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UNITEB STATES OF AMERICA.
MONEY-MAKING
FOR
LADIES
BY
ELLA RODMAN CHURCH
NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN" SQUARE
1882
*>*■■
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION.
"I wish I knew how to make some money !" says Ysolte of the white hands, and she sighs with a feeling of utter in- capacity as she says it.
She has possibly painted some marine views on large, white clam - shells, and offered them to a shopkeeper to be dis- posed of on commission, under cover of a thick veil, and with a guilty manner that half roused the man's suspicions as to whether, like the wares of the brush- maker who undersold his neighbor, they had not been stolen ready-made.
Ysolte sympathizes with the crumpet- woman who, when crying her wares,
INTRODUCTION.
hoped to goodness no one heard her; but the public generally do not seem to appreciate works of art on clam-shell backgrounds — at least, that portion of the public who frequent Mr0 Jones's stationery shop ; and the Decorative Art Society is equally unenlightened, having declined them with a kind note advising the artist to study Art !
What, then, shall Ysolte do? Her case is undoubtedly hard — she is totally destitute of a new silk dress, the means to purchase Christmas presents, and va- rious other comforts and belongings of civilized life ; but hope may, perhaps, be found for her, and for others of that nu- merous class who, while not obliged to enter the ranks of recognized working- women, strongly feel the need of increas- ing a limited income.
I
INTRODUCTION. 5
" People want things to do," said some one lately, " and yet there are a hundred practicable things undone to-day, for want of some one to do them."
It seems only necessary to bring the two together; and some of the sugges- tions offered in this little volume may be found useful by those who are not satisfied with being poor and not fitted for hard work.
CONTENTS.
Chaptee I.
THE BOARDING-HOUSE QUESTION.
Competition. — Improved Methods. — A Lady's Re- source. — Requisites for Success. — Short - sight- edness of Landladies. — An Inviting Table. — A Refined Home. — Boarding-houses for Working- men Page 13
Chapter II.
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES.
Putting up Preserves for Sale. — Sources for Disposing of them. — Quality and Economy. — Popular Kinds. — Care in Small Things. — Best Methods of Pre- serving.— Low-priced Goods. — Room Higher Up. — Showy and Economical Jars. — Brandied. Fruit. — Jellies. — Marmalades. — A Lady's Success 28
Chapter III.
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES (Continued).
Demand and Supply. — "With brains, sir!" — The Pies of Boyhood. — " Money in it." — Advantages of Home-
& CONTENTS.
made Pies. — A Waiting Market. — "Apple Pye." — Good Bread. — The Country Baker. — A New De- parture.— Modest Beginnings. — Cheap Restaurants. — An Unsupplied Want. — A Bright Idea. — The La- dies' Lunch -room. — Division of Labor. — Coffee at the Sea-shore. — A Money-making Scheme. — Confec- tionery for Watering-places Page 44
Chapter IV.
WHAT MAY BE DONE WITH THE NEEDLE.
Use and Abuse of the Needle. — Ladies1 Depositories. — A Museum of Fancy-work. — Judgment and In- vention.— Society of Decorative Art. — Quaint Pro- ductions.— Profitable but Unattractive Work. — In- dian Bead- work. — An Old Woman's Emery-bags.— A Monopoly Desirable. — Small Inventions. — Knit- ting and Crocheting. — Dress-making and Millinery. — Convenience and Economy. — Travelling Advan- tages.— Pins vs. Needles. — Home Dress-making. — An Easy Way of Learning. — Private Remunerative Work. — A Lady's Experiment. — Observation and Ingenuity. — A Neglected Art. — An Establishment for Repairs 60
. Chapter V.
TEACHING IN ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES.
The Profession of Teaching. — "Classes and Lessons." — Ordinary Remuneration. — A Class in Literature. — A Few Suggestions. — The Study of Botany. — Reading Aloud.— Ordinary Failings. — Reading to
CONTEXTS. 9
an Invalid. — Music Lessons. — A Modern Cecilia. — Appreciation. — Instruction in Fancy-work. — A Sew- ing-school.— A Class in Mending. — An Object to Work for. — Cooking-schools. — Teaching as an Ex- change Page 77
Chapter VI.
LITERATURE AND WRITING.
"Prose and Worse." — Undeveloped Talent. — Mistaken Ideas. — Some Open Doors. — A Mercenary Yiew of the Subject. — What to Write About. — Eates of Re- muneration.— Literary Giants. — Century Plants. — What an Author Needs. — Novel Writing a Trade. — Works of Fiction. — Profits of Periodical Litera- ture.— Elements of Success. — Value of Advertising. — Sensational Writers. — A Lady's Attempt with a Dime Novel. — Sunday-school Books. — A List of Periodicals. — Writing by Proxy. — Advertisements. — Letter - writing. — Legal Copying. — Book - keep- ing 90
Chapter VII.
ART INDUSTRIES.
Schools of Design. — Fundamental Instruction.— Im- possible Achievements. — Practical Skill in Design- ing.— Mechanical Drawing.— Women as Architects. — Engraving on Gold and Silver. — The New York Society of Decorative Art. — Objects of the Society. — A Depot for First-class Work. — Conditions for Exhibitors. — China Painting. — The Decoration of
10 CONTEXTS.
Fans.— Hand-screens, Plaques, etc.— Door-panels. — Illustrations for Books. — A Superfluity of Gen- ius Page 110
Chapter VIII.
HOUSE-DECORATION.
Two English Ladies.— The Decorator of the Past.— A New Field for Women of Taste and Judgment. — The Woman's Province. — How to Begin. — Consci- entious Work. — A "House Beautiful." —Farther Suggestions.— A Pair of Vases 128
. Chapter IX.
SHOPPING ON COMMISSION. AGENCIES.
Attractions of Shopping on Commission. — Profits Re- ceived.— Reasons for Decline. — Comparative Ad- vantages of New York and other Places.— Neces- sary Qualifications.— Suggestions for a Circular. — Advertisements. — Shopping for Friends. — Book Agents. — A City Lady's Enterprise.— Characteris- tics of Agents.— Encouragement for Ladies. — Miss Gr 's Experience. —The Catastrophe. — A De- cided Contrast. — Munificent Emoluments. — Other Subscription-works.— An Agent by Proxy.— Small Wares.— Advantages of Knowing how to Work. 137
Chapter X.
GARDENING FOR PROFIT.
Advantages of a Country Residence. — Value of a Gar- den-patch.—What Has Been Done.— Want of En-
CONTEXTS. 1 1
terprise. — A Small Garden Well Managed. — What a Woman Might Do. — Opportunities in Fruit-rais- ing.— The Capabilities of Currants. — A Condensed Strawberry Farm. — How to Start and Manage it.— Quinces to the Front. — Advantages and Drawbacks. — Fruit-growing Generally Page 159
Chapter XL
AMONG THE FLOWERS.
Scarcity of Women Florists. — First Steps. — Building a Greenhouse. — Economical Plans. — Variety not Desirable. — A Rose Garden under Glass. — Extermi- nating Insects. — Heliotrope. — A Market for Cut Flowers. — Ferns, Autumn Leaves, Grasses, etc. — A Corner Ornament 178
Chapter XII.
BEES AND POULTRY.
Recommendations of Bee-culture. — Profit in Keeping Bees. — A Lady's Testimony. — Two Western Girls. — How to Prevent Stinging. — "How am I to Be- gin?"— Swarming Prevented. — Wintering Bees. — Making Honey from Sugar. — Pink Honey. — Profits from Kens. — Accommodation for Poultry. — Gener- al Care. — A Frenchwoman's Experience. — Roses and Honeysuckles. — French Soil. — Horse-flesh as Food. — Artificial Hatching. — The Barn-yard Fowl. — A Paying Business. — Rules for Successful Poultry- raising. — Spring Chickens. — Pigeons. — Proper Shel- ter.— Dutchies, or Common Runts, most Profitable.
12 CONTENTS.
— A Flock of Turkeys.— Causes of Failure. — Deli- cacy of Young Turkeys. — Carefulness in Feeding. — Ducks and Geese Page 188
Chapter XIII.
A FEW LAST WORDS.
The Value of Small Things. — Suggestions in News- paper Paragraphs. — A Novel Pattern for an Auger. — Oyster and Snail Shells. — Improved Milk and Butter. — Profit in Tea-packing. — A Little Tea Store. ■ — Cultivation of Mushrooms. — A Lady's Invention. — A Need to be Supplied. — Knowing What to Do. —Wasted Energy « 216
MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chaptee I.
THE BOARDING-HOUSE* QUESTION.
Competition. — Improved Methods. — A Lady's Re- source.— Requisites for Success. — Short-sightedness of Landladies. — An Inviting Table. — A Refined Home. — Boarding-houses for Working-men.
Most of the popular roads to money- rnaking are crowded with competitors; and those who would find what they want are obliged to turn into by-paths and make their own roads as they go. Sometimes the desired end is accom- plished by doing a thing that has long been badly done in a more satisfactory way; and the occupation of taking board- ers will serve to illustrate this theory.
14 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
The average lady thrown upon her own resources, especially if she have what is known in such cases as " a roof over her head," is almost sure to take boarders; and, with the "roof" secured, she may, if fortunate in her inmates, feel tolerably sure of a comfortable living. But to take boarders as a sole depend- ence for obtaining the necessaries of life is as precarious and harassing an occupa- tion as can possibly be found ; especially with the risk of hiring a large house and furnishing it for the purpose. The case is not so difficult with the occupant of her own house, who, having a room or rooms that can very well be spared, chooses to diminish her household ex- penses by adding to the number of her family. It increases her cares also, but money cannot be made in any way with- out effort of some kind ; and this is one that seems preferable to many others.
THE BOARDING-HOUSE QUESTION. 15
To succeed, however, in keeping board- ers, either on a large or a small scale, re- quires good house-keeping and a certain talent for economy — which does not mean providing poor things, but getting the most for one's money. An econom- ical house-keeper, who understands her business, will furnish a good table for a sum which, in the hands of one who thinks only of saving money, will pro- duce the most unsatisfactory results. The manner of cooking and serving food has quite as much to do with its attrac- tiveness as the quality of the purchases ; and badly-cooked meats and vegetables can never be made inviting, whatever their original cost may have been.
There is frequently a kind of airy un- concern about those who take boarders, in regard to all matters not absolutely down in the bond, which is highly exas- perating ; and, considering all things, the
16 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
wonder is not that so many fail in this calling, but that any succeed. Were it not that there is always an abun- dant supply of homeless people in the world — people who are homeless from necessity, and people who are homeless from choice — landladies who trouble themselves only about bare necessities would oftener find that " it did not pay to take boarders."
Where, for instance, does one engaged in looking for board chance to light upon a room that has anything of a home look about it ? Do not the apartments shown rather convey the idea that some one has just died there, and everything been dis- mantled in consequence? Not a bit of drapery to bed or windows — not a brack- et or a table-cover — not a cushion or foot- stool. The four walls are there — gener- ally with an ugly paper on them ; the regulation bedstead, bureau, and chairs ;
THE BOARDING-HOUSE QUESTION. 17
possibly a hard lounge, but probably none at all. What possibilities of cheer- fulness are there in such a room, provided the unfortunate occupants have no em- bellishments of their own with which to enliven it?
"But we cannot afford to ornament rooms," say the struggling landladies; " it wouldn't pay ; we can hardly make both ends meet as it is."
This is just where they make a mis- take; because it ivoidd pay. It would pay to drape the windows with cheap but tasteful curtains of white muslin or cretonne, Canton -flannel, or low-priced worsted stuff — to drape the mantel with the same, and to have a table-cover to match or harmonize. A lounge could be improvised from a packing-box, furnished with springs and a small hair-mattress, and covered to match the draperies. A few touches of this kind would completely
18 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
transform an ugly room into a noticeably pretty one ; and the small outlay required would prove an excellent investment.
The proprietor of a small boarding- house was lately advised by a friend, temporarily occupying a large room which the landlady was vainly trying to dispose of permanently, to make a few such improvements before applicants came to inspect it, window-curtains of some kind being particularly recom- mended.
" Oh, I mean to get them, if any one takes the room," was the reply ; " but as long as there is no money coming in, I can't afford to spend anything on an un- certainty."
Her friend endeavored to convince her that an outlay of ten dollars on the spa- cious, bare-looking room would be re- turned tenfold, but all to no purpose The bedstead and bureau were of wal
THE BO ARDIXG- HOUSE QUESTION. 19
nut, while the chairs and small side-table were maple ; but " when the room was taken," the landlady said, the furniture would be properly matched, the other walnut articles being then in some other part of the house.
The room was not taken ; and, in all probability, the head of that house will never succeed in keej3ing boarders or in any other occupation.
A lady who desires to increase her in- come by receiving, perhaps, one inmate into her family will find no difficulty, if she resides in a city, in obtaining an un- exceptionable lady or gentleman board- er, who is willing to pay liberally for the comforts of a refined home. There are many such persons who detest board- ing-houses, and would gladly dispense with a great variety of viands, for the sake of having what is put on the table made inviting. Even so simple a dish
20 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
as the popular ante-breakfast course of oatmeal is seldom cooked so as to be fit to eat. Often brought to the table half raw, because so few cooks seem to under- stand the immense amount of moderate boiling, or simmering, that it requires, it quite deserves the name of " chicken- feed," by which it is facetiously desig- nated. It can be made, however, a very delicate and nourishing dish, if served with cream or good rich milk.
It is not necessary in this connection to go into the details of breakfast, din- ner, and tea — a passing allusion to the characteristics of a successful boarding- house being all that is required. The assertion can be easily proved from facts that the people who are fruitlessly seek- ing for home-like quarters are far more numerous than those who have such quarters to offer. It follows, therefore, that any lady who will furnish some-
THE BOARDIXG-HOUSE QUESTION. 21
thing more attractive than usual will Lave no cause to complain of want of success.
The only kind of boarding - house which a lady can conduct comfortably in person is one that provides a refined home for those who are willing to pay for its privileges, and who prefer it to the care of a home of their own. Half a dozen rooms with inmates of this class — two or three, perhaps, being rented en suite — would bring a much handsomer profit, with far less care, than if the num- ber were doubled and filled with impe- cunious clerks and struggling young married couples.
There should be no threadbare car- pets, nor shabby nor sham articles of any kind, in this model boarding-house of ours; an air of quiet elegance and general well-to-do-ativeness should per- vade the establishment throughout;
1>1> MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
there should be an immaculate front en- trance, a stand of trailing and growing plants in the vestibule, a handsome um- brella and hat stand, portieres, if you please, to the parlor door- ways, and an inhabited look to the parlors themselves; for there would be no caravan of Goths and Vandals, in the shape of third and fourth rate boarders, to pour through the house and destroy things, but well- bred inmates, who would appreciate their advantages too highly to injure them.
It seems strange to the careful ob- server that so little provision, except in the way of exorbitant charges, has been made for this class; and tastefully- fur- nished rooms and a well-appointed table are too seldom offered to justify the hasty conclusion that they do not pay. We feel sure that they idouM pay — for such rooms and such a table would com- mand almost any price within the bounds
THE BOARDIXG-HOUSE QUESTION. 23
of reason ; and the six or eight people grouped around the board, arranged as if for a small dinner-party, with nothing visible but the central stand of flowers and the ornamental dessert — while the well- trained waiter quietly carves the meats at a side-table, and presents the dishes to the guests — the lady of the house sitting at the head of her table, handsomely dressed, and free from all anxiety, would feel that a full equiva- lent was rendered them for a very hand- some outlay.
Humbler boarding-houses well-con- ducted, and especially in manufacturing places, would not fail to be appreciated ; and clean, comfortable rooms, tastefully arranged (for the cheapest things may be tasteful), with plain, wholesome food, nicely cooked, and varied as much as possible, could be made to pay hand- somely. The boarders should not be
24 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
able to say, " Wednesday is always corn- ed-beef- and- cabbage day ;" or, " Friday, we are sure to have fish — only this, and nothing more;" a regular routine of viands is inexpressibly wearisome, and may easily be avoided by a little good management.
A lady, some years ago, found herself reduced, by the death of her husband, from affluence to poverty, and left with several small children to be supported by the work of her own unaided head and hands. She would consider no pro- posals from friends that she should open a fashionable boarding-house; but, se- lecting a plain good -sized dwelling in the right neighborhood, she managed to secure it, probably on the strength of her own well-known character, and fitted it tip with a view to the especial class of people whom she expected to receive as boarders.
THE BOARDIXG-HOUSE QUESTION. 25
This was the class of mechanics, and single men were not only "preferred," but insisted on; and as soon as one of the inmates married, his place in the es- tablishment was forfeited. A dozen oth- ers were always ready to step into it;
for Mrs. D 's boardiug-house was so
admirably conducted, that waiting hosts of outside working-men turned longing eyes toward it. The adjoining house was speedily added to the first one, and as speedily filled ; and, in the course of a few years, the enterprising landlady owned them both, and was enabled to educate her children thoroughly, and even to lay up money for their future needs.
The question naturally arises, how did this one woman manage to succeed in an enterprise that would seem so Httle suited to a lady, and the details of which, she could scarcely be expected to grasp
26 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
understandingly ? Practical good -sense and quick powers of observation supplied in Mrs. D 's case the lack of experi- ence; and she furnished at reasonable prices an abundance of plain, excellent fare, with rooms that could be comforta- bly lived in, instead of being used only as sleeping-bunks — for even busy work- ing - men can appreciate neatness and harmonious coloring.
This lady chose to preside in her own dining-room, and even attended to the carving, with the aid of an assistant ; and the respectful greeting of each man, as he entered and took his seat, was an in- stinctive recognition of the claims of his landlady on his deference and consider- ation.
An establishment of this kind might be conducted, through a trustworthy deputy, without the appearance of the real head of the house ; but Mrs. D
THE BOARDIXG-HOUSE QUESTION. 27
was none the less a lady because she preferred managing her business in per- son, while her expenses were less, and her plans more thoroughly carried out, than if she had hired a substitute.
28 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter II.
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES.
Putting up Preserves for Sale. — Sources for Disposing of them. — Quality and Economy. — Popular Kinds. — Care in Small Things. — Best Methods of Pre- serving.— Low-priced Goods. — Room Higher Up. — Showy and Economical Jars. — Brandied Fruit. — Jellies. — Marmalades. — A Lady's Success.
