Ml 



SOAP STONE SOCIALISM. 



are mostly South American, bnt Rhinturnfloriiima, 

 the "thunder-worm" of Florida, may he* a- 

 to the same family. (a w. a.) 



SOAP. The manufacture of soap has for many 

 years been an American industry of 



ni i Ji considerable importance, its growth 

 Sm-BepA ^lag 8nch that the United States has 

 long ceased to lie a considerable market 

 for European soaps, and now competes with Eng- 

 land and France in exportation to foreign countries. 

 Marseilles, long the market of the finer toilet-soaps, 

 no longer enjoys a monopoly in this direction, large 

 quantities of such soaps being now made in this 

 country, both for hom j consumption and for export. 

 Soap and candles (formerly made at the same fac- 

 tories) were imported largely into the Unit.-,! Slates 

 until about 18.11, when, under the encouragement of 

 a protective tariff, their manufacture became active 

 in this country. Up to that time only soft soap 

 (largely as a domestic manufacture) and common 

 laundry and toilet soaps had been made here, Imt 

 better qualities were now manufactured, and on a 

 scale that greatly reduced importations. In 1864 

 the duties were increased from 3 to 10 cents per lit., 

 since which time the finest grades of perfumed toilet- 

 eoaps have been manufactured in America in quan- 

 tities sufficient not only to supply the home market 

 bnt to sell extensively abroad. 



The primitive American soaps were made with 

 potash instead of soda, potash being then derived 

 irom the forest-refuge in much greater quantities 

 than at present. This is still the case with homo- 

 made soaps where potash continues a common pro- 

 duct, as in Canada and several of the States, but the. 

 cheap production of caustic soda during the present 

 century, by what is known as the Le Blanc procass, 

 has in most places replaced potash by soda as the 

 alkali of soap. The kitchen fats, chiefly those of 

 beef and mutton, were saponified with crude potash 

 to form the soft soap of the early American house- 

 hold. The recipe ordinarily used, and which 1ms 

 become traditional in country-kitchens, is the follow- 

 ing : 12 Ibs. of fat and 9 His. of potash are steeped in 

 boiling water in a cask, the water being added 3 gal- 

 lons at a time every 24 hours until 12 gallons have 

 been added. Saponiftcation soon begins, but takes 

 many days for its completion, the mixture beins fre- 

 quently stirred. When completed nil the fat lumps 

 have disappeared, the soap has a silky lustre when 

 atirred, and is of the consistency of a jelly. It is a 

 powerful detergent for coarser household purposes, 

 and is preferred to hard soap for scrubbing floors, 

 washing crockery, and the like. It is not a true 

 soap, chemically considered, but a solution of a pot- 

 ash soap in caustic lye, with free glycerine. In im- 

 proved processes the potash lye is boiled with kitchen 

 fats and other oily substances until the mixture be- 

 comes a clear, transparent, slimy liquid. Tin de- 

 tergent powers of this are very great, from its 

 strongly alkaline condition, and it is much esteemed 

 for such processes as scouring wool, coarse linens, 

 etc. The hard bar-soaps of America are mode in a 

 very similar manner, but of choicer materials, to 

 which are added 25 to 30 per cent, of powdered 

 rosin. At the present day the manufacture of soap 

 is an American industry of considerable importance, 

 several of the factories confining themselves to the 

 choicest grades of fancy and toilet soaps, in the pro- 

 duction of which they* are on a level with the best 

 European manufacturers. In IMS') there were 629 

 establishments engaged in this business in the United 

 States, employing 5,589 hands, and yielding a pro- 

 duct valued at 826,552,627. Nearly one-fourth of 

 the whole product was made in the State of Now 

 York ; Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and 

 New Jersey coming next in order. We hare no later 

 statistics of manufacture, but the importations and 



exportation for 1886 were as follows : Toilet soaps 

 imported \:il ne, $178,678; other grades, 8258,623 ; 



total value, s I .".T.'J'.ifi. Importations of toilet and 



of other grades, f?77'J,lHl : 



value, js;W,777 the expoi t:i'ions of soup thus ex- 

 ceeding the importa:ions about 8400,(MMI. This, 

 then, is one of the industries in which the United 

 States not only can stand alone, but is able to com- 

 pete successfully with Europe for a foreign market. 



(C. M.) 



SOAP STONE. fieeT.u.r. 



SOCIALISM. No movement of modern times has 

 awakened or deserved greater attention 

 ,-",'; t1 "" 1 "' ol "' indicated by this title. 

 Am Rep ) I' 8 accurate definition is exceedingly 

 difficult, owing to an entire lack of 

 agreement concerning the true limits of the w,.id 

 tlisin." In general, it may be described :is 

 that movement which seeks by economic r! 

 to destroy the existing inequalities of the woi Id s 

 social conditions. For convenience of discussion 

 it may be best to divide the Socialists of ' 

 ico into two classes : First, those who belii-vo 

 the necessary changes can be secured only by the 

 early or immediate employment of force: and, 

 second, those who believe in more conserval ive 

 methods, such as agitation and peaceful combina- 

 tion. Into all socialistic schemes the idea of 

 governmental change enters, with this radical differ- 

 ence, however : some Socialists rely upon the final 

 abolition of existing forms of government am! 

 the establishment of a pure democracy, while others 

 insist upon giving to government a paternal form, 

 thus increasing its function and power instead of 

 diminishing it. Of course, its paternal functions are 

 to In- exercised in the interest of the wage-toilers of 

 the country. 



1. The more radical wing of the Socialists of 

 America has given expression to its life and views in 

 the several platforms and declarations of the Inter- 

 national Working People's Associations and tho 

 International Workmen's Association, son,, 

 designated as the "Blacks" and "llcds," i 

 lively. The latter ore regarded as the more modeiato 

 und conservative win;.', and have probably the larger 

 constituency in America. The International Work- 

 ing People's Association (" Blacks"), in a manifesto 

 issued a few years a<*o in New York, after reciting 

 the grievances under which the laboring clas^, 

 by reason of the oppressions of capital, proceeds to 

 declare "that they (the oj will not resign 



these privileges voluntarily we know, that they \\ill 

 not make any concession we likewise Know. Since 

 we must then rely upon the kindness of our masters 

 for whatever redress we have, and knowing that 

 from them no good may be expected, then- remains 

 but one recourse FOKOE. Our forefathers have not 

 only told us that against despots force is justifiable, 

 because it is the only means, but they then 

 have set the immemorial example." They avow, 

 among of hers, the following demands : 1. 1 Destruction 

 of the existing class. I'll le by all means, /.-.. en, 

 relentless, and international action. '2. Establishment 

 of a free society, based upon co-operative organiza- 

 tion of production. :l. Free exchange of productions 

 of all sorts. 4. Secular education. 5. Equal rights 

 for all sexes ami NtOM. <V Public affairs to be 

 lated by free contract. This section of Socialists 

 believes in the use of dynamite and other expl 

 as means to the end of nocial regeneration. The 

 International Workmen's A - ;oci:ition published in 

 1884 a '. nf the Kiyltts of Mnn, which is 



given to the world in a brief treatise on N"fjVi//>m, 

 by A. J. Starkweather and S. Robert Wilson. This 

 manifesto was issued in San Francisco, Cal. It 

 declares that liberty is the power which belongs to 

 a man of exercising all his faculties at pleasure. 



