ONE
THOUSAND WAYS
TO
MAKE MONEY.
BY
PAGE FOX.
COMPRISING
The Rounds and Bounds of Money-Making; The Arts of
Getting a Living; Old and New Opportunities for
Fortune; A Storehouse of Facts, Hints, Helps
and Practical Ideas, in all Kinds of Business,
and Hundreds of Trade Secrets
Never Before Given Away.
SECOND EDITION.
THE
Abbey Press
PUBLISHERS
114
FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK
Copyright, 1900,
by
THE
Abbey Press
in
the
United States
and
Great Britain.
All Rights Reserved.
TO THE READER.
Friend--Are you looking for a place? We tell you how to find it. Are you
poorly paid for your work? We tell you how to get better wages. Have you
goods you want to sell? We suggest new plans.
Are the profits of shop, store, office, or farm unsatisfactory? We tell
you how to increase your income.
Do you want to change your business? We suggest a vast number of new
ways to make money.
Have you a boy whom you wish to put to a trade? We tell you what
occupations pay the best.
Do you wish to make money in your own home? We give you a list of 100
paying articles which you can make and sell.
Have you a little plot of ground around your house? We tell you how to
make it yield you a yearly revenue.
Do you want to know how our rich men made their money? We give the
secrets away by the hundred.
Do you want to know what to do with your savings? We give you a list of
the best-paying investments.
Have you practical ideas? Are you skilled in the use of tools? Would you
like to take out a patent? We present to you a list of over 300
inventions needed, and in some cases even suggest how the article
should be made.
Have you literary ability? or reportorial talent? or advertising genius?
We mention 100 ways by which you may be able to make a living by the
pen.
In short the 1,000 ways of money-making in this book are 1,000 nails to
hang your fortune on. Others have profited by these suggestions. Why may
not you?
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER I.
HOW TO GET A PLACE. PAGE
The Secret of Work. Nature’s Furrow. General Details. The Prismatic
Brain. The Bridled Tongue. Studying the Stair Above. The Missing Factor.
The Magnifying Glass. The Microscopic Eye. Scoring a Point when off
Duty. The Study of Men 13
CHAPTER II.
STARTING IN BUSINESS.
The Minimum Basis. The House-to-House Canvass. The Choice Location. The
Maximum Basis. The Personal Equation 21
CHAPTER III.
MONEY IN TRADE.
The Interlined Advertisement. The Picturesque Name. The Pictorial Wreck.
Red-Letter Day. Class Discount. The Honest Flaw. The Premium Clerk. The
Railroad Mileage. The Dial Dollars. First Customer Package. The Carpet
Coupon. The House Lot Coupon. Price-Time Grade. Sales Bulletin. Best
Reason Prize. Birthday Calendar. Conspicious Price-List. The Early
Discount. The Money-Space Counter. 24
CHAPTER IV.
MONEY IN THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW ARTICLE.
The Puzzle. The Toy Imitation. The Cartoon. The Conjurer. The Striking
Figure. The Advertising Story. The Word-Builder. The Popular Pun. The
Political Guesser. The Geometrical Group. The Pictorial Comparison. The
Open Challenge. The Book Gift. Sunday School Supplies. 30
CHAPTER V.
MONEY IN THE HOME STORE.
Section 1--Household Ornaments.
Crystallized Grasses. Leaf Impressions. Vine and Trellis. The Suspended
Acorn. Moss and Cone. The Tumbler of Peas. The Hanging Turnip. Bleached
Leaves. The Artificial Plant. 35
Section 2--Tea Dishes.
Delicious Ham. Choice Tongue. Artificial Honey. 39
Section 3--Pastry.
Angel Cake. Dominos. Soft Gingerbread. Doughnuts. 41
Section 4--Sweetmeats and Confectionery.
Walnut Candy. Chocolate Caramels. Peppermint Creams. Molasses Candy.
Blanched Almonds. Fig Paste. Fig Layer Candy. 42
Section 5--Preserves, Pickles, and Jellies.
Orange Marmalade. Brandied Peach. Ox-Heart Cherry. Pound Pear. Grape
Jelly. Sweet Pickles. Chow-Chow. Pickled Walnuts. 44
Section 6--Toilet Articles.
Rose Oil. Cologne Water. French Face Powder. Night-Blooming
Cereus. 47
Section 7--Varnishes and Polishes.
Stove Blacking. Shoe Blacking. Furniture Cream. Leather Polish. 48
Section 8--Soaps and Starches.
Poland Starch. Glue Starch. Gum-Arabic Starch. Starch Luster. Hard Soap.
Savon D’Amande. 50
Section 9--Soft Drinks.
Root Beer. Ginger Pop. Lemonade and Orangeade. 51
Section 10--Dairy and Other Farm Produce.
Golden Butter. Fresh Eggs. Sweet Milk. Sparkling Honey. New Cheese.
Clean Lard. White Pork. Poultry to Order. 52
Section 11--Garden Vegetables.
Cut-to-Order Asparagus. Quick Market Strawberries. Round Tomatoes. Pint
Peas. String Beans. Green Corn. 54
Section 12--School Supplies.
Book Covers. Artificial Slates. Cheap Ink. School Bag. Pen Wiper.