Many branches of industry that can be pursued in a quiet way suggest them- selves in connection with house-keeping; and the would-be money-maker who has a house of her own will find it a compar- atively easy matter to carry out her ob- ject. Why should not the carefully-pre- pared delicacies so lavishly displayed on the table of the ambitious house-keeper for the admiration of her friends also be converted into a source of revenue?
Preserved and canned fruits are espe-
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 29
dally available ; " store preserves " are generally insipid, and canned peaches from the same source are sure to require more sugar, as well as more cooking, be- fore they are fit for the table. As sugar is a formidable item of expense in put- ting up fruit, it is natural for those who are trying to keep what they have and get all they can, to scant it ; w7hile the less cooking the fruit gets, the larger and firmer it appears. Preserves that are free from these defects, and yet manu- factured at nearly the same cost, can scarcely fail to find a ready market as soon as their merits are known ; and a lady without much ready money to risk could easily try half a dozen jars, which she could use for home consumption, in the event of their not being disposed of. A wise preliminary step would be to consult some dealer in such articles as to the demand for preserves, the most pop-
30 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
ular kinds, and the profit to be expected. City confectioners and dealers in foreign fruits, etc., have opportunities for dispos- ing of such delicacies, and will, in most cases, be quite willing to undertake it on a reasonable commission. A country store might possibly do even better, as there would be little danger of competi- tion ; and in some neighborhoods, where the residents are able to indulge in lux- uries, the novelty would be so great, as well as the relief to house-keepers, that such an occupation, if conducted with skill and care, could soon be made very remunerative.
In every case, however, where it is possible, the business should be trans- acted between the producer and the con- sumer, to avoid the payment of a com- mission to any third party, which makes quite a serious difference in the profits. Friends are sometimes sufficiently numer-
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 31
ous and liberal to prevent the need of seeking customers among outside parties ; and in this way, without any publicity, a lady will receive as many orders for preserves as she can conveniently at- tend to.
The question has been asked, while this book was in progress, " Cannot good preserves be bought cheaper than they can be made V And various instances , were cited, and one well-known firm in particular mentioned, of marvellously low prices and unexceptionable pre- serves. It is not to be supposed that ladies are advised in these pages to enter into competition with the large canning and preserving establishments that do their work by machinery, and fill every market with it at very moderate prices, but merely to produce superior home- made articles for a home market.
There are customers to be found who
32 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
willingly pay a higher price for appar* ently the same article that is offered else- where at a considerable discount; but, when bought even at the best of the large establishments, they cannot feel as sure of pure materials and proper modes of cooking as when taken from a private manufacturer, whose success depends upon these very points. Most of the preserves, too, that are publicly offered for sale have a fine outward appearance, but a most insipid taste ; while the pur- chaser of cheap brandied fruits runs a fearful risk of disease, and even death, from the injurious effects of the cheap spirits employed in their manufacture. Good brandied fruits cannot be made cheaply, for the reason that good fruits and good brandy are not to be had for next to nothing; and those who have the sense to know this prefer buying such wares at higher rates of
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUXITIES. 33
a person who will make them consci- entiously.
But they can be made understanding- ly as well ; and the lady who is engaged in preserving may have some friend whose business relations will enable him to procure her materials at wholesale rates. This lightens the expense in some degree, though not so much, with good articles, as may generally be sup- posed ; and the poet's well-known line,
"Earth gets its price for what earth gives us,"
is quite applicable here.
The judicious use of ammonia has been recommended as a perfectly legiti- mate way of reducing the expense of sugar in preserving, as this ingredient is quite harmless, and does not affect the appearance of the fruit, when properly used. In the course of boiling, a small quantity should be stirred in and the 3
34 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
effect carefully noted. The alkali of the ammonia combines with the acid of the fruit, producing a neutral reaction which permits the sugar to have its full effect. If too much ammonia finds its way in, the addition of a little vinegar will remedy the excess.
With regard to fruit, happy is she who can say, even if it is a travesty,
"I know a bank where the wild raspberry grows;"
for the preserving capabilities of this in- significant-looking fruit are infinite, and it has the advantage over the cultivated berry of belonging to any one who will take the trouble of gathering it. Rasp- berry jam affords an inexhaustible store for puddings, tarts, jelly-cake, ices, etc., and one can scarcely make too much of it. Raspberry jelly and raspberry sirup are also popular ; and the rich, beautiful color of all these compounds is as pleas-
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 35
ing to the eye as the taste is to the palate.
Blackberries, too, are valuable in their way, though somewhat unpleasantly seedy, and are quite popular in the shape of jam and jelly and sirup. Strawberry preserves are always welcome; peaches are taken for granted; the dark -blue plums are a delightful combination of tart and sweet. But the latter are sel- dom offered for sale in the shape of pre- serves; and with the fullest of purses one cannot easily buy quince marma- lade. Guava marmalade, which has to be brought from the tropics, is compara- tively common; but certain home pre- serves are still waiting for some enter- prising woman to put their separate ma- terials together, and create a demand by furnishing a supply.
To manufacture an article a little dif- ferently, or to put it up in a peculiarly
36 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
attractive form, is almost sure to prove a successful enterprise; and, especially in the matter of preserving, superior workmanship and original devices will always bring in satisfactory returns.
" The French," says a recent writer on the subject, "make the clearest, best preserves, because they spare no pains. They first prepare their sirup or clari- fied sugar; then, after neatly and care- fully paring or dressing their fruit, cook a few pieces at a time, or only as many as they can oversee, carefully lifting each piece out of the sirup the moment it is done. To make clear, good preserves requires, first, no economy of trouble; second, that the fruit be perfectly fresh — alive from the tree or bush, or, as a friend says, ' tasting of the sun.' "
Some persons talk of " having good- luck with preserves ;" but the good-luck will almost invariably be found to result
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. S7
from care and experience. A little orig- inality, too, goes a great way ; but exper- iments out of the beaten track should be made with great caution. A little may be gleaned here and there from books, as well as from practical house-keepers; and, after carefully laying the founda- tions, the business might be commenced on a small scale.
It must be remembered, however, that it is one in which there is great compe- tition— the market being fairly flooded with low-priced goods that are not cheap because of so inferior a quality; and that only by providing something better than usual, at fairly reasonable rates, can any one now entering the field hope to make the occupation of preserving at all profitable. For those who will do this kind of work there is much encourage- ment; and a quotation from a volume for business men is quite in place here :
38 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
"A wide range of opportunity for fort- une is open to men of enterprise, even in the beaten tracks of commerce, by an im- provement in the quality of common and ordinary articles of export, and in the modes of shipping them. By a little persevering examination you will readily discover articles which, by extra care in sending out only the best qualities, and put up in such a manner that they will retain their quality when they arrive, will be certain to bring back satisfactory returns."
"There is always room higher up," even in the preserving business ; and the Exchange for Woman's Work, in New York, which disposes of the best class of such goods on commission, says in its report that the market only waits to be supplied— whatever is really good is sold, and there is a clamorous call for more.
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 39
In putting up preserves the clearest and whitest jars should be selected, as the fruit is then displayed to the best advantage ; and, although tin cans have the advantage of keeping their contents so perfectly air-tight that fermentation is impossible, they are very inferior in appearance to the glass bottles, and not satisfactory to the purchaser, who is thus prevented from seeing the goods without opening them. The ordinary glass can- ning jars, sold as quarts and pints, con- sume an inordinate amount of fruit, if put in at all closely ; and the best and most ornamental receptacles are the French bottles — also called quarts, but not requiring so much to fill them — which can probably be obtained from the large wholesale dealers in such wares.
One dollar and fifty cents per quart jar is the current price for superior
40 MOXEY-MAKIXG FOR LADIES.
brandied fruit, while ordinary preserves sell somewhat lower ; but when any kind of fruit is scarce and dear, the price of that particular kind of preserve must advance in proportion.
Jellies of almost every kind are sala- ble, and for currant jelly especially there is a constant demand, as it is indispensa- ble with game and venison. Nothing, perhaps, affords a better illustration than currant jelly of the advantages to be de- rived from doing a thing in the best possible manner, and then putting it up in an attractive shape. Red and white currants mixed make the prettiest col- or; and in some cases it would pay to make the white and red separately, and let it harden in alternate layers in the receptacles. This makes it very orna- mental for the table, and such moulds would probably be in demand for din- ner-parties.
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 41
Clearness and color are, of course, -es- sentials in jelly -making, and to secure the desired results every detail must be carefully attended to. These begin with the picking of the fruit; and it is ad- vised to " gather the fruit early, as soon as fully ripe, since the pulp softens and the juice is less rich if allowed to remain long after ripening. In our climate, the first week in July is usually considered the time to make currant jelly. Never gather currants or other soft or small seed fruit immediately after rain, for pre- serving purposes, as they are greatly im- poverished by the moisture absorbed."
Marmalades, and especially those made of quince, are also in demand ; by hardening them in sheets, and then cut- ting in small squares, sprinkled with white sugar, they may be put up as dry confections, and meet with a ready sale. This class of preserves utilizes all the
42 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
imperfect fruit, which must otherwise be discarded, as spoiling the effect of the large, handsome specimens that are in- dispensable when the fruit is to be seen entire ; but, when all is mashed together, all that is necessary is to take out any marks of decay, as mutilation does not show.
A lady living in the country on, or near, a fruit farm has great advantages, in the way of preserving, over her city sisters, as the fruit can then be gathered to " taste of the sun," besides costing lit- tle or nothing. Transportation of goods, within any reasonable distance, is but a slight additional expense, and a matter very easily managed.
The case of a lady was lately quoted who, with a superabundance of fruit on her premises that could not be disposed of, finally decided to convert it into pre- serves, and seek a market for it in that
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 43
form. Her experiment has proved emi- nently successful ; and, being fortunate enough to find a home sale for all the preserves she can make, she is now in the receipt of a very handsome income.
44 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter III.
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES.
{Continued.)
Demand and Supply. — "With brains, sir!1' — The Pies of Boyhood. — " Money in it." — Advantages of Home- made Pies. — A Waiting Market. — "Apple Pye." — Good Bread. — The Country Baker. — A New De- parture.— Modest Beginnings. — Cheap Restaurants. — An Unsupplied Want. — A Bright Idea. — The La- dies' Lunch -room. — Division of Labor. — Coffee at the Sea-shore. — A Money-making Scheme. — Confec- tionery for Watering-places.
A good house-keeper will be able to make her knowledge remunerative in many ways; and she will soon discover that those who are able to supply a daily recurring want, as in the case of well-prepared food, have no need to seek far for constant employment. People are always wanting things to eat, and eat they will, though other wants may
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 45
go unsatisfied; hence, those who can cater to this general weakness will suc- ceed where learning and culture fail.
Not that the learning and culture would be amiss even in this very prac- tical calling — for, if Biddy's mistress had Biddy's muscle, she would do the Irish girl's work far better than the Irish girl does it herself; " with brains, sir !" be- ing not only an addition, but a manifest improvement, to any combination. A good cook is quite as likely to be found in an accomplished lady as in the red- visaged denizen of the kitchen ; and many of those reduced from wealth to comparative poverty have quietly turn- ed their culinary talents to practical ac- count.
Home-made pies and cake, of that ineffa- ble character which men's mothers always made when they were boys, are harder to find than four-leaved clovers; and the
46 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
success of such exceptional viands is al- most assured. There is even a tradition that, some years ago, a woman actually bought a farm with the proceeds of pie- making; but she sold her manufactures herself, and hired no assistants. It is something like those marvellous tales of German farmers on diminutive plots of ground, who contrive to make one acre yield the products of ten — a feat which is accomplished by being their own farm- ers, hired hands, and errand-boys, and by wasting nothing.
Money can certainly be made, howev er, by the most retiring lady in manu facturing excellent home-made pies and cake where there is a market for them and this can be found in any city or town of much size. Country house keepers would feel insulted by the bare suggestion that they were not able and willing to make their own pies and cake,
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 47
although many of them are not ; but dwellers in cities have no such sensi- tiveness.
Deft fingers with pastry, that can turn out plump, juicy pies of apples in slices, thoroughly cooked, and flavored with cinnamon and orange-peel — those of pumpkin deep, moist, and good in every wray, and others in their season — would find no difficulty, after a little patient waiting, perhaps, in meeting with a ready sale for them. People would flock after
Mrs. E 's home-made pies, as they
would after Mrs. D 's home-made
preserves ; and the agreeable change from strong butter in the paste, and very little of anything in the inside, to crust of flaky sweetness and liberal " filling," could not fail to be appreciated.
Just at first, perhaps, the profit might scarcely pay for the trouble, but a little practice would soon teach the beginner
48 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
how to buy materials in quantities at a saving, and to use them with discretion. It would not be difficult in the city to find a suitable person to carry the pies around for sale; and there are many business places where they would be warmly welcomed at lunch -time, espe- cially if made in the form of tarts and turnovers. An enterprising lady could do well when her pies became popular; and it is rather surprising that no one has tried the experiment to any extent — that is, no really good, home-made pies* have been offered for sale in this way; and, because poor ones have not been particularly popular, there is no reason for discouragement where good ones are concerned.
Both pies and cake could probably be introduced into the same market where preserves are welcomed ; and, with the help of a competent assistant, a lady
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 49
could easily supply a large daily de- mand. She would do well, perhaps, to consider a recipe, not far from two cen- turies old, called
"APPLE PYE."
" Dear Nelly, learn with Care the Pastry Art, And mind the easy Precepts I impart ; Draw out your Dough elaborately thin, And cease not to fatigue your Rolling Pin. Of Eggs and Butter see you mix enough, For then the Paste will swell into a Puff, Which will in crumpling Sounds your Praise report, And eat, as Housewives speak, exceeding short.1'
Did any one ever visit a country vil- lage where good bread could be bought, or where even tolerable bread was offered for sale % The great want of such a place is a decent bakery, where bread worth the eating, biscuits of undoubted charac- ter, and good plain cake could be bought. Pies of a like nature might be added here ; and, with everything good of its kind, and sufficiently reasonable in price, 4
50 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
the projector of such an unusual enter- prise could make it an abundantly pay- ing one.
Baker's bread, in the country, is almost invariably dingy of hue and tough of texture ; and as to the cakes, or " buns," with their speckled tops, one feels like asking which are currants and which are flies, even at the risk of the traditionary answer, " You pays your penny, and you takes your choice." The pies which ac- company such bread and cake are not to be thought of, except in the shape of dark mysteries.
In view of this state of things, a depot, however unpretending, where eatable bread could be had for the buying, with the addition of thoroughly good pies and cake, would surely flourish ; and it might begin on a very small scale indeed. A lady's kitchen would furnish all nec- essary weapons of war, and the services
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 51
of a person to perforin the heaviest labor could be secured by the day, week, or month. A respectable woman could, doubtless, be found to " tend store " for a reasonable consideration; and, when all the wheels of the machinery were fairly in running order, the proprietor would find herself in possession of a substantial business, that must, in the nature of things, prove a lasting one.
As the want is one constantly com- plained of in country villages — each fam- ily being obliged to do its own baking, no matter how inconvenient or unwel- come the task, with the worse alterna- tive of getting their daily supplies from the baker's wagon — a well-managed en- terprise of this kind seems to have in it all the elements of success. The little shop might begin in a portion of some one else's store, or even in a room of the dwelling where the highly -respectable
52 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
" lady attendant" abides; and a moderate trade in confectionery might grow up by degrees under the wing, as it were, of the staff of life. Ice-cream, in warm weath- er, would also prove remunerative ; and there is room, through the length and breadth of the land, for an infinity of these delightful little bakeries, in which ladies can not only make money, but find themselves in the position of public ben- efactresses.
This is the day of cheap restaurants, where pavement -boys, venders of news- papers, bootblacks, and the like can get a comfortable meal for a few cents ; and in far, down-town localities, where busi- ness men congregate, a dime or two will procure good meat, bread, milk, tea or coffee, and something quite eatable in the way of dessert.
But for ladies there are no such es-
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 53
tablishnients ; the down-town places are too far off, and within a reasonable shop- ping radius there are only the confection- ers, with high prices and unsatisfactory viands. The restaurants established in immense dry goods emporiums in neigh- boring cities are largely patronized for convenience' sake, and must bring large revenues to their proprietors ; but a lady who lately entered one of these apart- ments, for the purpose of obtaining a much-needed lunch, gives anything but a favorable report of her experience. The crowd had in a measure dispersed, and the new-comer could take her choice of several disorderly-looking tables, with soiled cloths and the crumbs of the last feast. A pert-looking girl came very near to get some ice-cream for another customer, but vouchsafed no reply to the lady's re- quest for a bill of fare; and a colored wait- er persistently disregarded her signals.
54 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
After five or ten minutes of fruitless waiting, the lady, whose time was pre- cious, rose up in wrath ; and, meeting a person who was probably known as the " lady superintendent," she informed her that she was leaving the place because she could get no attention. Everything in the way of attention was immediately promised ; but the customer did not find the soiled table-cloths appetizing, and wended her way on her various missions without any lunch at all.
As she walked on, however, decidedly faint and exhausted, she pictured to her- self a model lunch-room, intended solely for ladies — the strong point to consist of excellent coffee, supplemented by home- made bread, both white and brown, and the napery and appointments to be immaculate. What a chance, she thought, for some enterprising woman to make a fortune ! And why, in the
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 55
name of common -sense, did not such a woman open just such a restaurant as close as possible to some great shop- ping centre ?
By getting her materials in large quantities, and paying ready money for them, she would find it practicable to charge moderate prices, and yet realize a handsome profit. The mere fact, for instance, of charging five cents a cup for coffee, instead of ten, and yet furnish- ing an unexceptionable beverage, would bring her a constant run of custom ; and the bill of fare could be extended by degrees, as there seemed occasion for it. A small sum of money would go a great way in starting such an estab- lishment, which, at first, could be con- ducted in one room, with a curtain screen to conceal the little stove, with its coffee apparatus — the bread being made at home ; and a respectable, pleas-
56 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
ant-spoken woman could be engaged as an attendant.
This would be an experiment on a moderate scale, and the returns would come in daily. The bill of fare could be extended as circumstances required ; and, all things considered, the field seems a particularly promising one.
" But," remonstrates Ysolte, helplessly, " what has this to do with me ? I am not a house-keeper, and cannot set up a restaurant."
