XXIII 



THE ROMANCE OF THE BOX 



THE wooden box in which our soap, sugar, 

 or other articles of domestic use is received, 

 represents a remarkable achievement. It is 

 one of those things to which we give little 

 thought, and yet a casual glance shows that 

 a good deal of consideration has been given 

 to the making of this useful accessory of 

 commerce. 



As a rule, the life of a wooden box is 

 quite a short one, possibly it is sent to the 

 grocers by the wholesale firm, containing 

 soap, or some other similar commodity, and 

 then passes to the housewife for a few 

 coppers to be broken up for firewood. On 

 the other hand, there are some boxes which 

 seem to bear a charmed life, and serve either 

 for their original purpose again and again, 

 or become perhaps the platform for an 



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