Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-27
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRAcEWELL.

some very fine examples Of the soar
making art, and perhaps excel othel
countries in the use Of subtle perfume.
His collection ranges over the world
| There are cakes scented with the pinel
of New England; others fragrancec
with the lavender Of England; beater
soaps from Rome and Prague, very
popular on the continent; specimens o.
German soap making.
In general, his soaps come in two
classes, those which are superfatted
and those without this feature. The
former are supposed to be especially
priced by persons with tender skins.
The latter wash of a great deal more
quickly, and are of the sort generally
sold throughout America, where people
are supposed to be too busy to Spenc
much time over such things.
y X X X
After many years of amateur expert
menting, the soap collector has come to
the conclusion that most of the soaps
sold today throughout the world are Of
very good quality, and that there Is not
much advantage one over the other ir
the matter of keeping the complexion
clear. It is the soap and water, as such
which does the trick. Although one
may imagine that one particular brand
particular skin, the probability is that
second brand would do Just as well
Skin health is dependent on genera,
health and general cleanliness first Of
all.
Soap has been an important COM
modify in all countries for centuries
The degree of civilization, it is said, is
shown by the amount of soap used In
a country. Some industrious Statlsti-
clan recently announced that IL cakes
Of toilet soap are used in the United
States per person each year, but the
truth is that some use many times that
number, and some less. Our Soap-col-
lecting friend annually buys all the
newly advertised soaps he reads about
and receives new cakes from friends
throughout the United States.
The old standard test for freedom
from alkali Is to touch the tip OF
the tongue to the soap. If it Stings, 1t
contains a larger percentage Of free
alkali than is good for the average skin
A better test, according to our friend,
Is to wash the face after shaving. A
newly shaved skin, with most men, is
not In condition to stand harsh soap
soap which does not sting then is fit
for the human face.
X &k
Inc washington soap collector gets
a great deal of amusement out of in
specting the wrappers of his soaps, the
way they are put up, and the read
ing matter" which often comes wrap
ped around them.
The packaging of soap has undergone
considerable change in recent years
Not only have wrappers become more
artistic, but in many cases soaps are
done up first in tissue paper or foil
then wrapped in a leafiet or folder ex-
tolling the merits of the product, then
in cardboard, and lastly in an outer
paper wrapper.
This close packaging retains the
fragrance of the cake or bar. A curious
fact about soaps is that they are very
Smelly" in the packets, but very sell
dom, except In the cheaper grades, over
fragranced In themselves.
The Christmas trade saw interesting
soap displays, especially from France
and Germany. Craftsmen of the latter
country specialize on dogs and cats
made OF soap, artistically colored, while
France sends to this country cakes of
soap made in the shape and coloring
OF flowers and fruits.