Then she can go into partnership with some friend who is a house-keeper; or, if she has no available friend, she can probably find, by careful search, some worthy woman who will be only too glad to do her cooking for a fair con- sideration ; while the other worthy wom- an who presides over the lunch -room can easily mauage the coffee. The few articles needed at first can be collected
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 57
very cheaply; and, if situated in the right neighborhood, there will be no lack of custom.
There is a want yet to be supplied at sea-shore places of resort, and a want, too, that, strangely enough, seems to have entirely escaped the notice of those who prey upon the seekers after health and pleasure. This is the cup of fra- grant coffee that always follows the Turkish bath, but which has as yet had no connection with a plunge into the ocean.
An excellent opportunity for money- making here offers itself to any one who is capable of carrying out such an enter- prise. Few bathers would not be will- ing to pay ten cents for the refreshment of an excellent cup of coffee at the very time when it is most wanted ; and its reviving effects are particularly notice-
58 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
able after the fatigues of bathing and getting dressed again.
The coffee could be served in some place close at hand, or it might be car- ried around on waiters; but it should invariably be hot and strong, and able to bear the closest criticism. A woman to make the coffee, with an assistant to help her pour it out, and boys or girls to carry it around, would constitute the needed corps; while the proprietor might disport herself among the bathers, and even partake of a cup of her own coffee, if she felt so inclined.
Confectionery is always a popular ar- ticle of merchandize at watering-places ; and anything a little out of the common way, if good as well, would be received with favor. Whether bought or home- made, if nicely put up in boxes of a con- venient size and sold at a reasonable
THE HOUSE-KEEPER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 59
price, the demand for it would be quite extensive.
An arrangement might be made with the hotel-keeper, or with some one liv- ing in the place, to undertake the sale ; but ordinary ingenuity will furnish meth- ods for accomplishing this according to the circumstances of the case.
60 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter IV.
WHAT MAY BE DONE WITH THE NEEDLE.
Use and Abuse of the Needle. — Ladies' Depositories. — A Museum of Fancy-work. — Judgment and In- vention.— Society of Decorative Art. — Quaint Pro- ductions.— Profitable but Unattractive Work. — In- dian Bead-work. — An Old Woman's Emery-bags.— A Monopoly Desirable. — Small Inventions. — Knit- ting and Crocheting. — Dress-making and Millinery. — Convenience and Economy. — Travelling Advan- tages.— Pins vs. Needles. — Home Dress-making. — An Easy Way of Learning. — Private Remunerative Work. — A Lady's Experiment. — Observation and Ingenuity. — A Neglected Art. — An Establishment for Repairs.
A deft use of the needle is a par- ticularly lady-like accomplishment; but plain sewing is hard and wearing work, and, since the introduction of sewing- machines, it is, when " done by hand," anything but remunerative. As an es- sentially feminine implement, the needle
THE XEEDLE. 61
had always been a great favorite with poets and writers, until the " Song of the Shirt " opened their eyes to the evils caused by an excessive use of it; and scarcely a more affecting picture can be drawn than that of a poor, half-starved needle- woman bending over her daily toil.
In all the large cities there are empo- riums, generally known as Ladies' De- positories, where ladies (fo'r whose ben- efit they are intended) can deposit arti- cles of needle- work made by them for sale, receiving the proceeds when sold, after the deduction of the usual ten per cent, commission ; while ladies who want work done deposit it there to be given out to the proper persons. All kinds of plain sewing and embroidery are done through these establishments ; but only first-class work is accepted, as the prices paid are very liberal.
62 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
These institutions have proved per- fect boons to many poor, proud ones, who could not bring themselves openly to join the ranks of sewing-women, and yet whose only power lay in a skilful use of the needle. A perfect museum of fancy-work, beautifully executed, and often showing taste and originality in the combinations, is displayed in win- dows and cases; and it is saddening to see such an apparently inexhaustible supply of pin -cushions, and tidies, and babies' socks, and afghans, and every fanciful allurement that can be thought of to open the purses of wealthy visi- tors, because there are so few purchasers in proportion to the supply.
The best season for the sale of such articles is during the month before the Christmas holidays, when an inventive fancy and dexterous fingers may be turn- ed to good account. The surest element
THE NEEDLE. 63
of success is to produce something that is original, and at the same time in de- mand; and inexpensive trifles will sell much more readily than elaborate pieces of work.
The Society of Decorative Art is very much the same thing on a higher scale, hand -painting and artistic embroidery being the only accomplishments that find admission there. Very beautiful work is displayed, and high prices are paid to those who come up to the stand- ard required; but, to do this, careful study is necessary, and considerable out- lay both of time and money.
Ordinarily, the sale of fancy-work de- pends upon the place and the season as much as upon the workmanship. In some quaint, sea-shore places shell-work, which in cities is thought too antiquated to be worthy of notice, is largely in de- mand ; and in one sandy retreat, not nn-
64 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
known to fame, a maiden lady partly supports herself by her " shell pieces." These are composed of small shells and fragments of coral, dotted over a mass of sea-weed that issues from a diminu- tive basket, or, rather, from the flat half of it — all of which is glued on a founda- tion of card-board, ready for the frame, which is added by the purchaser.
Numbers of these works of art are carried away as mementos of the place ; and some of them are really pretty. The handsomest ones, in which a flat pearl shell of lovely, changeful sheen is substi- tuted for the basket, are sold for several dollars apiece. A peep, however, into the work-room, back of the shop, where the shell- artist stains her hands with powerful acids that are used to bring out the beauty of the shells, is not cal- culated to attract fastidious ladies to this occupation.
THE XEEDLE. 65
Indian bead-work has its attractions when bought of Indians, and some ladies manufacture it on a very elaborate scale for fancy fairs; but what could a city shopkeeper do with it % Who would care for the crosses and trinkets made of table-rock away from Niagara ?
Some years ago a poor old woman, whose eyesight was exceptionally good, helped to support herself and a family of grandchildren by making emery-bags. The strawberries, both white and red, with their clearly - defined green hulls, were wonderfully natural -looking, some being made of flannel, and some of vel- vet, and varying in price, according to the material ; and a ready sale was found for these useful little articles amons; the ladies who took an interest in the aged needle- woman. The materials, fortunate- ly, cost her nothing — bits of flannel, vel- vet, and silk being furnished by the la- 5
66 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
dies themselves; while the emery, which was of the very best quality, was the gift of a dealer in such goods.
Almost any one small article for which there is a demand, and especially one of which the manufacturer, as in- ventor also, has the monopoly, will bring in better returns than a variety of arti- cles of less decided popularity. One reason for this can probably be found in the fact that, when the powers are concentrated on the doing of one thing only, that thing is sure to be done ex- ceptionally well.
Any invention that pleases children is an open sesame to their parents' purses; and a quick-witted young lady has netted herself into quite a profitable little business by making hammocks for dolls. These little hammocks are made both of silk and cotton, of prettily con- trasting colors, and finished with dainty
THE NEEDLE. 67
bows of ribbon where they are sus- pended. To have one's beloved Flor- ence Arabella gently swaying to and fro (a miniature edition of Sister Lil, who, with aesthetic attire and the last novel, is doing the same thing in a shaded cor- ner of the veranda) in a hammock of her own is infinitely delicious to the juvenile mind ; and it is easy to believe that such an article, as the advertisers say, " sells at sight."
Some ladies knit and crochet with such dexterity that their work is much in demand ; and, although the stores pay very poorly for this kind of labor, pri- vate orders are often received through friends that make it worth the doing. One or two hundred dollars a year can be very pleasantly earned by working wTith soft, bright wools, and making pret- ty articles in one's leisure hours. There is, however, no regular demand for this
68 MONEY-MAKING FOK LADIES.
kind of manufactures, and such orders are usually the result of good fortune and influence — fancy-work of any kind being a very poor staff to lean upon.
Dress-making and millinery, which, if such a term is allowable, may be called fancy plain sewing, are particularly sat- isfactory in their results.
There is a very general belief that dress-makers and milliners are born, in- stead of being made; and this idea is verified by the ease with which some persons, without the least instruction, will take up the making of dresses or bonnets, and turn out work that would be creditable to those regularly ap- prenticed to the trade. When only put to home uses the gift is a most convenient one, and a saving both of trouble and money; for good dress- makers, at reasonable prices, are as rare
THE NEEDLE. 69
as good servants, and good milliners equally so.
If there is truth in the homely adage that a penny saved is a penny gained, economy may be considered in the light of money-making; and that there is a great saving in the making of one's own dresses and bonnets is an undisputed fact. Less material is required ; things can be made to " do," in the way of lin- ings and trimmings, that would be most contemptuously regarded by a profes- sional lady, and a delightful feeling of independence is attained by having one's dress-maker and milliner always at hand for repairs and alterations.
The convenience of this in travelling, or while on a visit, can scarcely be exag- gerated ; and, in packing things into a small compass, the lady who does her own millinery can indulge in three or four hats, where her more helpless sister
70 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
could allow herself but one. To effect this, the hats are entirely stripped of trimming — the feathers, flowers, ribbons, etc., carefully laid in the tray or box pre- pared for them — while the denuded skel- etons are placed one within another, as at the hatters, and stowed with the small- est amount of attention or respect just where they will go conveniently.
It is an assured fact that one phase of the unpacking consists in reclothing these naked hats — a thing that is easily done with the help of a few pins, a twist or two, and a stitch here and there. Amateur milliners advocate the use of pins rather than of needles ; but profes- sionals may not endorse this theory.
The dress -maker, too, can divest her handiwork of any trimming or draping that might be injured by close packing, secure in the power of being able to re- store each flounce and fold to its origi-
THE NEEDLE. 71
nal place, as soon as the time has come for the garment to emerge from its chrys- alis state.
In a family of several daughters, even where there is a reasonable supply of money, an aptness for dress-making and millinery is a gift to be cultivated. One paterfamilias offered his eldest daugh- ter a new dress for every dress of similar value that she made satisfactorily for her- self, or for any other member of the fami- ly; and the young lady applied herself so diligently to the art, that her ward- robe was the wonder and admiration of all her friends.
When it is a possible thing for a lady to acquire this useful knowledge, she should not hesitate to do so; and some good dress-makers and milliners are now willing to receive pupils in place of ap- prentices. If regular instruction is not available, a great deal may be learned
72 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
by taking an old dress or bonnet to pieces, to see how it is put together ; and this, with the aid of the excellent pat- terns that are sold everywhere, would enable almost any one to achieve a fair degree of success.
Any lady with some degree of taste in this branch of needle-work will be able to make it profitable in a moderate way among her friends, who will be glad enough to secure work worthy, perhaps, of a first-class modiste at not more than half her charges. The workers, on the other hand, feel that they are well remu- nerated, and are thankful to obtain new bonnets and dresses for themselves by fashioning those of their friends.
The millinery business is said to be extremely profitable; and two ladies, who were desirous of obtaining money for a certain purpose, were once engaged in it for a year in a somewhat novel way.
THE XEEDLE. 73
One partner had all the artistic taste, and made the bonnets, which were charm- ing; the other was of a practical, busi- ness turn, and attended to the purchases and the account-keeping. A room was hired in a desirable locality, and a trust- worthy saleswoman placed in it; while the real proprietors were never supposed to be connected with the establishment at all.
These enterprising ladies realized a handsome profit, and retired at the end of a year with their purpose fully accom- plished,
A milliner in a country village is sure to become well-to-do, at least; and one with taste and a knowledge of busi- ness might do much better than this. Quick powers of observation are neces- sary to success, as well as the ability to originate styles, and to combine and arrange trimmings effectively. A man-
74 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
milliner complained that he walked out on the most public thoroughfare for the express purpose of studying the different styles, but that none of the women whom he employed as assistants ever did so.
Some persons can almost in a single glance make a novelty their own ; and these are born milliners and dress-makers. Others can gaze for a few moments in a window, and then come home and cut their own patterns, giving just the right look to every part. Such women need never be in want — they carry a fortune in their quick eyes and nimble fingers.
That branch of needle-work known as mending is often sadly neglected, and the exquisitely regular, back-and-forth darning of a past generation usually ex- cites comments on the " waste " of the time bestowed upon it. Some things are worth mending and others are not; but,
THE XEEDLE. 75
as a general rule, if a thing is worth mending at all, it is worth mending well.
To understand mending thoroughly is a great aid to economy ; and the patch put on by a thread, and sewed with al- most invisible stitches, often saves a val- uable garment, without materially affect- ing its appearance. To regard mending, however, in the light of a money-making industry is so much of a novelty, that the following paragraph from a daily paper will be read with interest :
"It is somewrhat singular that, among the many devices resorted to by women for the purpose of earning a livelihood, it has not yet dawned upon the con- sciousness of some enterprising females that general repair establishments could be made grand successes in large cities. Just where the thousands of young men who are away from their mothers, sisters, or aunts get their mending done is a
76 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
mystery. That it is done by somebody, there is no doubt; but, if there were places where a shirt, a pair of stockings, drawers, pantaloons, or any other gar- ment could be sent to be mended, with the assurance that it would be neatly and cheaply done, there would be no lack of patronage. Many families would avail themselves of such facilities, for there is no duty incumbent upon the female head of the house more gener- ally distasteful than that of repairing clothing.
" We throw out these suggestions for the benefit of whom they may concern. There are many splendid openings for such repair shops in ; and the en- terprising woman who opens the first one will be well rewarded, if she does it in a proper way."
TEACHING IN ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. ^
Chapter V.
TEACHING IN ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES.
The Profession of Teaching. — "Classes and Lessons." — Ordinary Remuneration. — A Class in Literature. — A Few Suggestions. — The Study of Botany. — Reading Aloud. — Ordinary Failings. — Reading to an Invalid. — Music Lessons. — A Modern Cecilia. — Appreciation. — Instruction in Fancy-work. — A Sew- ing-school.— A Class in Mending. — An Object to Work for. — Cooking-schools. — Teaching as an Ex- change.
HavenCt considered the various branches which come under the heads of house-keeping and needle- work, there now remains for discussion the profes- sion of teaching, as the last of the three legitimate occupations for ladies in what might be called the Dark Ages of wom- en's work.
Teaching, in spite of its care and anx-
78 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
iety and wearying, tread-mill round of duties, has always been a popular em- ployment with the educated — principal- ly because it is one of the few means of money-making in which a lady may openly engage without compromising her social standing.
There are many who, without being able to give all their time to teaching, would gladly be so engaged for two or three days of the week, or two or three hours of each day; and "classes" and "lessons" have multiplied so of late years that a qualified instructor seldom experiences any difficulty in carrying out such a plan. In a large city there are often to be found fully-grown, and even middle-aged, people desirous of instruc- tion, because of a lack of early advan- tages; and a lady with influential rec- ommendations— and even without them, through some happy accident — can usual-
TEACHING IN ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 79
ly find occupation among this class for an hour or two of the day.
The price for such instruction varies from fifty cents to a dollar an hour, even exceeding this in some cases; and a well- worded advertisement in a daily journal will seldom fail to bring pupils to the would-be teachers. The pupils themselves sometimes advertise for teach- ers; and it is the custom to furnish re- sponsible references on both sides.
A class in literature is a delightful employment for those who are qualified to engage in it, and one that is always well remunerated. In the cities such positions are apt to be filled to overflow- ing; but in small towns and country places opportunities of this kind are not so numerous. It would not be difficult, within a distance, perhaps, of two or three miles, to collect a class of young girls who would be glad to avail them-
80 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
selves of the services of a lady competent to direct their reading, and introduce them into the higher walks of literature.
A class which met twice a week, pay- ing fifty cents each for a lesson, would yield a very nice weekly sum for the amount of time given, and would also be a very pleasant means of increasing one's spending -money. Those who feel distrustful of their own powers in an at- tempt to guide others would find some useful hints in a small volume called " A Course of English Reading." This contains many valuable suggestions in regard to particular lines of reading and study that could be turned to good ac- count by any one beginning a class in literature.
The study of botany, which might be conducted in quite an original manner by reading in connection what old poets and new have written on the subject of
TEACHING IN ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 81
flowers, could thus be made particularly attractive, involving picnics and various excursions, with charming collections for gardens and vases.
With a teacher capable of making things as interesting as they could be made, such classes would be found emi- nently successful even in the smallest place: and many unappropriated fields are ready for the experiment.
The advantages of good reading — read- ing aloud for the pleasure of others — are beginning to be appreciated; and a properly qualified teacher, not of " elocu- tion"— which always suggests making up faces and speaking a piece — but of easy, unconstrained reading aloud, would seldom fail to obtain sufficient encour- agement. So many books are now to be had on the proper management of the voice, that almost any lady, with ordina- 6
82 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
lily good vocal powers, could soon reme- dy the defects in her own reading, and make herself competent to instruct others.
Heading aloud is too often performed in a high-pitched, unnatural tone, with as little regard to final d^s and g's as pre- vails among other speakers of the Eng- lish tongue in their dealings with the letter h. These faults once overcome, a natural, conversational style is not diffi- cult to acquire ; and reading-classes, with a fair and good-natured contest at the end of a term for a prize to the best reader, could be made quite popular in the list of village enjoyments in winter.
Occasionally, a good reader will be able to find a couple of hours' daily em- ployment in reading aloud to an invalid, or one whose eyes will not bear use ; but such opportunities are not of frequent occurrence, being in many cases only a delicate ruse on the part of the wealthy
TEACHING IX ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 83
to put money into the hand of a poor but proud friend. Such an engagement, however, can sometimes be made even with strangers, and there are few more agreeable ways of earning a regular salary.
Giving music lessons "just for pin- money " is a very general practice, and the music teacher, especially when the pupils are small children, in a country village, frequently appears in the shape of a young lady very much dressed. The employment is very remunerative under a reasonable amount of patronage ; and the hard-working mechanic and his equal- ly hard-working wife are particularly anxious to have their daughters taught to " play the pianner." To see Celia or " Hanner Jane " seated, of a morning, at the instrument, in " unwomanly rags " and unkempt hair, shrieking forth the pathetic complaint —
84 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
"No one to love me, None to caress,"
far from producing acquiescence in the justice of such a fate, excites a pleasant thrill of satisfaction in the parental bo- soms that this gifted being is actual household property.
The thoroughly trained and compe- tent music -teacher will find more con- genial pupils, and receive a liberal price for her lessons. A little extra income earned in this way often enables the teacher to improve herself in the higher branches of her art ; and when the pu- pils are friends, or children of friends, the occupation can be made a very pleas- ant one.
