is dead. He is dead to the ills and scorn' and scourges of the living, lll- sorrows are over; his troubles, hi headaches and heartaches are m more. It matters Title whether his carcase is turned into bars Sof soap or strings of candles. or allowed tc purify beneath the sod. The ele- mental chemicals in it's make up n any event will be redistributed and likely enough aids in re-fertilizing the soils. Let the dead bury the dead, said one who knew right wei that what duties we mainly owe tC ourselves and our fellow men wt owe them living And surely if we cast our eyes over this old wori6 and consider plainly how man has treated his fellows, we can hardl! feel that there is anything sacrilegi ous in subjecting the remains tt chemical treatment may result Il useful commodities enough, whel the living have been subjected tt the scorning of the insolent, thu tyranny of the powerful, the exploi tation of the privileged.
 Here are we grinding the tiesl and blood of the living into proft that may provoke another debaucl or may corrupt another official Here is our civilization day in an' out buying and selling the living like herrings in a market, compell ing them to labor or else starve 10 whatsoever those who own will t pay-exacting the life energy Of al and sundry that the wealth of tn few may grow.
 But, instead, we turn to the her ditary instinct within us, super stition of past and kindlier age and regard the ill-treatment of tn dead as matter for horror and dis gust. If human beings woul only feel the same degre of loathing, of horror, or dis gust, of detestation for acts tha ara inhuman but against the living what a changed world it would be
 Most remarkable is this fear o using the dead. It comes down fror a dim and distant epoch when hu man tyrannies began and ghos ideas first chilled the human min with their icy horrors. It's not a uncommon thing to find tribe which are still in state of barbal