PRIVY COUNSEL

Why does an outhouse usually have a a crescent moon cut into it? No doubt this question has perplexed great minds everywhere.

The most often touted theory is that the crescent moon arose in American colonial times when many folks were not literate and could not read "MEN" or "WOMEN." The outhouse for males would instead be designated by a sun or star and the one for females by a moon (in tribute to the goddess Luna, who was, of course, female). 

If so, then why are there so many more outhouses with moons than stars or suns? Purportedly, because males were uncouth pigs who did not properly take care of their facilities, which would then decay and collapse, while the women kept their buildings clean and maintained in prime condition.

Skeptics, on the other hand, believe that the lunar symbol was mainly a device used by cartoonists in the 1930s and was incorporated into huge numbers of outhouses built by the WPA (Works Progress Administration). They further believe that the lunar outlines on outhouses currently in use are largely a result of a self-fulfilling prophesy, where the builders mimic what the cartoonists have put in their outhouse drawings for decades. In addition, lunar patterns are relatively easy to cut. The skeptics may also question the very premise of the ubiquitousness of the crescent moon as a design by pointing out that many outhouses in the field have other devices cut into them such as hearts, simple geometric patterns, or, yes, even stars. Sometimes, they even have normal windows.

Why cut a design into the outhouse at all? You could argue that trying to beautify a feces shack is like putting lipstick on a sow. The design actually does serve more than one function. First of all, it provides highly-desirable ventilation. Second, it lets daylight in to illuminate activities which are best not undertaken in total darkness--be it reading the Sears catalog or doing something else. Third, on your basic no-frills outhouse without a doorknob, a pattern cut into the door provides the user with something to grasp in order to close and open the door. And, finally, it clearly advertises the function of the shack so that a visitor to the property with a sudden and extreme biological urge will know where to go and not waste valuable time by being misled by the presence of a nearby toolshed or other similar structure.

And, on a side note, there are in fact legitimate two-story outhouses, as represented by the lower photo. Despite appearances and gag post cards to the contrary, the occupant on the bottom is actually not at risk, as the products from the second-story user are channeled by a chute into an appropriate location.

                                          

By Appraiser (self-made Photo by William Wesen) 

[GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) via Wikimedia Commons