A class in fancy-work would be found very taking in small places, where such advantages are not so easily obtained as in the city ; and the ruling mania, what-
TEACHIXG IX ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 85
ever it might be, would be eagerly sought after. The old-fashioned mania for wax flowers was revived some years ago, and teachers of the art found it very profitable; but it is decidedly out of favor now, except in remote places. One dollar an hour is the usual price for such instruction ; or it may be given, like embroidery in silk, gold bullion, etc., in a course of so many lessons. Stitches in knitting, crochet- work, and ordinary embroidery do not command so high a price.
Instruction in plain needle-work is much needed, and not so easy to obtain as instruction in fancy-work. Quite lately, in a small country place, a lady opened a sewing-school on Saturdays, which was well attended by girls from twelve to fifteen. Only plain sewing and mending were taught — accomplish-
86 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
merits usually more appreciated by par- ents than by pupils ; but the attendance of the volatile damsels was secured by an interesting story read aloud during the lessons, and some little refreshment and a game of romps at the end. The two hours7 instruction was well remu- nerated ; and there are few mothers, able to do so, who would not gladly pay for having their girls thoroughly grounded in the rudiments of needle- work by one who understands the art, and who also understands half-grown girls.
A mending-class would be a novelty, but, in connection with plain sewing, it could scarcely fail of success. There are always stockings to darn, and rav- ages to repair, in the best-regulated fam- ilies; but there is not always some one who can do these things properly, and sometimes the repairing is worse than
TEACHING IX ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 87
the rent. The woman who can mend well has all that is saved in this way added to her income; and few more profitable and convenient uses can be found for needle and thread.
Such a class could be made very in- teresting by having an object to work for. Each pupil might bring the dis- carded garments of the family to be re- paired for the use of the poor, or placed, when good enough, in a box for foreign or domestic missions ; for, with such an incentive, unsuspected talent, in the way of making old clothes look almost as good as new, would be developed to a surprising extent.
Cooking-schools are not a modern de- vice in the way of teaching, but an old one revived. It used to be the fashion to teach ladies how to cook; but this instruction probably took the form of
88 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
wonderful cakes and confections, rather than that of ordinary viands
"... Not too good For human nature's daily food."
A school similar to those now establish- ed in two or three large cities, teaching thoroughly the preparation of common family meals, would be appreciated in most towns and settlements ; and a lady known by her neighbors to be an adept in making bread, biscuits, and cakes, need not often seek for pupils in vain. The arts of pickling, preserving, sirup and wine making, might be added ; and the graduates of such a school could give an entertainment provided by their own fair hands, each dish being labelled with the name of the maker.
Almost any gift may be turned to ac- count in the way of teaching, provided
TEACHING IX ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 89
it is something that one's neighbors care to learn ; and sometimes an exchange may be made, without the medium of currency, that will prove of mutual ad- vantage. A person, for instance, well supplied with fruit, vegetables, or the like, may be glad to part with a portion of these commodities in payment for instruction ; while the other party is equally glad to receive so useful an equivalent for the money earned. Both are thus accommodated ; but, if a money return had been insisted on, no arrange- ment could have been effected between them.
Other forms of instruction may be suggested by these brief hints, which are not intended for those who are able to devote the whole of their time to the business of teaching.
90 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter VI.
LITERATURE AND WRITING.
"Prose and "Worse." — Undeveloped Talent. — Mistaken Ideas. — Some Open Doors. — A Mercenary View of the Subject. — What to Write About. — Rates of Re- muneration.— Literary Giants. — Century Plants. — What an Author Needs. — Novel Writing a Trade. — Works of Fiction. — Profits of Periodical Litera- ture.— Elements of Success. — Value of Advertising. — Sensational Writers. — A Lady's Attempt with a Dime Novel. — Sunday-school Books. — A List of Periodicals. — Writing by Proxy. — Advertisements. — Letter- writing. — Legal Copying. — Book-keeping.
Within the last few years, when so many non -toilers have been compelled to consider more or less the subject of money - making, the discovery has been very generally made that literary work is the most agreeable and remunerative of the various occupations suitable for a lady.
LITERATURE AND WRITING. 91
This general conviction has inundat- ed the market with attempts in "prose and worse ;" while bitter disappointment awaited the owners of bulky manu- scripts who imagined writing to be "the easiest thing in the world to do,"
A poet says that
" Men have been cradled into poetry by wrong,"
and it is well known that circumstances often bring to light unsuspected talent — a poem, or a novel, of undisputed mer- it, having sometimes been written to meet a financial crisis; but such cases are rare, and triumphs of this kind are almost invariably preceded by under- ground work of some sort.
That a person of good average educa- tion, who needs money badly, can, with a little practice, make literature a means of support, is a very pleasing fallacy, but one that has very little foundation in fact.
92 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
The ability merely to write acceptably and profitably is very delightful, but it does not come all at once ; and to many, who are ambitious of it, it never comes at all. Culture and the advantages of society are valuable aids in the develop- ment of literary talent, but they cannot bestow it where it does not exist, and much, on the other hand, may be done without them.
A pretty poem, a graceful story, or a bright little volume, may be within the reach of those by whom the higher tri- umphs of literature are never attained; and all these things have usually a de- cided market value. There are so many different kinds of writing — so mauy channels opened in magazine and news- paper literature, and especially in books and stories for children — that there is a niche for almost everything that is real- ly good. So little outlay, too, is required
LITERATURE AND WRITING. 93
— pen, ink, and paper, and a few postage- stamps constituting the capital — that the least chance of success seems to justify the beginner in making the attempt.
In these pages writing is viewed, like every other employment, solely in regard to its money returns : of the higher aims of genius, and a conscientious de- sire to benefit mankind, it is out of place to speak here. For those who need such information, the following paragraphs, from a work on women's employments, published some time ago, may be found useful :
"Subjects," says the writer, "are as numerous as the objects around us, and suited to all moods and diversities of mind. To the contributor I would say : Your writing will be likely to find read- ers, whether it be grave or gay, sad or sprightly, witty or jovial; whether one making a draught on the imagination or
94 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
the judgment; whether one displaying your own attainments, or calling to aid the opinions and requirements of oth- ers ; in short, one of thought, fancy, or facts.
"Your friends may like your ideas draped in poetry, or the more substan- tial dress of prose. One is like gold, the other like iron. One serves for ornament, the other for use. The true poet is a gifted person — a heaven-born talent does he or she possess. If you have good de- scriptive talents, you can write stories — laying the scenes in far-away countries that are not much known, and yet elicit- ing some interest. And as to the sub- jects of a moral cast, their name is le- gion. Magazine-writing furnishes a pal- atable way of drawing attention to in- dividual follies, or furnishing a satire on the inconsistencies and exactions of soci- ety in general. If you attempt to write
LITERATURE AND WRITING. 95
natural stories, let your scenes and events be such as occur in every -day life."
As to the prices paid for acceptable articles, they vary according to the style of the article and the character of the periodical, as well as the reputation of the writer. Harpers' periodicals pay about ten dollars for a thousand words ; the Atlantic Monthly about the same price per page; and others in proportion to their circulation and cost. Some of the little Sunday-school papers, which require tiny articles, make very tiny re- turns. A lady lately received from one of them a very polite note containing a dollar bill, and stating that it was " in payment for her ' Camelopard ' " — a fragment of natural history which, fortunately for her, she had not valued very highly.
The paper in question is an honest, substantial little sheet, that always pays
96 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
for what it uses at a settled rate per column ; but there are periodicals whose proprietors will publish articles, even by- well-known writers, and then calmly say that "it is not their custom to pay for contributions unless arrangements to that effect are made beforehand !" It is safer, therefore, except in writing for the pe- riodicals mentioned, and those of similar standing, to make the arrangements be- forehand.
In an article written some time ago it is said : " I have now before me a state- ment from a single publisher, in which he says that to Messrs. Willis, Longfel- low, Bryant, and Allston his price was uniformly $50 for a poetical article, long or short ; and his readers know that they were generally very short — in one case, only fourteen lines. To numerous others it was from $25 to $40. In one case he has paid $25 a page for prose. To Mr.
LITERATURE AND WRITING. 97
Cooper he paid $1800 for a novel, and $1000 for a series of naval biographies, the author retaining the copyright for separate publication ; and in such cases, if the work be good, its appearance in the magazine acts as the best of adver- tisements. To Mr. James he paid $1200 for a novel, leaving him also the copy- right. For a single number of his jour- nal he has paid to authors $1500.
These names, most of which belong to the literature of a past generation, show that the article is by no means a modern one; and at the present day there are women - writers who receive even greater sums than these. Mrs. Stowe, Mrs. Hodgson -Burnett, and Miss Phelps are probably the best paid of our female authors; but these ladies have exceptional talent, and belong rather to the century-plant order.
Their humble sisters, however, need 1
98 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
not despair of a moderate degree of suc- cess; and those who fancy that they possess any powers of imagination and expression have at least the right to try their wings. "The indispensable quali- fications to make a writer are — a tal- ent for literary composition, an accurate knowledge of language, and an acquaint- ance with the subject to be treated."
Mr. Anthony Trollope declared that novel-writing could be made as much a matter of apprenticeship as any other trade; and he carried out his views by bringing up his son to his own calling. The volumes thus produced by machin- ery are not remarkable for freshness; but they show what may be done by regularly learning the trade.
In works of fiction there is always a wide field for women. "This class of books requires less time, less study, and less money, and rewards the authors pe-
LITERATURE AND WRITING. 99
cuniarily better, than any other kind of work, considering, of course, the compar- atively small amount of application re- quired." This is the universal testimo- ny; and a poor story is often more sal- able than an admirably written, instruc- tive article devoid of entertainment.
People write from many different mo- tives, such as love of fame, wealth, influ- ence, and a desire to do good ; if from the second motive, there are various things to be considered. Among these is the testimony of a very successful writer that she made a mistake in de- voting most of her time to periodical literature, as books are infinitely more profitable ; and Rose Terry Cooke, one of our most charming magazinists, whose stories are probably quarrelled for by the editors, instead of ever being return- ed to her, distinctly states that she has never yet made by her pen one thousand
100 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
dollars a year. Had she produced a book, her account would probably have been very different.
The most immediately remunerative kind of book is a bright, taking story that can be read of a summer's day — a book with a title that seizes the fancy at once, and in which commonplace oc- currences are treated in an uncommon way. Originality of expression is a pow- erful ingredient to success ; and delicate touches of this kind are most effective in completing an attractive whole. Who does not remember that, among the many charms of " Rutledge," the heroine had no name ?
Literary merit, although indispensable to an enduring fame, is by no means nec- essary to moneyed success ; and a recent review of a popular volume gives a fair idea of what is needed :
"The reason of the great success of
LITERATURE AND WRITING. 101
lies almost wholly outside its
covers ; it . is not due to anything for which the author is to be held responsi- ble at all, excepting the title. Given at any time a catching title, enough merit to rescue the volume from dulness, and an abundance of ingenious advertising, and what trifle of the kind could not be forced into large circulation ? There must, however, be comparatively a tak- ing phrase in the title, as well as exten- ' sive placarding, to secure the result ; di- vorce one from the other, and a different story would be the consequence."
Sensational periodicals and papers, that deal in blood -and -thunder litera- ture, pay poorly for the work done, but require large supplies of it. Occasion- ally, some modern Scherezade, who can spin a story out endlessly, and season it highly with blood-curdling advent- ures, receives a handsome salarv for her
102 MOXEY-MAKIXG FOR LADIES.
weekly contributions. One of this class of writers had the first story sent to a certain paper returned to her, " to be re- written grammatically and spelled cor- rectly " — 'English and orthography be- ing equally abominable ; but madam re- sponded that "she couldn't write at all, if she had to bother about the grammar and spelling." The quick eye of the reader had detected in the untidy sheets a decided genius for hair - breadth es- capes, and midnight murders, and mys- terious poisonings; and as these uncan- ny subjects formed the staple of his pro- gramme, he hired a person to decipher the manuscripts and reduce them to a civilized condition, while the gifted au- thoress was placed on the regular staff at an absurdly high rate of remuneration.
It is scarcely possible for an educated and refined lady to do this kind of writ- ing successfully. One who attempted it
LITERATURE AXD WKITING. 103
some years ago often refers to it as an amusing experience. She had been ad- vised to write a dime novel, which was represented as a very easy task, and sure to bring in a certain moderate sum — the great point being to make it as sensa- tional as possible. For a first attempt in this style, our authoress felt that she had acquitted herself very creditably in making her hero, in the first chapter, go crazy, and all but commit suicide, kill his child, and turn his wife out-of-doors ; but the manuscript was returned to her, with a polite note, stating that it was of too domestic a character to answer their purpose!
Having done her very worst, the lady retired from the field discomfited.
Sunday-school books of the right kind are very much needed — not religious novels, but books suitable for intelligent children from ten to fifteen years of age.
104 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
It is probably owing to the prevalent idea that a Sunday-school book is very easy to write, that the market is flooded with such a quantity of trash; but a book of this kind, that shall accomplish its high mission, cannot be written by every one.
There is no dearth of subjects; there are such beautiful things in Nature to those who have learned to look up to Nature's God, such a wealth of clouds and sunsets and early dawns, with all the witching changes of the seasons ; and, far more beautiful even than these, the lovely, heroic deeds of daily life that sometimes gild the humblest homes, and wind like a thread of gold through the most prosaic and unpromising sur- roundings. Such materials are always at hand for the true artist.
Commonplace, goody -goody books — narratives that are largely composed of
LITERATURE AXD WRITING. 1Q5
conversations in which the characters "grind" in a style that would not be tolerated in real life — have had their day. The author of a volume of this description rather boasted that, when she began to write, she had not the slightest idea what she was going to say. "That is just what I should have supposed from reading it," replied her plain-spoken auditor.
The power that is needed in Sunday- school literature is the ability to take the common, every -day events of ordi- nary life and make of them sermons that shall elevate and encourage all who read them :
li Footprints that perchance another, Sailing o'er life's rugged main, Some forlorn and ship wrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again."
A list of the various periodicals which pay for contributions, some liberally, and
106 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
others very moderately, may be of use to those who are just beginning to write for publication. Those marked with a star are children's periodicals :
Harper's Magazine New York.
Weekly
" Bazar
" Young People*
Scribner's Monthly
St Nicholas*
Leslie's Lady's Journal
" Sunday Magazine
" Chimney Corner
Demorest's Monthly
Magazine of American History ....
The Churchman
The Independent
The Christian Weekly
The Christian Union
The Home Journal
The Daily Graphic
Lippiucott's Magazine Philadelphia.
Arthur's Home Magazine . . .
Godey's Lady's Book
Peterson's Magazine
The Sunday-school Times
The Youth's World*
LITERATURE AXD WRITING. 107
The Sabbath -school Visitor* .... Philadelphia.
The Atlantic Monthly Boston.
The Youth's Companion* "
Ballou's Monthly "
The Waverley Magazine "
Wide Awake* "
The Congregationalist "
The Wellspring* "
The Dayspring* "
There are probably others scattered over the country; but those enumerated wTill be more than sufficient for the most industrious writer.
Sometimes persons with a ready pen, but not much literary genius, make a good income by doing other people's writing ; and lectures that are delivered with considerable effect are not always the wrork of the speaker. A case wras lately mentioned of a young man who earned a comfortable living by writing lectures, pamphlets for patent medicines, and advertisements.
108 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
An enterprising woman, too, was cited who first secured an entire column in a daily paper — which she obtained at a greatly reduced rate from that charged for single advertisements; then she vis- ited different business people — or sent persons whom she employed for that purpose — representing to them the great advantages of advertising in that partic- ular column ; and, finally, she wrote out the advertisements in an attractive style and had them inserted, very much to her own advantage.
Writing letters for those who are not gifted in expressing themselves has oc- casionally been found profitable; and persons with a very large correspond- ence are often glad to avail themselves of such help. The duties of an amanu- ensis are comparatively light, and the re- muneration fair.
But copying for lawyers, for which
LITERATURE AXD WRITING. 109
there are so many advertisements in the daily papers, is by no means a desirable employment. It is represented as very dirty, tiresome work, and poorly paid. Three cents for every hundred words is an exceptional rate, as it is often er less; a very clear, round, legible handwriting is required, and any mistake must be rectified by doing the work over. On the whole, there are many employments more attractive than this.
Directing envelopes is very much of the same nature; and a small sum is paid for them by the thousand. Some- times these employments can be carried on in one's own house; but oftener they are regular office- work, and quite out of the question for a lady.
110 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter VII.
ART INDUSTRIES.
Schools of Design. — Fundamental Instruction.— Im- possible Achievements. — Practical Skill in Design- ing.— Mechanical Drawing.— Women as Architects. —Engraving on Gold and Silver.— The New York Society of Decorative Art.— Objects of the Society. —A Depot for First-class Work.— Conditions for Exhibitors.— China Painting.— The Decoration of Fans.— Hand-screens, Plaques, etc.— Door-panels. — Illustrations for Books.— A Superfluity of Genius.
The Schools of Design which have been opened in most of the large cities afford ladies many advantages for learning how to make money pleasantly. The course is rather tiresome, perhaps, for a grown person, and especially for one feeling the need of speedy returns for any invest- ment, even of time — four years being the time required for graduation; but, if a
ART INDUSTRIES. HI
pupil desires to study some particular branch for a limited period, arrange- ments can generally be made to do so.
The peculiar advantages offered by the School of Design are the very thor- ough nature of the instruction, the abun- dance and variety of models to work from, and the very moderate charges to those who intend making it in any way a means of support. The industrial branches of the fine arts receive especial attention; and the opportunities for ac- quiring a practical knowledge of design- ing, lithography, wood-engraving, etc., in addition to all kinds of drawing and painting, are quite unrivalled.
It has been said that the greater part of the higher order of designs are prac- tically unavailable for want of knowl- edge on the part of the designer of the conditions of the particular manufacture in question. The economic possibility
112 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
and aptitude are not studied ; and hence, the manufacturers say, are enormous wastes of thought, skill, and industry. This want supplied, a field of industry practically boundless would be opened to female artists, as well as artisans; and it would be an enlightened policy to look to this, while the whole world seems to be opening its ports to our productions.
These considerations make the popu- lar stories of heroines who achieve, with- out any preliminary training, the highest success in their first attempts at design- ing utter absurdities — the most unpre- tentious of wall-paper patterns requiring some idea of means to an end to make it available. Such employments are de- lightful enough in themselves to repay a reasonable amount of application to the study of rudiments; and a well- grounded designer, with an inventive
ART INDUSTRIES. H3
fancy, will find abundant and well -re- munerated work.
