To Prepare Cosmetic Soap for Washing the Hands

Take a pound of castile, or any other nice old soap; scrape it in small pieces, and put it on the fire with a little water--stir it till it becomes a smooth paste, pour it into a bowl, and when cold, add some lavender water, or essence of any kind--beat it with a silver spoon until well mixed, thicken it with corn meal, and keep it in small pots closely covered--for the admission of air will soon make the soap hard.