Children’s Luncheon. 56
Section 13--Christmas Presents.
Sofa Pillow. Jewel Tray. American Flag. Hair-Pin Case. Chair Cushion.
Lamp Shade. Bookmark. Handy Work-Box. Pincushion. Catch-Bag.
Court-Plaster Case. Postage-Stamp Holder. Photograph Frame. Match Safe.
Wall-Pocket. Glove Box. 57
Section 14--Miscellaneous Articles.
Hot Gems. Sliced Watermelon. Toothsome Pies. Ice Cream. Pork and Beans.
Tomato Ketchup. Mince Meat. Dried Apples. Peanuts. Cigarettes. Tallow
Candles. Lung Preserver. Poison Killer. Mucilage. Pop Corn. 61
CHAPTER VI.
MONEY IN THE HOME ACRE.
Money in Pears. Greenbacks in Greenings. Plums of Gold. The Raspberry
Acre. Profits in Big Peaches. Easy Tomatoes. Assorted Strawberries.
Livings in Lettuce. Sovereigns in Spinach. Thousand-Dollar Celery.
Fortunes in Water-Cress. The Dollar Blackberry. Nickels in Pickles. The
Beet Lot. The Roasting Ear. Paying Peas. Grated Horseradish. 69
CHAPTER VII.
MONEY FOR WOMEN.
The School Store. The Hand Album. The Novelty Bakery. The Front Yard
Snap. The Pet Dog. The Box Lunch. The Hairdresser. Typo and Steno. The
Sewing School. Flat Hunting. A Tea Room. Dress Mending. Lace Handling.
Intelligence Office. Professional Mending. The College Cram. Shoe and
Wrap Room. General Convenience Room. Sick-Room Delicacies. Shopping
Commission. School Luncheon. Hatching Birds. Butter-and-Egg Store.
Saratoga Chips. Fancy Lamp Shades. Bee-Keeping. Cleansing and Bleaching.
Fancy Soaps. Home Architecture. Home Ornaments. Doubtful Debts.
Dressing Dolls. Fruit Preservers. Mushroom Cellar. Poultry Raising. Home
Hothouse. Art Needlework. News Agency. Women’s Wants. Home Printing
Press. Short Service Bureau. Delicatessen Room. Miscellaneous Exchange.
Cap and Apron Plan. Kitchen Utensils. Wedding Manager. Foreign Homes.
Lady Barber. Mineral Collections for Schools. Turkish Bath. Trained
Nurses. Traveling Companion. Paper Flowers. French Perfumer and
Complexion Expert. A Woman’s Hotel. Guide for Shoppers. Bicycle
Instruction. Cooking School. Boarding House. Pen Engraving. Ladies’
Restaurant. A Woman’s Newspaper. Advertising Agent. The Civil Service.
Post-Prandial Classes. Women Druggists. Almanac Makers. Women Lecturers.
Magazine Contributors. Women Physicians. Paper Box Making. Horticulture.
Vocalists. Packing Trunks. Women Costumers. Express Office. Fancy
Bakery. Women Grocers. Food and Medicine Samples. Samples in Stores.
Samples from House to House. The Woman Beautifier. The Manicure Parlor.
The Massage Treatment. Ice Cream Parlor. Flower Packets. Lady Caterer.
Delicacies for Invalids. Insect Powder. Rice Cultivator. Yeast Cakes.
Physical Culture. House Cleaning. Selling Oysters. Pie Cart. Men’s
Neckties. Dancing Teacher. Haberdasher. Lady Architect. Lost and Found
Agency. 73
CHAPTER VIII.
MONEY FOR BOYS.
Section 1--How a Boy Can Get a Place.
Free Service. Special Department. Show Superiority of Goods.
Advertising. Influence. A Trial Week. Commission. 104
Section 2--What Boys Can Do.
The Boy Magician. The Glass-Blower. The Dime Lunch. Cancelled Stamps.
The Boys’ Press. Saw and Scroll. The Magic Lantern. Candy-Making. Odd
Jobs. General Employment Agency. Collect Magazines. Vacant Lot. Bicycle
Teaching. First-Cost Sales. 107
CHAPTER IX.
MONEY IN AGENCIES.
Book Agency. Patent Agency. Commission Merchants. Insurance Agency.
Traveling Salesmen. Supply Companies. Agencies for Teachers. Clerical
Agency. Matrimonial Agencies. Agency for Servants. Agency for Farm
Hands. 113
CHAPTER X.
MONEY IN PROPRIETARY COMPOUNDS.
Healing Ointment. Spasm Killer. Anti-Malaria. Hostetter’s Bitters.
Toothache Ease. Candy Digest. Cough Lozenges. Lovers’ Hair-Oil.
Purgative Powder. Consumption Wafers. Beef, Iron and Wine. Spring Tonic.
Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery. Bed-Bug Exterminator. Catarrh
Cure. Lip Pomatum. Ointment for Chapped Hands. Cod-Liver Oil Emulsion.
Beauty Water. Cough Mixture. Dr. Sage’s Catarrh Remedy. Diarrhea
Mixture. Blood Purifier. 120
CHAPTER XI.
MONEY IN REAL ESTATE.