Practical skill in drawing is absolute- ly essential to a good designer ; and, with this foundation, the study becomes an easy one. Wall-papers and calicoes con- sume endless designs ; and, in addition, there are carpets, silks, ribbons, furniture, lace, silver, jewellery, etc.
Many ladies make quite a handsome income by drawing for the Patent Office, patent agents, etc., the drawings being chiefly linear, mechanical ones, and the remuneration varying according to abil- ity. The fact, however, is emphasized that "it requires mechanical knowledge, which is not very often possessed by women, but is a branch of study that would be found both pleasant and prof- itable, especially if they were prepared for it by an elementary course in the public schools. It is not a branch that
114 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
admits of much display, and is, therefore, almost entirely neglected, or taught in such a way as to be utterly futile for all practical purposes."
Architectural drawing is also a use- ful, pleasant, and very profitable acquire- ment ; and there is no reason why wom- en should not be eminently successful as architects. Houses planned by ladies could scarcely fail to be more satisfac- tory in detail, and very much more con- venient ; and some especially comfortable and attractive houses have been so plan- ned. It is quite an unusual thing to see a lady pursuing the study or practice of architecture ; and yet " the wife of Er- win von Steinbach materially assisted her husband in the erection of the famous Strasbourg Cathedral; and within its walls a sculptured stone represents the husband and wife as consulting together on the plan."
ART INDUSTRIES. H5
Almost every woman sees something to change in the house she inhabits, and knows just how she would have ordered the arrangement of closets, staircases, etc., to economize room to the best ad- vantage ; but, without some knowledge of the rudiments of architecture, it is not easy to draw a plan that can be practi- cally carried out. A proper course of instruction, combined with the natural inclination of women for comforts and conveniences in the place where so much of their lives is spent, would result in a new and improved order of house archi- tecture, as well as remunerative and lady-like employment to many who are now wondering what they can do.
Engraving of various kinds is a popu- lar branch of study at the School of De- sign— a knowledge of this art insuring constant and remunerative employment
116 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
The work of ladies in chasing on gold and silver is frequently in demand; and the qualifications needed are good draw- ing and penmanship.
While the instructions received in the School of Design are more particularly directed to the industrial branches of the fine arts, the Societies of Decorative Art furnish a somewhat higher and more aesthetic culture. China - painting, tile- painting, panel-painting, art needle-work, and everything of an ornamental nature that conforms to the principles of true art, receive careful attention ; and a mar- ket is provided for all work that may be found satisfactory.
The instruction in these institutions is not free, except for a limited number of pupils who may have sufficiently influ- ential friends to procure scholarships for them; but the salesrooms offer unusual
ART INDUSTRIES. H7
advantages in disposing of all work that is approved by the Committees.
The New York Society of Decorative Art states the objects of its institution to be:
" 1st. To establish a place for the ex- hibition and sale of decorative work, and to encourage the production of such work among women.
" 2d. To distribute information with regard to the various art industries which have been found profitable in other countries, and to increase the sup- ply of hand-wrought decoration.
" 3d. To induce art- workers to master thoroughly the details of some one method of decoration, not only that they may make for themselves a reputation of commercial value, but that they may also assist in establishing a high stand- ard of excellence.
" 4th. To assist those who have work-
118 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
ed unsuccessfully in choosing some prac- tical and popular direction for their labor.
" 5th. To form classes in various kinds of decorative work.
" 6th. To establish a library of books and manuals of design.
" 7th. To form connections with man- ufacturers and importers, and to obtain orders from private individuals, and from dealers in decorated pottery, china, tiles, cabinet - work, carvings, draperies, em- broideries, and articles of household art.
" 8th. To develop the beautiful art of needle- work, and assist in adapting it to the requirements of house-furnishing and decoration.
" 9th. To furnish a market, outside of a limited circle of friends, for the large amount of artistic work done by those who do not make it a profession, but who have attained a professional skill in execution."
ART INDUSTRIES. H9
The last clause is of especial interest to those for whom these pages are in- tended; and a number of ladies gifted with artistic taste and skilful fingers find the society rooms a most satisfac- tory depot for their productions. A visit to these rooms is an introduction to the principles of ornamental art ; and only objects of dainty design and finish- ed execution are admitted to the artis- tically arranged shelves and tables.
Here may be seen exquisitely-painted cups and saucers, tiles, and panels, won- derful needle- work on curtains, portieres^ table-covers, etc. — even tidies and d'oy- leys that look like embroidered poems, But "frames decorated in color — except as mirror frames — and painted passe- partouts, wax flowers and fruit, feather flowers, leather-work, skeletonized leaves, painted candles, knitting, crochet, Ber- lin-wool work, underclothing, or em
120 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
broidered portions of it, and plain sew- ing, are excluded as inadmissible under the term of ' art ;' also imitations of Limoges and other pottery, decorated with oil-color and varnish. An article which is not honestly what it purports to be cannot be considered a work of art."
Here, then, is an opening for the fa- vored few whose work will pass the jealously -guarded portals; but, once within, appreciation and liberal remu- neration are almost sure to follow. Ex- hibitors are not obliged to be pupils, nor to have an acquaintance with any member of the society to obtain the privilege of admission ; but, unless intro- duced by a subscriber, a yearly entrance- fee of five dollars is demanded. Each one will receive, upon application, a number which will represent her work upon the books of the society, and which
ART INDUSTRIES. 121
must be added to name and address in " business letters."
Nor is it necessary to live in the city in order to enter work at the Society of Decorative Art, the only stipulation in regard to distance being that " all work must be delivered to the society free of expense." Therefore, ladies living in the country, who are able to meet the re- quirements, have the same privileges in this respect as their city sisters.
China-painting produces, perhaps, the most popular and profitable results of any of the art studies; and almost any one, with an eye for color and some knowledge of drawing, can easily ac- quire it. A lady who had successfully practised ordinary drawing and paint- ing, although quite self-taught, managed, in the course of a single day spent at the School of Design, to become suffi- ciently acquainted with the principles
122 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
of painting on china to take up this de- lightful occupation on her return to her distant village home, to the satisfaction at least of herself and her friends.
The decoration of fans, now so much in vogue, is almost a branch by itself; but it is expressly stated by the Society of Decorative Art that articles of this nature, " to be received, must in all cases show special excellence in the combina- tion of harmonious coloring and form, and the appropriateness of the decora- tion." Birds, butterflies, all winged creat- ures, are supposed to be particularly suited to objects that have such inti- mate relations with air — flowers have run riot over them for centuries — and figures have also been introduced with less good taste, perhaps, than any other device.
Some fans were beautifully ornament- ed lately with pen- etchings, resembling
ART INDUSTRIES. 123
the finest engraving, by a lad}7 whose tasteful fingers never seemed to make a mistake in this most delicate of under- takings. These dainty articles were in great request for Christmas presents among those who could afford to pay for them; and, in one instance, the fan, a very beautiful one of pale pink silk, with pearl handles, was furnished, and twenty dollars paid for the work alone. The artist confessed that she began her task with trembling fingers, fearful of spoiling the valuable article committed to her care ; but courage came as the work progressed, and her labor was crowned with even more than its usual success.
Hand- screens, so indispensable since open fires and chimney-pieces have been made much of, also offer a wide field for decoration to those who can handle the artist's brush; and whether painted in rich colors, or delicately traced in sepia
124 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
and India-ink, they are sure to be pretty and ornamental. Many of the Chinese and Japanese articles of this sort suggest ideas to be partly adopted and improved upon.
Plaques, either of china or smooth wood, are endless in design, and, when well -painted and handsomely mounted, make very satisfactory mural ornaments. Very beautiful designs for plaques are frequently the work of lady-artists, and prizes are sometimes offered for those of superior merit.
There are many remunerative pieces of work for those who can produce pleas- ing effects with color, although unable to attempt the higher walks of art — dinner-cards, neckties, and even buttons coining in for a share of ornamentation. A lady lately painted a set of the latter for a black silk dress with minute for- get-me-nots ; and the effect, enhanced by
ART INDUSTRIES. 125
larger sprays of the same flower at each corner of the vest, was extremely pretty.
Some inventive genius originated the idea of medallion sets painted on silk of various colors over large button-moulds : necklace, ear-rings, brooch, bracelets, in one pattern of flowers ; and, before they were too extensively imitated, they were thought very pretty and tasteful. They were quite profitable, too, to the artist, as they were quickly done; but they have had their day, and some other small invention, equally pretty, would receive as warm a welcome.
The painting of panels, for doors and rooms, has become an important indus- try, and brightness and beauty are fast taking the place of wooden monotony. Ladies who are gifted in executing pret- ty and unique designs of their own in- vention may almost be said to hold a fortune on the tips of their brushes.
126 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
One lady, at least, may be cited who, in this department of decorative art, has always as many engagements as she is willing to take, and at her own price.
Illustrations for books, if bright and original, are always in demand ; and in writing for children, especially, pictures go a great way. It sometimes happens that two friends can use together pen and pencil — one writing, and the other illus- trating; and, by combining these talents on the same piece of work, better results are accomplished than by working sep- arately. A little sketch, or poem, sent to a periodical for children, if accom- panied by an apt illustration, has nine chances of acceptance where an equally good article, without the picture, would have but one.
Occasionally, a delightful correspond- ent, whose letters are intended only for the eyes of personal friends, will illus-
ART INDUSTRIES. 127
trate the scenes or people she describes, with a few characteristic strokes, in such a life-like way that the scene or person is there before the reader; and these careless sketches, if published, would of- ten put to shame the work of popular comic artists.
This inimitable gift, with the usual contrariety of fortune, is usually bestowed upon those who do not employ it, except for the amusement of themselves and their friends ; but any one with a ready pencil for illustration has a direct way to money-making close at hand.
128 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter VIII.
HOUSE-DECORATION.
Two English Ladies. — The Decorator of the Past. — A New Field for Women of Taste and Judgment. — The Woman's Province. — How to Begin. — Consci- entious Work. — A "House Beautiful." — Farther Suggestions. — A Pair of Vases.
The domain of art is wide, and offers a variety of employment to those who understand it, not only in creating, but in selecting and disposing of the crea- tions of others.
The Misses Garrett, of London, have made a large and profitable business of house-decoration in painting, wood- work, and furniture — first fitting themselves for the undertaking by a thorough edu- cation in art, and exhibiting in their own house, with its admirably chosen belong-
HOUSE-DECORATIOX. 129
ings, sufficient proof of their qualifica- tions. The arrangements of this house are described by visitors to be not only uncommonly beautiful, but beautifully uncommon. Of these belongings the owners can discourse delightfully for hours together; and they have publish- ed a small book on the subject of house- decoration.
Formerly, people who had money to spend on house-furnishing were satisfied to give a fashionable upholsterer carte blanche for the furnishing of the new house, with the laudable object of mak- ing it look as much as possible like other people's. But all that has been changed, and the furnishing of the pres- ent day aims at individuality. Art, of course, above and beyond everything, say the reformers; but, after this, let us be original. To have something that one's neighbors have not, and are 9
130 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
not likely to have, is a positive happi- ness.
"Until lately," writes Miss Garrett, " a house - decorator (to all except the extremely wealthy) has meant simply a man who hangs paper and knows me- chanically how to paint wood. In his proper place he would fulfil the part which a dispenser does to a doctor — he should be able faithfully to follow direc- tions, and honestly to carry out instruc- tions ; and, as a rule, this role he is able to fulfil. But a decorator should mean some one who can do more than this; he should be able to design and arrange all the internal fittings of a house — the chimney-pieces, grates, and door-heads, as well as the wall-hangings, curtains, car- pets, and furniture. All these it has hitherto been customary to intrust to different people, none of whom has had any part in the deliberations of the
HOUSE-DECORATION. 131
other. The consequence of such a dis- jointed arrangement has been that, in modern houses, one seldom finds a room which makes an harmonious whole."
These ladies are themselves able to meet all these requirements; but they are exceptional cases. There is no rea- son, however, why other ladies with an equal amount of taste, even though lack- in o; their educational advantages, should not be able, in some measure, to fill the place of the Misses Garrett in this coun- try. Wealthy people in our land of changes are constantly furnishing and refurnishing their houses; and many of them, having more money than taste, would gladly pay for the guidance of a cultivated eye and a ready perception of harmony and fitness.
House decorative art is one for which ladies are peculiarly fitted, but with which they have as yet had little to do.
132 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
" When a house, the very centre of a woman's kingdom, and the place where she spends most of her time, is to be fur- nished and decorated, men are called in to decide what hues shall prevail, what hangings and carpets, and other belong- ings, shall meet my lady's eyes day after day — often what pictures shall hang upon her walls, what books shall come, like silent friends, to take up their abode with her." This is not a man's business at all, but a woman's ; and, if well-con- ducted as a business, it might be made very remunerative.
A lady employed as a house-decorator could present a plan or general outline of what she proposed to do — after care- fully studying the capabilities of the rooms — with an estimate of cost, and submit it to the householder. The re- sult would probably prove satisfac- tory to both parties; and one house
HOUSE-DECORATIOX. 133
tastefully furnished might be an excel- lent advertisement for future engage- ments.
The decorator should resemble the worthy Mrs. Gilpin in having " a frugal mind," wherever this virtue is desirable, and a nice calculation of expenditure; so that people of moderate means would find it more economical to have the ben efit of her taste and judgment in furnish ing than to take the responsibility them, selves. Since the revival of the beauti- ful in ordinary things it is just as impor tant to furnish the simple cottage har- moniously as the more pretentious man sion ; and, as cottages are more numerous than palaces, the decorator would often- er be called upon to spend $500 than $5000 — provided her charges were rea- sonable, and a gift for making one dollar do the work of two apparent to the dull- est comprehension.
134 MOXEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
The two accomplished English ladies who have introduced such a reform in house-decoration preside over a charm- ing establishment, where beautiful ob- jects, collected with unfailing taste and judgment, may not only be admired but purchased; and any lady engaging in the same occupation would find a house capable of unique adornment a great ad- vantage in this way. It could be quietly given out, among a circle of friends, that
Mrs. 's rooms were charming — quite
out of the common order — full of pretty effects produced at a moderate outlay; and one would bring another to look and admire — to buy a picture, perhaps, or the duplicate of a graceful hanging — and custom would thus flow in by degrees, until success was no longer doubtful.
A discreet amount of bric-a-brac could be taken on commission, and arranged
HOUSE-DECOR ATI0X. 135
with taste among the other furnishings ; it would show to better advantage, and be more salable, than in the shop of the dealer. Lady-artists, too, amateurs " who paint only for amusement," wrould glad- ly contribute some of their best efforts
to the adornment of Mrs. 's parlors,
for she might, in time, be able to find purchasers for them.
The business is one that may be made quite extensive; for tradesmen and deal- ers of all kinds, desiring to bring their goods into notice, would probably fur- nish samples of them to be used and
displayed by Mrs. . In this way
the house could be furnished with little or no expense to the occupant. With responsible references as security, it would not be difficult to make such ar- rangements; and private parties, who wished to dispose of old and handsome articles, would greatly prefer an oppor-
136 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
tunity of this kind to the medium of the auctioneer or second-hand dealer.
A lady, engaged in quite a different occupation, once received a letter from a member of an old Southern family ask- ing if she could dispose, on commission, of a pair of valuable china vases — an heir-loom from a great-great-grandmoth- er. The vases were valued at two hun- dred and fifty dollars, and from the de- scription must have been well worth it; but the person to whom the letter was written was obliged to decline the re- sponsibility. The incident, however, made quite an impression, and the idea was evolved by degrees that, wTith the vases as a foundation, a very pleasant occupation could be organized, and one that would well repay all who were en- gaged in it.
SHOPPING OX COMMISSION. 137
Chapter IX.
SHOPPING OX COMMISSION.— AGENCIES.
Attractions of Shopping on Commission. — Profits Re- ceived.— Reasons for Decline. — Comparative Ad- vantages of New York and other Places. — Neces- sary Qualifications. — Suggestions for a Circular. — Advertisements. — Shopping for Friends. — Book Agents. — A City Lady's Enterprise. — Characteris- tics of Agents. ^-Encouragement for Ladies. — Miss
G 's Experience. — The Catastrophe. — A Decided
Contrast. — Munificent Emoluments. — Other Sub- scription - works. — An Agent by Proxy. — Small Wares. — Advantages of Knowing how to Work.
Shopping on commission is, for those who succeed in it, an extremely profita- ble employment; while there is a cer- tain degree of pleasant excitement in re- ceiving letters and selecting pretty arti- cles. An indefinable charm seems to lurk in the spending of money, even if it is other people's ; and the shopper by
138 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
proxy enjoys this sensation to the fullest extent.
Sometimes city residents, as well as those who live in the country, are glad to have their shopping done for them, as it spares them much labor and per- plexity ; and those who are conscious of their own deficiencies in taste and judg- ment are especially glad to avail them- selves of this relief. The commission charged to purchasers is five per cent.; and as merchants allow a discount of from six to ten per cent, to shoppers on commission, this makes a very handsome return to those who have a reasonable amount of orders.
A lady, who managed this depart- ment in connection with her other du- ties on a fashion periodical, received one hundred dollars a month from this source alone; but she complains that, within the last two or three years, the business
SHOPPING OX COMMISSION. 139
has fallen off, so that only small and oc- casional orders are the rule now. She attributes this partly to the fact that all the dry-goods houses will now send sam- ples to the remotest ends of the earth ; wThile ready-made suits are so easy of attainment, that the resident of Kam- chatka, or the Philippine Islands, has only to "send waist and bust measure, length of skirt," etc., to be fashionably arrayed in as short a time as the ma- chinery of the sewing-machine and ocean steamer can possibly accomplish it.
So many persons, too, have lately en- tered into the business of shopping on commission, that scarcely a periodical of any standing is to be found without one or two advertisements of this nature. New York is the most desirable centre for shopping, and the advertisements are almost invariably dated from thence; but, perhaps for this very reason, some
140 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
other place, where articles of a pecul- iar or unique description are to be had, would be likely to attract customers. The experiment could, at least, be tried without involving much expense; but all preliminaries must be carefully ar- ranged.
