Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Advertising news that struck u:
squarely between the eyes the other day
was that an enterprising manufacture
of tomato ketchup was marketing hi
product in a wide-mouthed bottle thai
will pour.
Any consumer of succulent chops OF
steak will recall countless harasSed mo.
to the limit of his patience without be-
ing able to produce single drop OF the
red liquid.
Then, Just as he had about given ur
the struggle, q veritable flood Of ketchur
came forth with a mighty gurgle anc
the meat was almost drowned in sea
of processed tomatoes.
It would seem that the new wide
mouthed ketchup bottle ought to make
a go of 1t. Perhaps rival manufacturer:
will introduce bottles with tiny pump:
on top. so that the stubborn contents
may be prodded into trucking its stuff
We often have wondered over the &C.
ton of a newly opened bottle Of ketchuT
sometimes spelled "catsup," or ever
"catchup." Is 1t perverseness, or merely
viciousness. which makes the ketchur
refuse to pour?
Ketchup Is sticky-in other words, 4
has viscoSity. according to physics. Per
haps the action of inertia has some
thing to do with 1t. too.
Imagine the state of mind of a flint
young bottle of ketchup sitting fol
weeks on the grocer's shelf. BY the time
some bustling housewife comes to takt
it home the bottle has forgotten how
to pour.
A Dictionary of Modern English
Usage" has the following to say about
the spelling Of peculiar word:
"Ketchup is the established spelling
formerly also catchup and catsup, o.
which the second, at least, is due t
popular etymology. A Chinese or Mala!
word is said to be the source"
Webster's New international Diction
airy gives "catchup" as the preferred
spelling; so take your choice. The au
thorities seem terribly in doubt abou
the derivation. But as for the product
itself every one knows that 1t come!
from red, ripe tomatoes.
1t now remains for some potter II
put on the market a cream pitcher tina
won't drip. After interviewing score!
of pitchers on thousands Of table!
throughout the United States we almos
have made up our mind to invent sucl
pitcher ourSelf.
lie VI WUIh IlNOlFCu AL get
ting the thing patented. however. stop
ped us short at the fountainhead OF In
vention. which is said to be necessity
We were reminded of the famous story
of the man who, when asked II he coulc
play the violin. said that he didn'
know-that he hadn't tried.
The non-dripping cream pitcher, II
live up to its name, must have spout
or whatever one wants TO call it. which
will permit the cream TO flow grandly
yet not permit a drop or two to slid,
down the outside onto the tablecloth. .
At first we thought of making thu
outside of the pitcher Of roughened ma
terial. so that the escaping drops o
cream would be caught high and, 1
possible. dry.
Artistic consideration, however causec
the rejection Of this plan. Artistic con
sideration often plays smash. not onl!
in the invention Of cream pitchers. bu
also in other walks of life.
Consider the vogue of "suntan" amoni
the women Of the Nation. Good OLE
healthy sunburn. as it used to be callet
in old-fashioned, questionable par
lance, has been on the market eve
since one of those original days o
creation.
Yet it remained for the last two year
to make it fashionable! That Is wha