City Property. Pleasure Resorts. New Town Sites. Western Lands. The
Apartment House. The Sky Scraper. The Jersey Flats. Abandoned
Farms. 127
CHAPTER XII.
MONEY IN THE FINE ARTS.
Crayon Work. Drawing. Photograph Coloring. Oil Painting. Water Colors.
Wood Engraving. Book Decoration. Dyeing. Designs. Engraving on Glass.
Embroidery. Lace Making. Drawing in Charcoal. Painting on China.
Portrait Painting. 132
CHAPTER XIII.
MONEY IN MANUFACTURE.
Bicycle Factories. Double Profit Furs. Mica Sheets. Artificial Marble.
Artificial Whalebone. Artificial India Rubber. Artificial Camphor. Car
Building. The Transverse Wooden Pavement. 137
CHAPTER XIV.
MONEY IN MINING.
Nevada Silver. Aluminum, the New Mineral. North Carolina Mica. Kansas
Zinc. Missouri Cottas. Nickel Mines. Mexican Iron. Tennessee Limestone.
Fortunes in Copper. German Amber. African Diamonds. Tasmania Tin.
Georgia Sapphires. Rock Salt. Asbestos Pockets. Prospects in Platinum.
Petroleum Wells. Gold Discoveries. Prospecting for Mines. 143
CHAPTER XV.
MONEY IN PATENT RIGHTS.
Section 1.--Money in Bicycles.
A Non-Puncturable Bicycle Tire. Bicycle Holder Attachment. The Bicycle
Umbrella Holder. A Bicycle Cyclometer Clock. The Double Power Bicycle.
The Folding Wheel. A Bicycle Support. The Cushion Saddle. A Bicycle
Guard. A Combination Bicycle Lock. A Bicycle Trunk. The Unicycle. A
Bicycle Cover. A Package Holder. Handle Bar Cyclometer. The All-Selling
Wheel. Toe-and-Heel Clip. The Extension Bicycle. A Bicycle Shoe. The
Stirrup Pedal. The Home Bicycle. 149
Section 2.--Money in Building Contrivances.
The Ornamental Floor. The Secure Window-Blind. The Self-Locking Window.
The Adjustable Blind. The Dollar Door Closer. Sectional Window.
Adjustable Storm Door. A Hinge Lock. Double Window. Hot-Blast Furnace.
The Weightless Window Sash. A Floor Cover. Sash Balance. Painting
Machines. The Pneumatic Water Tank. The Wood-Pulp Floor. 154
Section 3.--Money in the Kitchen.
The Cheap Washer. A Meat Chopper. Automatic Stove Damper. Potato
Extractor. Knife Sharpener. Cold Handle. The Electric Stove. Fruit Jar
Holder. Can Opener. Odorless Cooking Vessels. Coal Filled Flat-Iron.
Automatic Soaper. Dish-Washing Machine. A Stove Alarm. The Elastic
Clothes Line. Combination Line and Pin. A Fruit Press. The
Can-Slide. 157
Section 4.--Money in the Parlor.
The Chair Fan. The Rocking-Chair Fan. Christmas-Tree Holder.
Picture-Frame Fastener. Adjustable Head Rest. Imitation Coal Fire. Music
Turner. Roll-Front Fire-Screen. Removable Rockers. 160
Section 5.--Money in the Bedroom.
A Noiseless Clock. A Narcotic Pillow. Electric Fire Igniter. Bedclothes
Fastener. Easy-Working Bureau. Extensible Bedstead. Movable Partition
and Folding Bed. An Attachable Crib. Pulse Indicator. Dress-Suit Hanger.
The Anti-Snorer. The Ventilated Mattress. 161
Section 6.--Money in the Cellar.
Furnace Feeder. Ice Machine. Stove Ash-Sifter. Jointed Coal Chute.
Combined Pan, Can, Sifter and Roller. Ash-Barrel. 163
Section 7.--Money in the Library and the Schoolroom.
A Paper Binder. The Correspondent’s Desk. Book-Duster. The Portable
Library. Pocket Lunch Basket. The Multiple-Leaved Blackboard. 164
Section 8.--Money in Meals.
Butter and Cheese Cutter. Paper Tablecloth. Scroll-Edge Meat Knife.
Carving-Knife Holder. Lamp Cooker. Wine Tablets. Extension
Table. 165
Section 9.--Money in the Business Office.
The Keyboard Lock. Automatic Safe Opener. Paper Binder and Bill Holder.
Book Lock. The Perpetual Calendar. The Lightning Adder. Copyholder.
Envelope Moistener and Sealer. Multiple Lock. Office Door Indicator.
Automatic Ticket Seller. Perforated Stamp. 167
Section 10.--Money in the Packing-Room.
Nonrefillable Bottle. Collapsible Box. Bottle Stopper. Combination Cork
and Corkscrew. Collapsible Barrel. Self-Standing Bag. Barrel Filler and
Funnel Cut-Off. Folding Crate. Paper Barrel. 169
Section 11.--Money in Articles of Trade.
The Tradesman’s Signal. Barrel Gauge. Elastic Chimney. Air Moistener.
Automatic Lubricator. Short-Time Negative. Drying Apparatus. Rotable
Hotel Register. Glass Dome. Round Cutting Scissors. Casket Clamp.