The first of these, perhaps, is to be sure of one's own powers — what amount of walking, or other fatigue, can be in- curred without injury, and also the se- lection of a substitute in case of emer- gency. For orders of this kind frequent- ly arrive at very mal-a-propos times, when the principal is either ill, or so engaged with other orders that it is impossible to attend to them at once. And the at once principle is of the greatest importance in this particular occupation.
The wording of an attractive circular, that shall yet be so thoroughly truthful that no exception can possibly be taken
SHOPPING OX COMMISSION. 141
to a single item, after the arrival of exe- cuted commissions, is a point of no small weight. It is desirable to mention ev- erything that one purposes to do, and yet to make the circular rather compress- ed than expansive; while a judicious choice of words and phrases will have much to do with securing customers of the best class. Half a dozen influential names as references are quite indispensa- ble, as " orders are in all cases to be ac- companied by the amount required."
An advertisement which has to be paid for word by word is not in danger of being too lengthy ; the great difficulty is to say what seems necessary in so very confined a space. The charges for ad- vertising are most unreasonable in many cases, and quite appal the impecunious beginner; but it is the experience of successful business men that advertising pays. A fictitious name, if accepted by
142 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
those who are to be responsible for the advertiser's honesty and capability, may be substituted for the real one, and a post-office address given instead of the residence.
Some ladies have their leisure mo- ments profitably employed by shopping for friends at a distance; and this can be done without the aid of circulars or advertisements. It lightens, too, the la- bors and perplexities of those unfortu- nates who, on a hurried visit to the city are often obliged to waste much pre cious time and strength, and encroach upon limited trunk accommodation, to satisfy the demands made upon them often by mere acquaintances. The very fact of their going to the city seems a sufficient reason for their doing the shop- ping of the community; and weary feet, car fares, and loss of time are never taken into consideration. It would be well
SHOPPING ON COMMISSION. 143
for those victims of imposition calmly to announce their intention of shopping on commission at every visit to the city, to defray their expenses thither; and, if this object were not accomplished, they would certainly find themselves in pos- session of their time.
In shopping for friends one has the advantage of knowing their individual tastes and needs; while the customers have the comfort of perfect confidence in the person to whom they intrust their money and purchases. When shopping is executed with taste and economy, it is almost worthy of being called an art ; and a natural aptitude is indispensable to success in making it an occupation.
Among newspaper advertisements, those for agents of various kinds occupy much space and promise large pecuniary returns, Book-agents, in particular, for
144 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
" the best selling work ever known," are greatly in demand; and if the statements could be credited, even with a discount, any one of "fair education and pleasing address," engaging in this occupation, might well feel on the high - road to fortune.
It is not a calling that commends it- self to the shrinking and refined ; and yet in some instances it has been taken up, as a temporary resort, by ladies be- longing to this class with very fair suc- cess. " A hole may be the accident of a day, but a darn is premeditated pov- erty ;" and, acting upon this principle, ladies who are in want of money for some special purpose often prefer a short, exciting, perhaps somewhat unpleasant, experience of this kind to a tedious ap- prenticeship at teaching, or a more per- manent engagement in regular business. This has, at least, the advantage of being
AGENCIES. 145
taken up and dropped at pleasure; it needs no previous preparation, and very little, if any, capital.
A story is told of " an educated New York lady who wished to earn a liveli- hood, and, not seeing any other way open, she became a book-agent. She got a horse and buggy, and rode through the country, and was very successful. She met with a young lady who was very anxious to join her. They made a great deal of money, and wrote a book of their travels."
It is a somewhat unusual thing to see an agent of any kind who looks like a lady or a gentleman, or who is interest- ing in any way; and for this reason, doubtless, they are connected in the public mind with tramps, and are often treated accordingly. Many of them de- serve nothing better, as they are pertina- cious and disagreeable to an incredible 10
146 MOXEY-MAKLNG FOR LADIES.
extent ; and all the members of the same calling are obliged to suffer in conse- quence.
But a lady who undertakes this occu- pation in a lady-like manner will seldom fail to meet with respectful consideration, if not with subscribers; and, with the right book in the right place, she can also count upon the latter. An account of some actual experiences may serve to encourage the uninitiated who contem- plate making a trial of their powers.
Miss G was a pretty, attractive
girl, not at all accustomed to " roughing it;" but she found herself all at once most unpleasantly scant of money, and with an inconvenient fondness for the velvet and roses of life. Being of an en- terprising turn of mind, and having no guardians to restrain her, she resolved to make a new departure of some kind ; and, on the assurance of a respectable
AGENCIES. 147
publisher that book -agents really did make money, she invested a dollar or two in a prospectus and started forthwith.
Calling herself by another name wThich began with the same letter, and bearing a letter of recommendation from the publisher to a minister in the country town which she had chosen for her first field of labor, the young lady went, on her arrival, to the hotel where she had been directed, and was fortunate enough to find already there the very minister she was in quest of. He was a courte- ous gentleman, and, taking Miss G 's
cause up vigorously, he recommended her book to the best people in the place, who, when she called upon them, were quite ready to become subscribers.
Having profitably exhausted A ,
Miss G proceeded to the next town,
with a letter of introduction from her clerical friend to a brother minister.
148 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
This gentleman and his wife kindly urged her to make their house her home during her sojourn in the place, and the young lady gladly accepted this hospita- ble invitation, which spared her from the exposure and dreariness of a hotel. A pleasant fortnight was spent at the par- sonage, and eighty dollars cleared in money, besides a present to her kind en- tertainers; and, with two or three let- ters from these friends to people of note
in the neighboring township, Miss G
resumed her travels.
The book she offered was the biogra- phy of a prominent and popular charac- ter, its tendency a good one, and hence it was always endorsed by clergymen ; while its moderate price placed it with- in the reach of almost every one. The young agent found a pleasant reception everywhere, and received constant invi- tations to dinner and tea: was extensive-
AGEXCIES 149
ly questioned in regard to her motives for embarking in such an enterprise; while kind, motherly women gave her a great deal of good advice.
She never met with rudeness but once, and that was on a lonely country road ; after that she carried a pocket-pistol for self-defence ; and many a well-intention- ed man, passing the girlish figure that tripped so gracefully along, little dream- ed of the deadly weapon on which her hand rested, ready for immediate use. She never did use it, but it gave her a sense of protection to carry it.
After passing a winter and spring in
her self chosen occupation, Miss Gr
found herself in possession of the com- fortable little sum of nine hundred doL lars. This was doing far better than she could have done in any other wTay, and she had enjoyed some very amusing experiences; but, notwithstanding her
150 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
success, she decided to retire permanent- ly from business. During her visit at the parsonage she met a professional gentleman, who manifested an especial interest in her; and, as this interest plainly increased during the winter — be- ing expressed in the shape of letters and flying visits at the various points where the young lady stayed — it was finally re- turned, and ended, as such things usual- ly do, in an engagement. " Culminated," however, would be a better word, as the interest has never ended at all, after sev- eral years of marriage.
Miss G 's trousseau was bought
with her earnings as book -agent; and she and her husband have had many a laugh over her adventures. But he al- ways maintains that it was a dangerous step to travel under an assumed name, as some one who knew her might have appeared in the most unexpected place
AGENCIES. 151
— people have such a surprising faculty for turning up where they are least want- ed— and this would have resulted most unpleasantly. The lady laughingly in- sists, however, that as no such person did appear, she took the wiser course in not having her real name associated with the role of a book-agent.
Miss Thorne was an altogether differ- ent person : severely plain, and with an aspect of always doing her duty, she was what some people call " well along " in the vale of single sisterhood. There was nothing frivolous in her attire or her speech, no suavity of manner, but a style of address that was most directly to the purpose. She looked like just what she was, a plain, sensible school-teacher ; and it was evident that her success as a book- agent must depend entirely on the merits of the book — there was no personal mag-
152 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
netism about Miss Thorne with which to draw subscribers.
She was wonderfully successful, and that, too, with an old-fashioned relig- ious work that she carried year after year, and that never seemed to lose its interest. But she went bravely under her own name — she was not in the least ashamed of it, because she was well-known and respected; and friends in one place passed her on to friends of theirs in another. She al- ways knew just where she was going to stay beforehand ; and each morning her list of calls was made out for the day.
Miss Thome's accounts showed that she certainly cleared over $2000 a year ; and her avowed object of making $10,000 before retiring seemed likely to be realized. She had an invalid sister, whom she boarded with some friends in
AGEXCIES. 153
the inland city where she had taught school; and to buy a comfortable home for this sister and herself was the end for which she worked.
Miss Thorne received the very max- imum of percentage ever allowed to agents, the publishers of subscription books being eager to secure her services upon almost any terms — she was so em- inently respectable; and people seemed to feel at once that her statements could be relied on. She never failed to deliv- er her books at the appointed time; and subscribers never failed to find them all that the prospectus represented them. Miss Thorne considered a substantial, well-known book the best investment for an agent; and she did not approve of carrying more than one work at a time. She received fifty per cent., or half the price of the volume; Miss G received forty. The latter is the
154 MONEY-MAKIXG FOR LADIES.
ordinary commission ; and occasionally it is a little less.
Subscription books are often publish- ed in numbers ; but these are more trou- blesome to deliver, and involve more care and responsibility, than a single volume ; people, too, are often suspicious of them, as they have been known to give out before the subject was finished. But, on the other hand, so small a sum of money is required at once that the total cost is scarcely felt ; and this makes them quite popular. Servant-girls are partic- ularly addicted to this kind of literature.
When some particular book or period- ical is to be introduced into a parish or society, and a list of names is furnished belonging to people who are sure to want it, the position of agent, for some lady in want of money, is by no means unpleasant. Her subscribers are pre- pared for her visit, and, instead of regard-
AGENCIES. 155
ing it as an intrusion, they are rather disposed to feel grateful to her for bringing them what they desire to have.
Agents are employed for many other things besides books; but a lady could scarcely undertake the sale of them in person, as it savors too much of the ped- dler. Many articles of general use meet with a ready sale in country villages — where, if they are kept at all, they are generally of inferior quality at a higher price.
A lady who wished to dispose of some small wares which, if sold, would yield her a good profit, went to a village hotel and en^a^ed board for a week; then she requested the landlord to send her two or three bright boys who were anx- ious to earn some money. The boys ap- peared, glowing with expectation, and each one received a box of neck-ruffles,
156 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
to be sold by the dozen at a very mod- erate price. With many exhortations to carry their burdens carefully, they were despatched in different directions; and, before many hours had elapsed, each boy had disposed of his stock and want- ed another box. A small percentage on each dozen sold had roused their ener- gies to excitement pitch ; and the wor- thy villagers seemed in danger of being ruffled up to their eyes.
The work went briskly on for a week ; by that time the neighborhood for two or three miles around was quite ex- hausted, and it was necessary to make a change of locality. The real agent had passed her time comfortably in her room, while her subordinates, like busy bees, improved each shining hour, and did all the work, both parties being thoroughly satisfied with the results of this arrange- ment. Ruches and ruffles are particu*
AGENCIES. 157
larly salable wares in country places; they save so much trouble in the way of collars; and other small articles that would do equally well might be added at discretion.
Corsets, braces, etc., are frequently sold in this way; also fancy soaps and per- fumery; and on articles of this kind a hundred per cent, is sometimes given to agents. It is undoubtedly a money- making business; and, when proper as- sistants could be found, an enterprising lady might make it very profitable, with- out doing more than advancing the cap- ital and purchasing the goods.
The " directions " furnished to agents are often very comical, and of little use in the way of guidance. Those who study them most faithfully, and tax the memory with them for emergencies, do not acquit themselves half as successful- ly as do those who follow their natural
158 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
promptings, and adapt their course to circumstances as they arise.
A horse and buggy, with a boy to drive, will be found almost indispensa- ble, in the country, to the book-agent, and especially when a number of books are to be delivered ; but these articles, boy included, can generally be hired by the day or half-day for a moderate sum, that does not count in comparison with the profits.
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 159
Chapter X.
GARDEXIXG FOR PROFIT.
Advantages of a Country Residence. — Value of a Gar- den-patch.— What Has Been Done. — "Want of En- terprise.— A Small Garden Well Managed. — What a Woman Might Do. — Opportunities in Fruit-rais- ing.— The Capabilities of Currants. — A Condensed Strawberry Farm. — How to Start and Manage it. — ■ Quinces to the Front. — Advantages and Drawbacks. — Fruit-growing Generally.
Country residents have, in man)7 in- stances, greater advantages than their city friends in the way of opportunities for money-making ; and among the most profitable rural and semi- rural occupa- tions are the raising of flowers, vegeta- bles, plants for medicinal and other pur- poses, the collecting and arranging of ferns and autumn leaves for ornamental uses, etc. ; also the care of bees, poultry, and other live stock.
160 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Many a careworn woman, struggling with her housework, and finding it next to impossible to make both ends meet, has only to look into her garden-patch and see there the foundation of a differ- ent order of things, which might easily be made to culminate in an able-bodied Bridget in the kitchen, a half-grown boy at work outside, and the lady herself en- gaged in the lighter occupation of sorting fruit and vegetables, or tying up plants. At another time she might be balancing her poultry accounts, or calculating her prospective honey — not forgetting the de- lightful employment of the " king in the parlor" who was counting out his money.
A popular writer relates the experi- ence of two sisters, who found them- selves sorely put to it for the means of living, in spite of owning a comfortable house and garden. A wise friend, who boarded with them, pointed out the gar-
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 151
den as a source of revenue ; and, some- what incredulously, they adopted her suggestions.
A boy to keep the garden in order seemed to have come to them naturally with their other stock, and the boy was at once employed in gathering the vege- tables daily and disposing of them in the village. It was already late in the summer when the experiment began, and the crops had been planted without reference to anything but home con- sumption, which prevented them from being so remunerative as they could easily have been made. The returns were, nevertheless, very encouraging, al- most every day bringing a respectable income from corn, beans, tomatoes, etc.
It is a well-known fact that, in coun- try villages, people who do not raise their own fruit and vegetables really suffer for want of them, being obliged to 11
162 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
depend on the travelling huckster, or the nearest town, for what supplies they can get. And yet how seldom any one is found with sufficient enterprise to an- ticipate these needs, and raise fruit and vegetables purposely to supply them ! Even so small a space as half an acre, if cultivated to its utmost capacity, and plauted with j)opular vegetables for family use, would yield a fair return in money, besides supplying the owner with the most healthful of summer food.
An account of a small garden success- fully managed may furnish encourage- ment to those who think they have too little land to cultivate for profit.
Originally a carrot -patch, part of it was then devoted to onions, and " all round the edge of the onion bed," says the owner, "planted with Wethersfield Eed, I sowed parsley seed, and, between the rows of Carter's First Crop Pease we
GARDENING FOE PROFIT. 163
put in dwarf celery for a second crop af- ter the last hoeing. Stout Anselm work- ed the ground with the horses, at the time of the carrot and other green crop hoeing, and made the headlands of pota- toes. I procured strong-rooted currants and gooseberries, and planted them in rows wide enough apart for the horses to cultivate, and grew every kind of vegetable the first year, except aspar- agus.
"Since then, a bed of this has been made, and is the most eagerly sought and highly prized of them all. Two rows of strawberries, planted along the fence, supply us writh mammoth Jocund a sufficient for preserves and a good table supply ; while, by keeping our few rasp- berries cut back and trained to a trellis, we have the large fruit, and enjoy it bet- ter than any we could buy. The early Vermont potato is a superior variety,
164 MOXEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
and we use early and late corn to pro- long the season.
"It is astonishing how small a piece of ground will supply a family, if it is properly enriched, and attention paid to planting wide, with a view to a second crop. Radishes among beets are soon out of the way ; so is lettuce among carrots ; and at the same time this prac- tice tends to keep the garden tidy and free from unsightly rubbish. I sowed some of the low-growing annual flowers along the sides of my vegetable beds, and their bright bloom was always be- fore me when gathering anything for dinner.
"Turnips, I found, did well, even late, between the rows of ouions, which were pulled up late in August and laid to dry. The turnip-fly does not seem to like the smell of onions, and left ours unmolested. And for the squashes, both
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 1(35
summer and winter, which we grow, I found diluted cow- manure effectual in keeping off the bugs and strengthening the plants. Up the side of the house grows a Delaware grape-vine now; and half a dozen damson plum-trees, not far off, supply us with this choice preserve.
"I keep the rubbish in the compost- heap all winter, and make it the place for soap-suds and other good things ; and when the pile is removed in spring to the garden, its removal leaves a rich spot, where one may safely drop a few melon and cucumber seeds ; and, if cov- ered with a pane of glass placed over a bottomless box, the melons ripen a week earlier than in the open air.
" Half a dozen tomato-plants put into a warm, dry, not too rich, corner supply us for first use; and a few later plants, a second crop for preserving and can- ning, may be put in after any of the
1(36 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
early vegetables — spinach, beets, or rad- ishes— are pulled. Cabbage and cauli- flower are grown in small quantities, the trouble with the caterpillar being so great that we have to apply air-slacked lime several times; and then, if the plants chance to be neglected for a few days, Ave find the leaves are riddled.
"In spite of these drawbacks, however, the little garden was found to be a source of real profit, as well as pleasure ; and almost any other well -cultivated plot could be made equally productive. The most timid of women in business enter- prises, and with neither man nor boy in the family to depend on for help, might venture to hire sufficient labor to put her piece of ground in order, and plant it with fruit and vegetables — confident that she could dispose of enough, at least, to pay all expenses and keep her table well supplied. This of itself is some-
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 1(37
tiling to accomplish; and there would be scarcely a doubt of her doing much more."
There are many small avenues of profit connected with fruit-raising that seem to be quite overlooked. The reg- ular farmer or fruit- raiser considers them too small for his notice; and this is just where a woman, without much to invest, will find her opportunity.
For instance, almost every one wants currants, or what may be called the re- sults of currants ; they are useful in so many ways; and yet a few straggling bushes, that receive little or no atten- tion, are the only evidences of their cul- tivation in ordinary places. Experience proves that they are comparatively little trouble to raise, and that a good harvest may be reaped from a small outlay. While abundantly paying the cultivator
158 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
at three dollars a bushel, they are often sold for four dollars.
There is always a market for currants; and the fruit may be kept from the de- vastating worm by dusting the bushes with hellebore. To keep it also from the early bird, which catches a great many things besides the worm, it is safer to plant the white varieties — the bright gleam of the red fruit acting as a signal for a ready-made feast.
