JWB and his pipe!

[Eva Elisabeth]

I just wanted to reply to the question what Meerschaum is, but you've already answered it. Just to add: before hardened, in contact with water it foams like soap, so that the ancient Greek used it as a cleaning agent.
       
The scientific name, "sepiolite", was determined by Ernst Friedrich Glocker in 1847, and refers to the Greek word for "cattlefish", "sepion", as the mineral also resembles the porous bones of the cuttlefish (and was first believed to derive from therefrom). Vienna, Austria, was the metropolis of meerschaumpipe production.

For several generations, German children have grown up with Master Lämpel's Meerschaum pipe as it is the main object in the fourth prank of Max and Moritz in "A Rascals History in Seven Tricks", written by Wilhelm Busch in 1865. (And I can't help it, when I read Herndon's remimiscenses of the Lincolns' children, Max and Moritz instantly come to my mind - from his point of view.) Since it is such a nice example of "educational" 19th century children's literature, if you are in the mood for some childhood memories, please go here to read what they did with the meerschaumpipe:
http://www.davidgorman.com/maxundmoritz....er_Streich

As for the educational purpose, of course such pranks come to a bad end, and the rascals became victims of their last trick when they were caught by a farmer, put in a sack and brougt to the mill where they were grinded, and they finally ended up as geese food.

Then said gravely Teacher Lämpel,
"There again is an example!"

19th century children's literature and fairy tales were CRUEL (at least the Germans')!