Self-Winding Clock. Dose Stopper. Faucet Measure. Automatic Feeder.
Coupon Cash Book. Gas Detective. Paper Towels. Water Filter. Pneumatic
Freight Tube. Storm Warning. Heat Governor. Automatic Oil Feeder. Paint
Brush Feeder. Inside Faucet. House Patterns. Extension Handle. Wire
Stretcher. Price Tag. Handy Vise. Folding Ladder. Smokeless Fuel.
Finger-Ring Gauge. Laundry Bag. Sole Cement. Goods Exhibitor. Shoe
Stretcher. Cork Ejector. Lemon Squeezer. Spring Wheel. Plural Capsule.
Dose Bottle. Fisherman’s Claw. Pocket Scale. Toy Bank and Register.
Paper Match. Illuminated Type. Paper Bottles. Paper Sail. 170
Section 12.--Money in the Street.
Street Sweeper. Phosphorescent Street Numbers. Buggy Top Adjuster.
Shoulder Pack. Adjustable Cart Bottom. Nailless Horseshoe. Elastic Ring.
Heel Cyclometer. Whip-Lock. Rein-Holder. Automobile. Low Truck.
Automatic Horse Fastener. Foot-Cycle. 178
Section 13.--Money in Farming Contrivances.
Corn Cutter. Frost Protector. Farm Fertilizer. Postless Fence. Automatic
Gate Opener. Corn Planter. All-Seed Planter. Fertilizer Distributor.
Bone Cutter. Bucket Tipper. Post Hole Digger. Well Refrigerator.
Multiple Dasher Churn. Fruit Picker. Portable Fence. Poultry Drinking
Fountain. Poultry Perch. Mole Trap. Seed Sower. Milker and Strainer.
Paper Milk Can. Plant Preserver. 180
Section 14.--Money in the Mails and in Writing Materials.
The Reversible Package. Copying Paper. Word Printing Typewriter.
Transparent Ink Bottle. Double Postal Card. Safety Envelope. Combination
Cover and Letter. Always Ready Letter Paper. Ink Regulator. Pen Finger
Pen Rest. Perpetual Pen Supply. Letter Annunciator. Envelope Opener.
Mail Stamper. Rotary Stamper. Invisible Ink. 184
Section 15.--Money in Dress.
Bachelor’s Buttons. Shoe Fastener. Trousers’ Guard. Twentieth Century
Shoe. Combination Tie and Collar. Spring Hat. Rear-Opening Shoe.
Detachable Rubber Sole. Instantaneous Cement. Elastic Hat Pin.
Starch-Proof Collar Band. Dress Shield. Sleeve Holder. Convertible
Button. Paper Clothing. 187
Section 16.--Money in Personal Conveniences.
The Pocket Umbrella. The Million Match. Finger-Nail Parer. The Watch
Pad. Pocket Bill Holder. Extension Umbrella. Portable Desk. Flower
Holder. Hat Lock. Spring Shoe Heel. Self-Igniting Cigar. Spring Knife.
Phosphorescent Key Guard. Knot Clasp. Single Match Delivery. Watch Head
Cane. Bookcase Chair. Coin Holder. Pocket Punch. Mouth Guard. Parcel
Fastener. 189
Section 17.--Money in Household Conveniences.
The Warning Clock. Slot Gas Machine. Revolving Flower Stand. Window
Shade Screen. Baby Walker. Detachable Shower Bath. Carpet Beater. Carpet
Stretcher and Fastener. Stepladder Chair. Window Fly-Gate. Double Window
Shade. Folding Baby Carriage. Scrubbing Machine. Catch-All
Carpet-Sweeper. 192
Section 18.--Money in the Saving of Life and Property.
Safety Shafts. Pocketbook Guard. Cheap Burglar Alarm. Collapsible Fire
Escape. Air Tester. Lifeboat Launcher. Saw-Tooth Crutch. Elevator Safety
Clutch. Gun-Guard. Pocket Disinfector. Automatic Fire Alarm. Key
Fastener. Lightning Arrester. Window Cleaner. Safety Rein. Rope Grip.
Scissors Guard. Double Pocket. Fire Extinguisher. 195
Section 19.--Money in the Laboratory.
Fly-Killer. Artificial Egg. Sediment Liquefier. Fire Kindler. Egg
Preserver. Mosquito Annihilator. Artificial Fuel. Flamless Torch.
Chemical Eraser. 197
Section 20.--Money in Tools.
The Instantaneous Wrench. The Double Channeled Screw Head. The Double
Power ‘Screw Driver. The Multiple Blade Parer. Knife Guard. The
All-Tool. Nail-Carrying Hammer. 199
Section 21.--Money in the Cars.
Speed Indicator. Automatic Car Coupler. Fender Car-Brake. Folding
Car-Step. Car Signal. Automatic Water Tank. 200
Section 22.--Money in Making People Honest.
The Housekeeper’s Safety Punch. The Unalterable Check. Egg Tester.
Umbrella Lock. The Honest Package. 201
Section 23.--Money in Traveler’s Articles.