A successful cultivator advises plant- ing for profit the White Dutch, Versail- laise, Cherry, and Victoria, and says: "The ground should be well-drained, in order to prevent frost -heaving, as the bush is easily pried out when there is much freezing and thawing, with little snow. My plan is to set the bushes in rows ten feet apart, and six feet in the row. Between the rows corn or any hoed crop may be planted. In the rows
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. ItfQ
plant beans or potatoes. Cultivate and hoe the whole ground. Always slightly hill the currants at the second or last hoeing.
"It is a good plan to have a patch of gooseberries near the currants. The worms will appear first on the goose- berries, and can be promptly disposed of with two dustings of hellebore. They will then not appear to any extent, if at all, on the currants. It is best to apply the hellebore when there is dew on the bushes."
An acre or a half-acre of ground could be made in this way quite a source of profit, as a lady, besides disposing of the fresh fruit as opportunity offered, could convert the remainder into jelly and wine with still better results. The red currant is, in spite of the birds, a desirable variety to raise for manufact- uring purposes, in view of the rich
170 MONEY-MAKING FOK LADIES.
ruby color that makes the preserve at- tractive.
Several acres of currants would pro- duce a handsome yield in every way; and a lady would find more remunera- tion and less care in devoting her ener- gies to some particular item, for which there is a steady demand, than to at- tempt a little of everything.
Considering the acres of strawberries already cultivated for marketing pur- poses, and the expense and risk attend- ant upon a large enterprise of this sort, it might not be wTell for a lady to under- take it to any extent. There is a fasci- nation about it, however, to women, ever since the time, some years ago, when two needle -women published their ex- perience with an acre of strawberries, plainly showing that the hoe was might- ier than the needle — the weeding and
GARDEN IXG FOR PROFIT. 171
picking of a few weeks being rewarded tenfold more than the steady sewing of an entire year.
If cows could be made to give cream, one cream cow would pay better than five milk cows; and on this same prin- ciple a small strawberry -patch, under high cultivation, would yield a greater profit than an acre worked in the ordi- nary way. This strawberry-bed should be under glass (or a cheap substitute for it) ; and so little space would be really needed that it might even be lo- cated in a city yard. For the distinctive feature of these strawberries w^ould be, not the quantity raised, but the quality, and also their being ready for use some time in advance of the ordinary market. If large and handsome-looking, and ripe by the first or middle of April, they could be disposed of at a high price to confectioners and private purchasers.
172 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Where there is a strawberry -bed al- ready planted, a portion can be selected as free from weeds as possible, and with all the plants young and healthy. A good coat of short, unfermented manure or droppings will greatly hasten the ri- pening of the fruit, besides increasing the yield ; 'and the plants should then be protected with a sash. On very cold nights sash and bed should be covered with straw, old hay, or mats, to keep off the frost.
For the berries, Triomphe and Jocun- da, planted in alternating hills in the same row, will be most satisfactory.
A bed may also be started by layer- ing, from June till September, early and strong runners in small pots — when well-rooted to be transplanted to larger pots, and the soil so arranged as to make them growT most vigorously in the au- tumn. The soil for the bed should be
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 173
very rich, but need not be more than six or eight inches deep; and the plants must be knocked very carefully out of the pots, not to disturb the roots, and set in the ground at the rate of about four to every square foot. The glass should then be put on, and great care taken to air properly in cold weather. The plants will also require an occasion- al watering, unless there are plenty of warm rains in February and March, during which the sash can be opened.
A very moderate piece of ground, scarcely more in size than a long, narrow flower-bed, treated in this way, and filled with the prepared plants about the mid- dle of January, will produce a great many quarts of very fine berries by the first of April; and fresh strawberries at this season have been sold as high as five dollars a quart.
The strawberry experiment, on this
174 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
bigh culture plan, is certainly worth trying.
The quince is a neglected fruit that seems to offer large possibilities to the patient cultivator; and the convenient size of its low, spreading trees — mere bushes, in fact — renders it an easy sub- ject for a lady to undertake. Indepen- dently of its fruit, it is a pretty shrub, not half appreciated, with velvety -petaled blossoms of the palest pink, as becomes a member of the rose family, to which it belongs; and, even if not useful, it might justly be regarded as ornamental.
But who has not a weakness for quince preserves, when properly made? For marmalade, jelly, and crystallized quarters of the fruit, and baked quinces ? These condiments, or confections, are al- ways appreciated to the fullest extent; yet the market supply of quinces is small, and almost any other fruit-bear-
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 175
ing tree seems more popular with the growers of fruit.
If the quince were a tree of wayward and perverse inclinations, repaying with base ingratitude the cultivation bestowed on it, and showing " nothing but leaves " in time of fruit, this state of things would be easily explained ; but no fruit im- proves more under culture, or makes a better return for the time and care be- stowed upon it. "While the visitor at agricultural and horticultural fairs," says some one, "may see large and varied collections of the best apples, pears, peaches, grapes, and other fruits, the col- lections of quinces are, in the majority of instances, confined to a few plates stored away on the back shelf, or in some out-of-the-way corner, where they are seen by but few others than the judges, and sometimes hardly by them. This indicates that fruit-growers and
176 MONEY-MAKIXG FOR LADIES.
owners of orchards generally give but little attention to its cultivation; and that people at large do not appreciate it to the degree it deserves."
Perhaps people at large would appre- ciate it if it were properly cultivated and presented to their notice; and this is one of the departments of horticulture which an enterprising woman might en- gage in with the most encouraging re- sults. She could have a quince orchard, whether large or small; and she might find it more profitable to send out her fruit in the shape of preserves than to supply the raw material. Even the few, straggling, neglected trees in the ordina- ry garden will repay scraping and cleans- ing and thorough cultivation.
The insect pests, from which the quince suffers, can generally be disposed of by applying a strong solution of soap-suds to the trunk and larger branches early
GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 177
in the spring, and several times during the summer. The borer, if still aggres- sive, may be exterminated by watching for the appearance of sawdust on the ground near the trunk of the tree, and when found, punching wire into its hole, or carefully cutting it out. If the trees are thoroughly examined iu September the borer's life may be cut short in its youth.
The business of fruit-growing is one that has been successfully managed by ladies, who have found health and strength as well as profit in their calling ; but there is still abundant room for fresh enterprise, if directed to some special quarter which has not yet been the ob- ject of general attention. And this is an important element of success in al- most any business undertaking. 12
178 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter XL
AMONG THE FLOWERS.
Scarcity of Women Florists. — First Steps. — Building a • Greenhouse. — Economical Plans. — Variety not Desirable. — A Rose Garden under Glass. — Extermi- nating Insects. — Heliotrope. — A Market for Cut Flowers. — Ferns, Autumn Leaves, Grasses, etc. — A Corner Ornament.
That there should be so few women florists is often a subject of comment, as the care of flowers seems a calling pecul- iarly adapted to those who are supposed to have a natural love for the beautiful. Women will often cherish a few plants under endless household difficulties, but how seldom a man ever troubles himself about anything so unpractical ! Yet the florists are almost invariably men, en- gaged in a business which women could conduct as well, or better.
AMONG THE FLOWERS. 179
Perhaps the question will come, Why don't they try it, then ? and an answer may be found in the fact that the class of men who become florists is an entirely different one from the class of women who would be attracted to the occupa- tion. The men usually begin as work- ing gardeners, attaining by degrees the height of their ambition — to "set up" for themselves — and from long intimacy with work, not being in the least afraid of it, they are armed for all emergencies. They have also accumulated capital by degrees ; while the lady begins as a lady, hemmed in by conventionalities and crip- pled by want of capital.
" Yes," responds Ysolte, " that is exact- ly my case ; how do you advise me to set about becoming a florist V
For a first step, perhaps, the most sensible proceeding would be to visit some successful gardener and ask his ad-
180 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
vice. If benevolently disposed (and peo- ple usually are in such cases), he will give *all necessary information, and state his opinion on the chances of success in any particular locality. A very good idea of the expenses and disappoint- ments attendant upon the raising of flowers, and the profits to be expected from their sale, may be obtained from him ; but he will say at once that a florist, to continue the business through- out the year, must build a greenhouse.
He will also say that this, with proper heating apparatus, costs from $1000 to $1500, which will decide you at once to give up all idea of undertaking it.
Do nothing of the kind ; but measure off your ground, engage your carpenter, and go in quest of a sash and blind fac- tory. Here you may purchase second- hand sashes for half or one-third the cost of new ones ; and you will find these ar-
AM0XG THE FLOWERS. 181
tides the most expensive part of your greenhouse.
There is a great difference in green- houses, both in appearance and cost. If of the "lean-to" order — which means having but one sloping glass roof, facing the south, and with covered sheds on the north side — the cost will be compara- tively small ; but, as a rule, the more sunshine the more flowers.
" Well, ma'am," said a worthy garden- er, " they don't cost much, if ye builds 'em cheap. I gets a carpenter to build mine, and has 'em made kinder rough and cheap. They don't last as long, not more'n six years, but they does grow the flowers. I generally calculates to pay for 'em in two years, and when they tumbles down I builds another."
This would be the best kind for a lady's venture, and if she could have the work done at a season wrhen carpenters,
182 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
instead of being driven, are usually glad of a job, it would cost still less. A long, low building is better than a high one, as it is more convenient for handling the plants, besides insuring more sunshine. The size of the greenhouse would, of course, depend on the amount and vari- ety of stock to be accommodated in it; and, in this particular, the advice of a practical florist is highly desirable.
The great fault of amateur greenhouse experiments is an ambition to raise all kinds of flowers in one small space; and, when the greenhouse is built for profit, this is a certain cause of failure. To se- lect one kind of flower alone, and con- centrate all the arrangements on devel- oping it to the highest degree of perfec- tion of which it is capable, would yield better returns and save much care and distraction of thought.
There can never be too many roses.
AMONG THE FLOWERS. 183
They are called for at all seasons of the year, and will bring a good profit to the grower at the lowest market prices ; when selling at their best they are the most desirable of commodities. There is something particularly attractive in the idea of a rose house, which seems quite beyond an ordinary greenhouse; and a lady could manage such an under- taking not only with profit but with pleasure.
The best way of carrying out such a plan would be to have a rose garden arranged for summer, and covered with glass at the approach of cold weather. Having the roses planted in beds instead of pots reduces the labor of cultivation, saves the expense of pots, and seems to agree better with the plants. Two of the loveliest and most profitable roses for this purpose are the Sofrano and Bon Silene; the Sofrano being in demand
184 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
both for funeral and wedding orders, while the Bon Silene is equally popular for its brilliant color and delicate fra- grance. Both yield an abundance of bloom.
Care and thorough fumigation with leaf tobacco, of the poorest and cheapest kind, will effectually disperse the greedy insects that make rose life miserable and exhaust the patience of the much-tried florist. Sprinkling with fine Scotch snuff will often kill small insects, and this remedy is less troublesome than smoking. "With perseverance in routing these active enemies, a rich soil, neither wet nor dry, and abundant sunshine, success in rose cultivation seems assured.
The heliotrope requires the same con- ditions and treatment as the rose; and, as it is a constant bloomer and much in demand for its delicious fragrance, a number of plants could be cared for in
AMONG THE FLOWERS. 185
the rose house with very little more trouble. Roses and heliotropes together would provide a constant succession of bloom, and a very comfortable income for the cultivator.
The object of the little greenhouse here described is to raise flowers for city emporiums, which can, within an ordi- nary distance, easily be sent in boxes, and look as fresh, with skilful packing, as though gathered from plants close at hand. The lady among her roses at home has nothing farther to do with their sale, except to receive a handsome remuneration for labor that is in itself a pleasure.
In connection with the little green- house may be carried on another pleas- ant and profitable occupation — that of collecting and preparing ferns, autumn- leaves, vines, mosses, etc., for winter dec- oration.
186 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
The most successful locality for either of these employments would be in or near a large town rather than a city, as the former would afford a better market with less competition. All the bright- colored leaves, the various native ferns, some wild vines, mosses, and even flow- ers, if prepared so skilfully as to retain their beauty at least through one season, are quite in demand ; and while many enjoy gathering and preserving them for themselves, others do not have the same opportunity, or are disinclined to take the trouble.
Great care and deftness and taste are all required to bring this work to per- fection ; and only by doing it in the most thorough manner, that will pre- serve the brightness and beauty of these natural ornaments, without making them look in the least artificial, can any degree of remunerative success be attained.
AMOXG THE FLOWERS. 187
Originality and durability of treatment will meet with a just reward ; and to avoid all appearance of stiffness in tilings from which all life has been pressed out is the triumph of skill.
A tall, gracefully-shaped vase — which, for this purpose, could be painted a dull Indian-red, or have cambric of this color drawn tightly over it — filled with plumes of feather-grass, cat-tails, thistle-pompons, milk-weed-pods, and seed-vessels of va- rious kinds, artistically mingled with ferns, bright leaves, and vines, would be a very simple corner ornament, and yet a very salable one. The vase should be large enough to stand on the floor, while its contents should reach half way to the ceiling.
This is only one of many suggestions that might be made ; for the capabilities of leaves, ferns, etc., are infinite.
188 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter XII.
BEES AND POULTRY.
Recommendations of Bee-culture. — Profit in Keeping Bees.— A Lady's Testimony.— Two Western Girls. — How to Prevent Stinging. — "How am I to Be- gin ?" — Swarming Prevented. — Wintering Bees.— Making Honey from Sugar. — Pink Honey. — Profits from Hens. — Accommodation for Poultry. — Gener- al Care. — A Frenchwoman's Experience. — Roses and Honeysuckles. — French Soil. — Horse-flesh as Food. — Artificial Hatching. — The Barn-yard Fowl. — A Paying Business. — Rules for Successful Poultry- raising. — Spring Chickens. — Pigeons. — Proper Shel- ter.— Dutchies, or Common Runts, most Profitable. — A Flock of Turkeys. — Causes of Failure. — Deli- cacy of Young Turkeys. — Carefulness in Feeding. — Ducks and Geese.
The culture of bees seems to accord naturally with the culture of flowers; and, in connection with a garden, it is a comparatively easy matter to raise bees.
BEES AXD POULTRY. 189
They take up little room, generally "find" and take care of themselves, and have not, like poultry, a morbid appe- tite for seeds and summer vegetables. Bee-raising particularly commends itself to ladies, because there is so little labor involved in it; it is like having a colony of small slaves at work, while the own- er is occupied with other things, or en- joying the sweet do - nothingness that comes of accomplished tasks or abundant means.
That bees are a great source of profit abundant experience proves; and, as they do not require private acres for promenading, they may be kept to ad- vantage even in the city. But they are never found there; and, even in the country, it is very rare to find a lady en- gaged in keeping them to any extent. And yet they are the best paying in- vestment in live stock that can possibly
190 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
be made as an incidental occupation, which is just the subject in question- affording large returns for a moderate outlay, and involving very little after- expense.
It is stated in an agricultural report that a lady bought four hives for $10, and in five years she was offered $1500 for her stock, and refused it as not enough. In addition to this increase in her capi- tal, in one of these five years she sold twenty-two hives and four hundred and thirty pounds of honey. On the strength of this, the writer declares that almost any woman in the city, as well as in the country, can manage bees, and make more profit than in any other employment re- quiring so little time and labor,
Two girls in Michigan are said to be successfully engaged in bee - keeping ; they have fifty swarms of bees, and have sent recently to market eleven thousand
BEES AND POULTRY. 191
pounds of honey, worth $3000. Here, adds the narrator, is a new employment for many girls, who could make a good living in this business.
The most serious objections to bees are stinging and swarming; but, in re- gard to the former, Italian bees, which are the most profitable and desirable in every way, are said also to be amiable, and not at all disposed to sting. Be- sides, a French scientific journal has pub- lished " a safe and convenient method " of getting the honey from the hives. A quarter of an ounce of chloroform is poured upon a handkerchief, which is laid on a plate resting upon a sheet or table-cover spread on the ground. An iron gauze sieve is then laid upon the sheet over the plate. The hive is care- fully lifted from the bench and set upon the sieve; the sheet is drawn closely around the hive, to enclose the fumes of
102 MONEY-MAKING FO.. LADIES.
the chloroform. A loud buzzing ensues, to which succeeds perfect silence. Then the hive may be lifted, when the bees are found insensible, lying upon the sieve. The robbery is then proceeded w7ith, the hive replaced, and in a short time the bees, revived by the air and sunshine, return to their hive and their labor as if nothing had happened.
" But how am I to begin V asks the bewildered reader; "what is done first? I never was near a hive of bees in my life !"
The best beginning is to read some ex- cellent work on the subject, like Quim- by's "Mysteries of Bee-keeping;'1 then to follow some very practical instruc- tions. " Get from one to four hives, ac- cording to your honey field and faith ; take them to a bee-keeper, who will place a good first swarm in each hive, and re- move them home. Or, if the seller is
BEES AXD POULTRY. 193
pleased to let them stand till fall, place boxes on them and let them stand till then. At the proper time in the fall remove the boxes, and take all home. With hives so constructed as to prevent the disposition to swarm, and the num- ber limited to the capacity of the field, they would sometimes yield honey to the amount of two hundred pounds a hive in one season. On this plan there is little to do but to place and remove the boxes at the proper time. If the hive is so constructed as to give ample room in the breeding and wintering apart- ment, feeding is rendered unnecessary.
If proper means are used to give room in the surplus boxes for all the colony the whole season, before any preparation is made for swarming, and the hives are effectually shaded from the sun, no watch- ing for swarms will be required, and no time necessarily devoted to them but to 13
194 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
put on the surplus boxes in season and remove them when full; and this may be done by a neighbor accustomed to the business, if one is apprehensive of danger in performing these or an}' other operations about the hive."
This removes the second objection to bee-keeping, and reduces it to a very simple affair. These busy insects, how- ever, are quite fastidious about their sur- roundings, and do not like the direct rays of the sun. An orchard seems to furnish the right degree of shade, and a bee-keeper says that the best success he has ever known with bees has been in orchards and shaded door-yards. In point of situation, elevated ground is better than a low place or valley.
Wintering bees is a far more serious matter than summering them, as swarms not properly cared for come out in the spring in a weak and dying condition.
