Sunday Scribble

Sunday Scribble:  

What's in a word?

or

A History of the Flush Toilet!

The word 'crap' has many different connotations and meanings.  To some it's a good word to describe something not in the best of shape.  According to Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs and multiple voice overs including my ringtone of him singing Dr. Seuss's Mr. Grinch)  C.R.A.P.  means Collectibles, Rare And Precious.  While still others use the word CRAP as a term of endearment as in - "It maybe Crap, but it's all mine."  And let's not forget that it is the root of the name of the most famous plumber of all time; a person who has been mistakenly credited for creating the one invention that delineates Civilized Society from Barbaric Society -  Of course I am talking of no other than THOMAS CRAPPER.  Crapper has been correctly credited with inventing the .......BALLCOCK... which helps the flow and flushing of the ah.... crapper. Of course in old English and in parts of Great Britain today the word Crap refers to weeds, or rubbish or even chaff.  

Within the last hundred years or so the word has come to mean something as in dealing with human waste.  In the event that those of you who read this don't realize this I'm a man of history.   I soak up historical facts like a piece of bread sops up soup.  Yes, like that and then some.  I try not to be picky and discriminate about history - after all there is so much of it and it would be very easy to be selective.  Not me, however.  I enjoy hearing about the Ancient Greeks, Early Romans, Middle Age, Dark Age, Sun-Tzu, Mao, Stanley and Livingston, the Pharaohs, Olmecs, Mayans, Easter Island, Stonehenge, King Alfred the Great, Rollo, Xenophon and yes even CRAPper -  the list goes on.  

Long ago, before I had finished college but after I knew everything like a teenager, my now late mother told me of the one defining invention that separates us from the barbaric ages.  She explained how this single invention makes the world of difference in humanity's growth.  It's invention and subsequent improvements helped to prevent disease, improve lifestyles of people and changed the way that the word 'wealth' was used to define people.  

Of course the obvious avoidance of pestilence, she explained, was but the way to prevent disease.  Filth could now travele down the pipe and out of the home. No longer was the average person forced to dump their - ah crap - (i.e. rubbish, weeds and other leavings) out the window to the small gutter that ran down the street.  The gutter which would be filled up and only emptied by the next rain storm, all of which would end up in the river that ran through or by the town.  

When the diseased filth gets flushed down the crapper it flows through the pipes,down to the sewage system of the city and eventually ends up in that river.  The waste then flows down river getting mixed in with the sediment, water, river banks or simply flows to the next town.  Of course this system is only truly beneficial for those closer to the head waters of the river or those rich folks furthest from the water - so just don't go swimming.  

According to those who know, history's definition of wealth has changed repeatedly over the eons.  Early on, it was the amount of sheep or other animals which you had in your tribe as you roamed the lands. As societies settled into more structured civilizations, pasture and farm land size mattered.  This changed to include the amount of gold or precious metals you could use to shape into things to sell or use to defend yourself with - i.e. weapons of war such as the sword or pike.  Some cultures looked at the number of camels while others looked at the size and shape of your ships because it meant you could send more materials to sell on the backs of the camel or keel of a ship.  This all changed again with Crapper and his popularity among the English gentry.  

My mother explained that when Edward VII ordered Crapper to outfit one of his homes he gained national prestige and made everyone want his work, the then contemporary version of what we know more popularly in our vernacular as the flush toilet, water closet or as some know it - their reading seat - and if living the movie THIS IS FORTY (33 seconds in) - your chance to play Words With Friends.  This single act of Edward VII redefined wealth and what made you wealthy.  The flush toilet had reached it's ascendancy.  

Whatever your point of view on the word, keep in mind some simple facts.  Be thankful for Thomas Crapper, and that the word crap means more then crap.    

Until next time - make sure you check back Thursday for the conclusion of A FELLOW OTHELLO.