The Adjustable Trunk. The Hollow Cane. The Elastic Trunk Strap. The
Slide Bag. The Outfit Trunk. 202
Section 24.--Money in Toilet Articles.
Curling Iron Attachment. The Hinge Blacking Box. The Mirror Hairbrush.
The Soap Shaving Brush. 203
Section 25.--Money in Amusements.
Ducking Stool. Double Motion Swing. Folding Skate. Bicycle Boat. 204
Section 26.--Money in War.
Slow Explosive. Transparent Cartridge. Ship’s Bottom Cleaner.
Self-Loading Pistol. 204
Section 27.--Money in Minerals.
Galvanized Iron. Metal Extractor. Gold Paint. 205
Section 28.--Money in Great Inventions Unclassified.
Storage of Power. Pictorial Telegraphy. Solidified Petroleum.
Non-Inflammable Wood. Suction Pipe. 206
CHAPTER XVI.
MONEY IN THE SOIL.
Substitute for Silk. Washington Pippins. Dorsets and Downs. American
Cheese. Business Apples. Fortunes in Poppies. The Capon Farm. Barrels of
Baldwins. Rare Rodents. Mortgage-Lifter Oats. Record-Breaking Dates.
Dollar Wheat. Leaf Tobacco. Tree Nursery. Round Number Onions. Potato
Profits. Golden Geese. California Prunes. A Bee Farm. The Apple Acre.
The Sugar Beet. Gilt-Edged Breeds. December Layers. Florida Celery.
Oneida Hops. Boston Beans. Christmas Trees. The Guaranteed Egg. Double
Vegetable Culture. English Shires. Fortunes in Nut Shells. 209
CHAPTER XVII.
MONEY IN LITERATURE.
The Popular Novel. The Short Story. The Village Reporter. The Truth
Condenser. Town History. The Shoppers’ Guide. Birthday Book.
Church-Workers’ Book. Household Economics. The Plain Man’s Meal. Present
Century Celebrities. Readers’ Guide Book. American Eloquence. Racers’
Record Book. Your Own Physician. The Boy’s Astronomy. Recreations in
Chemistry. The Curiosity Book. The Child’s Bible. Guide to Trades. The
Pleasure Book. The Soldier’s Book. Book of Style. Science of Common
Things. Popular Songs. Foreign Translations. Children’s Stories.
Condensed Stories. The Manner Book. The George Republic. 1,000 Times
across the Atlantic. The Man Hunter. Story of a Ragpicker. Story of a
Diver. Story of a Convict. The Stowaway. Wheel and World. Story of a
Fireman. In a Balloon. Story of an Engineer. Story of a Murderer. Story
of a Tramp. Story of a Lunatic. Story of a Criminal Lawyer. Story of the
Klondike. The Exposition of Frauds. Sermons of Modern Preacher’s. The
Wonder Book. Health Resorts. The All-Cure Book. Success. How to See New
York. Map Making. Story of the Pole. The Making of a Mighty Business.
Heroes of Labor. The Elite Directory. Popular Dramas. Furnishing a Home.
Pretty Weddings. Quotation Book. 220
CHAPTER XVIII.
MONEY IN NEWSPAPERS.
The News in One Minute. Nutshell News. The Bulletin Forecast. Bottom
Facts. The People’s Paper. The Big Seven. Free Wants. Bargain Bureau.
Reserve Space. The Page Contract. 241
CHAPTER XIX.
MONEY IN CLOTH.
Linen Mills. Triple Knee Stocking. The Unfrayable Collar Band. The Ramie
Plant. Cotton Mills in the South. Artificial Silk. Mineral Wool. Leather
Substitute. 247
CHAPTER XX.
MONEY IN FERTILIZERS.
Garbage. Leaves. Urban Sewage. Ashes. Phosphates. Cottonseed Meal. City
Stables. Peat. Menhaden. Fish Scrap. Soot. 250
CHAPTER XXI.
MONEY IN ADVERTISING.
Money and the Muse. Cents in Nonsense. Word Puzzle. Tracks to Wealth.
The Story Advertisement. The Fictitious Bank Bill. The Pocketbook Find.
Everybody’s Eagle. The Witty Dialogue. The Stereoscope Bulletin. The
Arc Reflector. The Last Scene. The Red-Letter Bat. The Restaurant Fan.
The Cigar Wrapper. The Growing Word. The Polite Stranger. The Funny
Quartet. The Street Brawl. The Box-Kite. 254
CHAPTER XXII.
MONEY IN THE POWERS OF NATURE.
Compressed Air. Steam. Electricity. Caloric. Water Power. Windmills. A
Sand Mill. Sea Power. Artesian Well. Liquid Air. 261
CHAPTER XXIII.
MONEY IN BUILDING MATERIALS.
Stone Quarry. Artificial Stone. Baked Brick. Glass Brick. Rubber
Floors. 265
CHAPTER XXIV.
MONEY IN AMUSEMENTS.
The Farce Comedy. Instrumental Concerts. Stage Stars. Popular Lecturers.
Hand Shadows. Museum and Circus. Gymnasts. Opera Singers. Mimic Battles.
Theatrical Enterprises. Dancers. Moving Pictures. Band Players.
Impersonators. Ancient Burlesques. Reciters. Bell Ringers. Magicians.