BEES AXD POULTRY. 195
The difficulty often arises where to win- ter them: out- of- doors, or in — above- ground, or down in the cellar. They re- quire an even temperature of about for- ty degrees, and this is thought by the most successful bee-keepers to be best attained by cellar -wintering. "Others prefer out-door wintering, in which the bees are kept either in a so-called chaff hive, which has double walls, from four to eight inches apart, with the intervening space filled with chaff; or else the ordi- nary hives are surrounded by boards or a box, and the space between, which should be a foot wide, is filled with chaff or straw. In both cases the arrange- ments are such that the bees can fly whenever the weather is warm enough to induce flight."
Making honey from sugar has been successfully tried : fifteen pounds of white sugar being made into a sirup
196 MONEY-MAKING FOK LADIES.
and fed to one of the experimenter's best stocks. The sugar was dissolved in little more than a pound of warm wa- ter. From a hole in the back part of the hive the bees entered into a tight box, and into this box the sirup was poured, covered with a thin board perforated with small holes, through which the bees could take up the sirup, and the board would settle down as the supply was exhausted. Over the box was placed a pane of glass, in order to watch the operations of the bees, and know when they required more sirup.
At the beginning of the experiment the box on the top of the hive had one small comb, but it was empty. The sugar was dissolved as the bees needed it, and they took it up so fast that, at the end of twenty days, the fifteen pounds had disappeared. There were twenty pounds of honey though in place
BEES AXD POULTKY. 197
of it, and this was sold for thirty cents a pound. The sugar cost $1 80, and the honey brought $6 00 — the profit all be- ing the result of bee-labor in the short space of three weeks.
The speculator adds : " The honey was most excellent, and I believe no one could have told the difference between it and the wild -flower honey. I shall try it again next fall, and I will flavor the sirup with a little tea, which I shall make from white clover- heads, and also add a little brandy, of which the bees are very fond."
A lady could make her honey very at- tractive by putting it up in some novel and tasteful way, and a beautiful pink tint may be imparted to it by giving the bees a little cochineal. As an orna- mental dish for the table, in a handsome glass receptacle, it is unsurpassed ; and a wreath of clover blossoms and leaves
198 MOXEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
around the edge would be both pretty and suggestive.
A lady in Massachusetts has found it profitable to keep hens. Beginning with about sixty fowls in the spring, she raised from these four hundred and fifty chickens. During the season she sold $90 worth of eggs, and from the last of September to the last of January she sent to market a hundred and fifty pairs of chickens, which brought $260 — mak- ing $350 in all.
A Pennsylvania farmer sold from thirty hens, in one year, eggs and chick- ens amounting to $430 78. The cost of feed and commissions for selling came to $161 84 — leaving a net profit of $268 94. Another farmer acknowl- edged that " he had sold eggs as low as ten cents a dozen, and made money on 'em at that."
BEES AXD POULTRY. 199
"Few people," writes a poultry -keep- er, " think it worth while to spend mon- ey in furnishing suitable accommoda- tions for their hens, or time in looking after them. In too many cases among farmers the fowls are obliged to find their own accommodations, and have to put up with what happens to offer, whether comfortable or not. Where fowls have to resort to trees, fences, carts, pig-pens, wood-pile, or what not, for roosts, they have not suitable accommo- dations; when they have to make their nests in hay-mows, under stacks, in the weeds, or other out-of-the-way places, they are not treated as they should be. When the feeding is irregular and spas- modic, sometimes too much, at other times too little ; when the water supply is furnished for the most part only when it rains, or by stagnant pools or ditches, the owner is inviting cholera and other
200 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
diseases. Poultry kept in this way will not be profitable ; and the same may be said of any other kind of stock. There is more clear profit, however, to be de- rived from a well-bred flock of poultry, when systematically looked after, than from any investment of an equal extent in the whole line of legitimate hus- bandry."
A story is told of the experience of a French woman who was left a widow in very straitened circumstances, w7ith four children to educate and provide for. All her attempts so far to improve her fortunes had failed, to her utter discour- agement. Happening to stop one day at a small town where an agricultural fair was in progress, she followed the crowd, and became very much inter- ested in what she saw. Wandering to the poultry enclosure, she was soon •preoccupied with chaotic visions, until,
BEES AND POULTRY. 201
finally, a country gentleman approached her, and began to discourse upon fowls.
Poultry exhibitions, he said, never sat- isfied him, and with fancy breeds he had no patience; the common he?i, properly cultivated, was worth them all put to- gether. While listening politely to the quaint speaker, the baroness perfected in her mind a plan which involved the education of hens, and promised a solu- tion of her difficulties.
The result was a poultry enterprise of such magnitude as to be quite beyond the reach of ordinary aspirants; but it yielded a handsome income to the far- seeing French woman. The gradual steps, however, by which she reached such a pinnacle of success are not made visible, which is a serious loss to the reader in quest of information ; and the baroness in this narrative passes at once from an impecunious condition to the ownership
202 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
of an expensive establishment. No one knows whether she began with ten fowls or fifty, nor where she got the money to begin at all ; there is only the broadly- stated fact that she successfully man- aged over thirteen hundred, and pro- vided them with palatial quarters.
The building that accommodated these fortunate feathered charges is represented as having first and second stories divided into compartments. On the ground-floor were hatching-room, kitchen, grain-room, and store-room for eggs — the necessity for a kitchen having arisen from the cus- tom of cooking much of the food. The second story had a wide veranda, or gal- lery, attached, with a railway and turn- tables at the corners. This was a great aid to the work ; and every morning the four upper compartments were thorough- ly cleaned — the nests and boxes once a week.
BEES AXD POULTRY. 203
This wonderful poultry - house even had Venetian shutters back and front, to insure perfect ventilation — which, with cleanliness, is the best protection against vermin. In the coldest weather the shutters were not quite closed, as the building was comfortably warmed by hot-air pipes from the furnace-range in the kitchen.
Care was also taken to give the fowls ample space for exercise; and this was secured by parks or yards of an acre and a half, extending from the four com- partments. These were planted with a constant supply of green food, to keep the poultry in good condition ; and the yards were separated by thick hedges, which extended to the pillars of the ve- randa. Xothing that would add to the comfort and well-being of the feathered inmates seemed to have been forgotten ; and a large shed in each yard was al-
204 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
ways supplied with dry sand, that the fowls might "powder themselves" even on rainy days.
Masses of shrubbery were planted here and there in the yards, to protect the fowls alike from the rain and from the heat of the summer sun ; and the fruit of the gooseberry and currant bushes adds a pleasant variety to their diet. Some elder - bushes originally planted in these parks were obligingly pulled up and replaced by raspberries, because it was found that the odor of their flowers was not agreeable to the hens! They condescended to eat the raspberries as fast as they ripened.
This sounds unmistakably French ; but it had much to do with the good condi- tion of the baroness's poultry that their dwelling-place was entirely free from the close, disagreeable odor peculiar to hen-houses. There came instead, through
BEES AND POULTRY. 205
the Venetian blinds, the perfume of roses and honeysuckles, with which the veran- da-pillars were covered. "Why not flow- ers?" asked the gentle trainer of hens; " they cost nothing, and all creatures must, in some degree, be susceptible to aesthetic surroundings."
A special park was provided for the little chickens, where they were supplied with everything that well - conducted young fowls are supposed to want : fresh grass, plenty of fat insects, shade, and quiet. The eggs were not hatched arti- ficially, nor were any fancy breeds to be found among these nursery inmates, the education of the common barn-yard fowl having proved entirely successful.
The principal object of this immense establishment was the exportation of eggs; and these were produced in such quantities as to yield a handsome in- come above all expenses.
206 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
There is said to be something in the nature of French soil — the presence of silex in considerable quantities — which makes the hens such wonderful egg-pro- ducers; but a writer who has studied the subject thinks that the absence of this quality might be made up by arti- ficial means.
A man, living also in the vicinity of Paris, was represented as making $175,000 a year from the sale of eggs and fowls. His poultry was not treated like that of the baroness, being fed, for economy's sake, on horse-flesh, and lodged more practically and less picturesquely. All the old hacks of the city were pur- chased and slaughtered for food ; and, by selling the skin, hoofs, etc., enough was realized to pay for the whole. The flesh w\as cut from the bones and con- verted by a machine into mince-meat ; it was then slightly seasoned and put up
BEES AXD POULTRY. 207
iu casks, which were sent by railroad to the egg-farm — about twenty-two horses a day being used for this purpose. The fowls delighted in this food, and would lay an egg a- day in all seasons.
The sheds, -offices, and other portions of this establishment were built around a quadrangle enclosing about twenty acres, which formed the general feeding- ground. This was divided by fences of open paling, only a limited number of fowls being allowed to herd together, and arranged in compartments accord- ing to age. Four years was the limit of existence.
Before marketing, the fowls were put into the fattening coops for three weeks, and sent alive to Paris. A hen was nev- er allowed to sit. The breeding- rooms were warmed by steam to the same heat as that evolved by the hen while sitting. " A series of shelves, one above the oth-
208 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
er, formed the nests, while blankets were spread over the eggs to exclude any ac- cidental light. The hatched chicks were removed to the nurser}^ each morning, and fresh eggs laid in to supply the place of empty shells. A constant suc- cession of chickens is thus insured ; and, besides, the feathers are always free from vermin."
These, too, were the old-fashioned barn- yard fowl. Their flesh is far more deli- cate than that of the prize varieties. The inference seems plain that the more ani- mal food given, the more eggs, as the production of eggs always falls off at the season when insects disappear. Half an ounce a day of fresh meat, chopped as for sausages, is a sufficient allowance for one hen.
No one was ever known to keep fowls under standingly and say that it did not pay; and some enterprising American
BEES AND POULTRY. 209
lady might do equally as well as the French baroness. She could begin with a flock of from fifty to one hundred; and, as the profit on each thoroughly cultivated hen often reaches the sum of $3 00 a year, an investment in poul- try can scarcely fail to be a paying one.
Fowls are not so easily kept as bees, as they require room to range in, and never thrive so well in confined quar- ters. A person of experience says : " I am inclined to think that one thousand may be profitably kept under one roof, and with a few acres of forage-run, by adhering to the following rules :
"1st. Let the roosting-house be of am- ple size, giving each fowl about two feet of perch room, and having it so venti- lated in winter that the air shall be pure. A ventilator in the roof is not sufficient ; there must be windows to 14
210 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
open (slide down from the top), accord- ing to the state of the weather.
" 2d. Ample shed - room, connecting with the roosting - house, to give the fowls a chance to be protected from storms, and where a supply of water, gravel, old mortar, pounded charcoal, ground oyster-shells, etc., is within easy reach.
" 3d. The business to be fully under- stood, and the fowls kept free of lice; feed to be corn, oats, buckwheat, and wheat- screenings, with boiled potatoes and meal occasionally, mixed wTith cay- enne pepper, to be given hot in winter. Of course, I cannot give a hundredth part of all I might say on the subject in this article, but I will give general principles.
"In regard to raising early chickens and later fowls for market, I have space to say but little; but 'there is money'
BEES AM) POULTRY. 211
in that branch of the business, and a good deal, too, if it be rightly managed. Early chickens, weighing about a pound each, will command $1 50 a pair in New York in July ; and the market has never been glutted with such young poultry."
Pigeons are usually associated with half-grown boys, wrho are given to spas- modic experiments with them of a com- mercial character, which never appear to result in much ready coin. But to those who understand them there is consid- erable profit in pigeons.
They are not at all difficult to under- stand, nor are their wants in any way complicated. A corner of a barn -loft will answer for lodgings; and in sum- mer they will find their own provisions. Almost the only care they need is to clean the loft out twice a year. A fre-
212 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
quent cause of failure with pigeons is to be found in the fact that, instead of fit- ting up a small loft with nests inside, boxes are nailed to the outside of the barn, and the squabs perish from being exposed to the inclemency of the weather. In winter pigeons will feed with the poultry. They will raise on an average eight or nine pairs of young in a year, which will find ready sale when four weeks old at fifty cents a pair. In win- ter they will bring seventy-five cents. If the stock consists of Dutchies, or com- mon runts, at a cost of $2 50 a pair, squabs twice the size of common ones can be raised, and these will, of course, command a proportionately higher price. Birds of the common variety, which cost only fifty cents a pair, will pay for them- selves within two months.
Turkeys, too, are profitable on the
BEES AXD POULTRY. 213
same conditions that are necessary in regard to hens — care and intelligence.
A flock of well-grown turkeys, accord- ing to a rural paper, make such an agree- able addition to the receipts of the farm, and they are often raised with so little trouble, that the seeming indifference of so many farmers with reference to them is something to be wondered at. The rules for breeding are simple and easi- ly understood; and failures are due to two prominent causes : one, the wreather, which in some seasons puts at fault the utmost possible care; the other, negli- gence.
"A hot and dry season is almost an essential for success with turkeys. This is so important that it is of little use to be in haste to get turkeys hatched early, as with chickens; though old birds are tough enough, young ones are exceeding- ly tender. If brought out by the first
214 MOXEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
of June, it will generally be early enough. Even if they live through such chilly and damp weather as is common in May, they will not grow much until hot weath- er and bugs come to their relief; but let them hatch out in June, in weather which drives the breeder to the shade, and lit- tle turkeys just enjoy it; they will stretch themselves in the sun, and May off' with every token of delight. Damp, chilly weather is their ruin ; rain, abom- ination ; morning dew, a poison sure to blight the hopes of inexperienced or careless breeders. Turkeys must be al- lowed to range very freely to insure suc- cess, but not while the grass is wet ; that is, during the first two months or so of their lives. After that, one need not be quite so particular."
These little turkeys require an unlim- ited supply of varied, fresh, green food, especially lettuce, dandelion leaves, dock,
BEES AND POULTRY. 215
young nettles, and onion tops ; and they must be fed entirely on soft food for some weeks, gradually introducing grain in small portions for the first few months.
With care, a large number of turkeys may be profitably kept on a farm ; and, during the winter season, there is always a demand for them in the market.
Ducks and geese are also desirable as sources of profit, where there is abundant room ; and on a large, well-watered farm they will thrive to the best advantage.
21(3 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
Chapter XIII.
A FEW LAST WORDS.
The Value of Small Things. — Suggestions in News- paper Paragraphs. — A Novel Pattern for an Auger. — Oyster and Snail Shells. — Improved Milk and Butter. — Profit in Tea-packing. — A Little Tea Store. — Cultivation of Mushrooms. — A Lady's Invention. — A Need to be Supplied. — Knowing What to Do. — Wasted Energy.
Among the numerous suggestions for money-making contained in these pages, many out-of-the-way industries and in- ventions have been left unnoticed. A very little thing will sometimes lead to wealth, while large enterprises foil ; and observation and ingenuity are often of more value than the most plodding in- dustry.
Paragraphs in the daily papers are
A FEW LAST WORDS. 217
very suggestive, and two or three clip- ped at random will show what may be done in out-of-the-way fields.
Ransom Cook, of Saratoga Springs, who recently died at the age of eighty- seven, got his plan for making an auger that would bore at an angle with the grain (without starting with a gouge) by examining the lips of the worm com- monly known as the " wood borer " with a microscope; and from this he made his model, which proved a perfect suc- cess. Among the minor industries of
Paris is the utilization of oyster and snail shells. Keepers of eating-saloons are required by law to put these shells in boxes by themselves, ready to be car- ried away by a person who has made a contract with the city for them. The oyster - shell is used often instead of mother-of-pearl in the manufacture of various fancy goods.
218 MONEY-MAKIXG FOR LADIES.
The Toledo Blade says there is a speedy fortune in store for some man who will open a shop in Toledo devoted to the specialty of pure milk and high- grade butter — kept conscientiously up to the standard, and offered to the pub- lic at from twenty-five to fifty per cent.
above the market rates. A good
business may be done by purchasing certain articles in their original pack- ages, and putting them up in a more de- sirable form. A firm in Philadelphia has made a fortune by repacking teas for miners' use, and shipping them to
California and Australia. The tea
business is very profitable; and a taste- ful little store, with a few cheap Chinese oddities in addition to the tea, could be managed by proxy, like the lunch-room, and made to yield a very respectable in- come.— —Raising mushrooms is a regu- lar occupation in France, and a French-
A FEW LAST WORDS. 219
man is now said to be in treaty for the use of the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, for this purpose. It is an industry that may be carried on in almost any cellar, and will find a market in every large, city. A lady who invented some at- tachment to a sewing-machine made her fortune by it ; and there is room for oth- er attachments and improvements, and
other fortunes. If some ingenious
woman will invent a button that will stay on boots, or something more com- fortable and lasting than the fasteners now in use, she will reap a large pecun- iary harvest.
One of the great arts of money-mak- ing consists in the gift of knowing just what to do, according to one's powers and circumstances ; and we cannot better take leave of our subject than by quot- ing some excellent thoughts on wasted energy from the columns of a newspaper :
220 MONEY-MAKING FOR LADIES.
"Nobody can critically observe the structure of American social or domestic life without being struck by the immense amount of energy which is wasted in the woman's half of it.
" In any case the American man finds ample outlet for his energies. With the average woman it is dif- ferent. She, too, recognizes the value of money : if poor, she wants to make it, and her anxiety to do this battles perpetually with her desire to do nothing which is strong-minded and unlady-like. How many hun- dreds of thousands of women in inland towns and country places, this August, are painting china, em- broidering towels with hideous sunflowers, sketch- ing that most ubiquitous of bores, the limp, mediaeval woman in her poke bonnet, or sending off voluminous manuscripts, all in the hope of earning money secretly ! She does not earn it. Her energy is wasted because she does not know how to bring it to bear. She is an amateur dabbler in half a dozen different arts, in- stead of a painstaking, conscientious worker in one little, unpretentious craft. Conscientious work in one direction will always bring wages in the end. Iu provincial communities, too, custom and prejudice are strongly opposed to the earning of money by women who rank as "ladies," except as artists and authors. Her energy is new wine in old bottles. The bottles do not break, but the wine is apt to turn sour and musty.
" The mistake made by all these women whose en-
A FEW LAST WOKDS. 221
ergy is running to waste is, that their aims are too wide and too vague. A living is to be earned, not by general amateur, ladylike "pottering," as Carlyle grim- ly calls it, but by a definite trade or craft, followed accurately and openly. The power of an unmarried woman is in danger of growing diseased from want of outside objects ; the more reason, therefore, she should turn it away from herself. The poor she has always with her; and by the poor is not meant only the pen- niless, but the crippled, blind, and dumb of soul. A sufficient aim for such a one, too, is to fill the place and fulfil the duties of a gentlewoman in a mixed community, such as that of our American towns. But few of our American women realize that simple duty, and we see the results in the communities."
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