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From: mmm@weitek.UUCP (Mark Thorson)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re:  Toilet Paper
Message-ID: <290@weitek.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Oct-85 10:57:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: weitek.290
Posted: Fri Oct 11 10:57:41 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Oct-85 05:37:24 EDT
Organization: Weitek Corp. Sunnyvale Ca.
Lines: 23
Keywords: over (wrong) vs under (right)

There is a historical reason as to why the paper should come out "under"
rather than "over" the roll.  Old-fashioned toilet paper holders consisted
of a wooden dowel (to hold the roll) which was attached to the wall via a
rectangular wire frame (which went around the roll).  The frame was free
to swing up and down from the bracket attaching it to the wall, so the
roll would actually contact the wall even as its diameter was reduced from
use.  Now if the paper comes out from below the roll, the roll is lifted away
from the wall when you pull on the free end.  But if the paper comes out
over the top, this lifting action is absent.  Worse yet, the direction of
rotation of the roll cinches it against the wall.  You end up tearing off
the one or two squares of the free end, hardly enough to service a cat.

Post-WW2 holders are generally cast or injection molded pieces with no swing
action.  They hold the roll away from the wall, so the over vs. under
controversy no longer applies.  The continued existance of this debate is
a relic from earlier times when it DID make a big difference -- one way
worked and the other didn't.  Those who understood the problem either had
to educate everyone in the house, or change the paper themselves.

Of course, today's generation just places the roll on top of the toilet tank
because they're too lazy to take the dowel off the holder.

Mark Thorson (...!cae780!weitek!mmm)