Story Tellers. Cartoonists. 268
CHAPTER XXV.
MONEY IN ROD AND GUN.
Fat Quails. Tropical Birds. Ivory. The Trout Pond. Fabulous Prices for
Furs. 274
CHAPTER XXVI.
MONEY IN THE FOREST.
Wisconsin Pines. North Carolina Tar. Vermont Maple Sugar. Alabama
Chestnuts. Idaho Cedar. Maine Birch Wood. Southern Canes. 277
CHAPTER XXVII.
MONEY IN THE SEA.
Oregon Salmon. Massachusetts Cod. French Sardines. Sea Otters. Arctic
Whales. Behring Seals. Sea Gold. 280
CHAPTER XXVIII.
MONEY IN WASTE MATERIAL.
Waste of Sewage. Waste of Coal Ashes. Waste of Garbage. Waste of
Sulphur. Waste of Tin. Waste of Heat. Waste of Land. Waste of Gold,
Silver, and Iron. 284
CHAPTER XXIX.
MISCELLANEOUS WAYS OF MAKING MONEY.
The National Advertising Co. Free Rent. X-Rays and X Bills. Golden
Sails. Game Preserve. The Junk Shop. Old Newspapers. The Bookstall. Old
Furniture. Public Convenience Room. General Advice. Language Classes.
Business Opportunities. Mine Owners. Cattle Raisers. Stump Speakers.
Artistic Home Builders. Cemetery Owners. Glass Ball Shooters.
Entertainment Bureaus. Ice Cream Manufacturers. Gold Hunters. Asphalt
Companies. Horse Jockeys. Wig Making. Book Repairing. The Household
Pack. Pawnbrokers’ Profits. 288
CHAPTER XXX.
MONEY IN SPECULATION.
City Bonds. Colonial Trade. The American Tobacco Co. Collapsed
Railroads. Wheat Margins. 299
CHAPTER XXXI.
WHERE TO INVEST MONEY.
Illuminating Companies. Trust Companies. Banks. Insurance Companies. Tin
Plate Company. Pottery Combination. Consolidated Ice. Flour Trust.
Furniture Combine. Telephone Monopoly. A Great Electrical Company.
Industrial Stocks. Railroad Dividends. Lodging House. Real
Estate. 304
CHAPTER XXXII.
MONEY IN SPARE TIME.
What Five Minutes a Day Will Do. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty. Twenty-five.
Thirty. Thirty-five. Forty. Forty-five. Fifty. Fifty-five. Sixty.
Seventy-five. Eighty. Ninety. One Hundred. One Hundred and Ten. One
Hundred and Twenty. 310
CHAPTER XXXIII.
MONEY IN ODDS AND ENDS.
How to Save $100 a Year. 314
CHAPTER XXXIV.
STRANGE WAYS OF MAKING MONEY.
Experts. Detectives. Traveling Poets. Old Coins. Purveyor of Personals.
Gold on Sea Bottom. Rare Books. Old Italian Violins. Magic Silk. The
Gold Cure. The Telephone Newspaper. Race and Stock Tippers.
Promoters. 316
CHAPTER XXXV.
HIGHLY PAYING OCCUPATIONS.
Electrical Experts. The Confidential Man. The Advertising Agent. The
Great Daily Editor. Medical Specialists. Legal Counselors. Corporation
Presidents. 324
INTRODUCTION.
The object of this work is to help people who are out of employment to
secure a situation; to enable persons of small means to engage in
business and become their own employers; to give men and women in
various lines of enterprise ideas whereby they may succeed; and to
suggest new roads to fortune by the employment of capital. The author
has been moved to the undertaking by the reflection that there exists
nowhere a book of similar character. There have indeed been published a
multitude of books which profess to tell men how to succeed, but they
all consist of merely professional counsel expressed in general terms.
We are told that the secrets of success are “industry and accuracy,”
“the grasping of every opportunity,” “being wide awake,” “getting up
early and sitting up late,” and other cheap sayings quite as well known
to the taker as to the giver. Even men who have made their mark, when
they come to treat of their career in writing, seem unable to give any
concrete suggestions which will prove helpful to other struggling
thousands, but simply tell us they won by “hard work,” or by “close
attention to business.”
The author of this book has gone to work on a totally different plan. I
have patiently collected the facts in the rise of men to wealth and
power, have collated the instances and instruments of fortune, and from
these have sifted out the real secrets of success. When as in a few
cases, the worn-out proverbs and principles are quoted, these are
immediately reinforced by individual examples of persons who attributed
their advancement to the following of these rules; but, in general, the
suggestions are new, and in very many cases plans and lines of work are
proposed by the author which are entirely original, and so far as he
knows, absolutely untried. Hence, the work becomes of incomparable value
to business men who are constantly seeking new means to interest the
public and to dispose of their goods.
Of course, the vast field of action treated of in this work lies beyond
the experience of any one man, but the author has talked with business
men in every walk in life and gleaned from them the essential facts in
their career; in many instances these facts are not the things they have
done, but the things they would do if they could begin again, thus
giving the reader the benefit both of their success and failure. As a
book offering opportunities to the ambitious; presenting openings to
those seeking a wider scope for their faculties; affording stimulation
to persons of sluggish blood; and giving away trade and business secrets
never before divulged; the author feels confident that the little work
stands unrivaled, and as such he modestly offers it to the public for
its approval.
ONE THOUSAND WAYS TO MAKE MONEY.
CHAPTER I.
HOW TO GET A PLACE.
You Can Get It--Positions Yawning for Young Men--Any Young Man May
Become Rich--Men Who Began at the Bottom and Reached the Top--How
A. T. Stewart Got His Start--John Jacob Astor’s Secret of
Success--How Stephen Girard’s Drayman Made a Fortune--$100,000 for
Being Polite--How One Man’s Error Made Another Man’s
Fortune--Secret of the Bon Marché in Paris--How Edison Succeeded--A
Sure Way to Rise--How a Young Man Got His Salary Increased
$2,000--A Sharp Yankee Peddler.
Young men are often discouraged because the desirable places all seem to
be filled. But remember there is always room for the right man. Says a
New York millionaire: “I hold that any young man, possessing a good
constitution and a fair degree of intelligence, may become rich.” Says
another business man: “I have made a personal canvass of a dozen of the
largest business houses in five different commercial and professional
lines to see to what extent there exist openings for young men.” In only
two of the houses approached were the heads of the firms satisfied the
positions of trust in those houses were filled by capable men. And in
each of these two houses I was told that “of course, if the right sort
of a young man came along who could tell us something about our business
we did not already know, we should not let him slip through our fingers.
Positions can always be created. In four of the houses, positions had
been open for six months or more, and the sharpest kind of a lookout
kept for possible occupants. These positions commanded salaries all the
way from $2,000 to $5,000 a year. In the publishing business, I know of
no less than six positions actually yawning for the men to come and fill
them--not clerical positions, but positions of executive authority.
Young men are desired in these places because of their progressive ideas
and capacity to endure work.”
Another prominent man who interviewed the heads of several large firms
writes in a recent periodical as follows: “It is not with these firms a
question of salary; it is a question of securing the highest skill with
the most perfect reliability. This being secured, almost any salary to
be named will be cheerfully paid. A characteristic of the business world
to-day is that its institutions, empires in themselves, have grown to be
too large for the handling of ordinary men. These institutions are
multiplying in excess of the number of men whose business skill is broad
and large enough to direct and command them. Hence, the really
commanding business brain is at an immense premium in the market. A
salary of $50,000 a year as president of a railroad or manufacturing
company at first sight seems exorbitant; but the payment of such a
salary usually means pure business. The right or the wrong man at the
head of a great business interest means the making or the unmaking of
fortunes for the stockholders. Only a single glance at the industrial
world is needed to show that here is room for the advent of genius of
the first order. This world, seething like a caldron, is boiling to the
brim with questions of the most vexing and menacing kind.”
Look at the men who reached the top of fortune’s ladder, and see under
what discouraging circumstances they began. James Fisk, called the
Prince of the Erie, rose to that position from a ragged newsboy.
Stephen Girard began on nothing, and became the greatest millionaire of
his time. Young men, would you scorn to row a boat for a living?
Cornelius Vanderbilt plied a boat between Staten Island and New York.
Would you tramp the country as a surveyor for a map? Jay Gould began in
that way, and forty years later satisfied certain doubters of his
financial standing by showing them certificates of stocks worth
$80,000,000. Do you fear to have your hands calloused with ax or saw?
John W. Mackay, who acquired a fortune of $20,000,000, started in life
as a shipwright. Is it beneath your social station to handle butter and
eggs? “Lucky” Baldwin, the multi-millionaire, kept a country store and
made his first venture by taking his goods overland in a cart to Salt
Lake City. Are your fingers too delicate for the broom handle? A. T.
Stewart began his business career by sweeping out the store. Do you
abhor vile odors? Peter Cooper made $6,000,000 in the glue business.
Tens of thousands are looking for a place. Most of them have had places,
but could not keep them. If you follow all the rules below, having
obtained a place, you will never need to seek one again. The place will
seek you. Employers are in search of the qualities herein to be
considered, and they are willing to pay liberally for them. They are
qualities that come high everywhere. If you possess them, you can in a
short time command your own price. But do not scorn to take the humblest
place. Merit, like murder, will out. Be sure you have the winning cards
and wait.
1. THE SECRET OF WORK.--Men will employ you if you mean business. When
you find men working, work with them. Lend a hand. Every employer would
rather employ a busy man than an idle man. When he sees you working, he
will watch you. If he likes you, he will make you an offer. A glazier,
being refused work at a place where a church was being erected, put down
his kit of tools, picked up the broken pieces of glass which the workmen
had thrown away, and, laboring just as if he had been hired to work,
fashioned the finest church window in the world, and became rich and
famous.
2. NATURE’S FURROW.--Plow in nature’s furrow. In general, a man is
fitted for the thing he likes. Do that which you can do best. What you
want to do you are called to do, and what you are called to do you can
do. Darwin says that the fittest survive because they have a slight
advantage over those which do not survive. Your liking for an occupation
is the advantage you have over those who do not like it. Follow the
hint, whether it be to publish a paper or peg shoes. A leading merchant
in New York found his calling through having loaned money to a friend.
He had to take his friend’s store to secure his money, and thus learned
his gift for merchandise. The man was A. T. Stewart.
3. GENERAL DETAILS.--The best general is General Details. In business
life, no matter is small enough to be despised. To master an infinite
number of small things is to prepare yourself to master great things.
When your employers see that you have everything at your fingers’ ends,
they will intrust you with larger interests, and greater responsibility
means greater pay. John Jacob Astor knew the minutest point about every
part of his great business. _That_ was the secret of his success.
4. THE PRISMATIC BRAIN.--Be many-sided, but transparent. Tell your
employer where you have failed. Do not try to cover up a fault. Be
absolutely honest. You may get along for a time on “shady” lines, but
such success is only gained at the expense of ultimate loss. It is
absolutely essential that your employer should have the utmost
confidence in your integrity. Try by every means to gain that
confidence. Court examination. Invite inspection. Remember that his
profound belief in you--belief in you when out of business hours as well
as in--is your surest stepping-stone to promotion. Character is power.
Your success depends as much upon what you are as upon what you know or
do. Stephen Girard once trusted his drayman to buy a shipload of tea
worth $200,000. He trusted him because he knew his man, and he gave the
young man the profits of the transaction, which amounted to $50,000.
5. THE BRIDLED TONGUE.--Do not cross your employer in any way. Never
dispute with him. You may be sure that you are right, but do not say so.
You need not be a Democrat or an Episcopalian because your employer is,
but if you are wise you will avoid discussing with him questions of
politics or religion. Courtesy pays. Ross Winans, of Philadelphia,
secured a business that netted him $100,000 a year simply through his
politeness to two Russian agents, to whom others in the same trade had
accorded scant courtesy.
6. STUDYING THE STAIR ABOVE.--Study, not stars, but stairs. Learn all
about the position next above you. When you can point out new methods to
your employer, advance new ideas, or suggest new channels of trade or
lines of work, you are surely on the way to promotion. Only, be sure
that your new ideas are practical. There is no more direct road to the
confidence of your employer than for him to see that you understand any
part of his affairs better than he does himself. Employ your spare
moments in studying the business. While the other clerks are joking, do
you be learning. While the students at the boarding-house in Andover
were chaffing each other during the wait for breakfast, Joseph Cook
would turn to a big dictionary in one corner of the room and look out a
word. He climbed many stairs above them.
7. THE MISSING FACTOR.--Your employers are wrestling with a question.
They are uncertain whether to invest or not. They are doubtful about the
character or standing of some man with whom they are or may become
heavily involved. It will be worth thousands to you if you can procure
any scrap of information that will help to set them right. A young clerk
who discovered an error in Bradstreet’s was soon admitted to partnership
in his employer’s firm.
8. THE MAGNIFYING GLASS.--Make the most of your present position. Wear
magnifying glasses. Exalt the importance of every item. Let not the
smallest thing be done in a slipshod way. If you are answering letters
for the firm, answer them briefly but completely. Remember that brevity
is not brusqueness. If you are waiting on customers, treat the small
customer just as courteously as the large one. You may be sure that your
employer knows the market value of politeness. In the Bon Marché in
Paris, the employers determined that something must be done more than
was done in other stores so that every visitor would remember the place
with pleasure and come again. The result was the most exquisite
politeness ever seen in a mercantile establishment, and it has developed
the largest business of its kind in the world.
9. THE MICROSCOPIC EYE.--The microscope shows a hundred things the naked
eye cannot see. Endeavor to see what others fail to see--new
possibilities of sales, new means of profit, new methods of doing
things. It was by steadily looking at a thing until he saw what was not
apparent to the superficial view that Thomas Edison became the greatest
electrician of the world.
10. SCORING A POINT WHEN OFF DUTY.--Do something for your employer when
you are out of the shop or store. You may be sure that he will
appreciate it. It is a fallacy that he has no claim on you when off
duty. Do not give him the idea that you have no interest in the business
except to get your salary, and no time to spare him except what you are
paid for. Do not watch the clock; do not filch a few moments at the
beginning or end of the day’s work, and do not ask leave of absence
except when absolutely necessary. Do overwork and unpaid-for work, and
when you see a point in favor of your firm, fasten to it. Become
essential to the place, and you will rise in the place. “I can’t spare
you,” said the publisher of a New York magazine to his advertising agent
when another publisher offered him an increase of $1,000. “Let’s
see--you are getting $5,000 now; I’ll make it $7,000.”
11. THE STUDY OF MEN.--This is the very key to success. The proper study
of mankind is man. The greatest college on earth is the business world.
The man who can sell the most goods is the one who knows the weaknesses
of human nature, and how to avail himself of them. Your best diploma is
a big bill of sale. Sell something to everybody--what the customer wants
if you have it; if not, what he doesn’t want; but at any rate, sell him
something. It is related of a Yankee book-peddler that he sold three
copies of the same book to a family in one day--to the husband in the
store, to the wife who was calling at a neighbor’s, and to the daughter
at home. And not one of the family wanted the book.
Following the above lines, and adding thereto good health and steady
habits, you cannot fail to be promoted and to rise to the highest
position of responsibility, if not even to actual partnership in the
firm. These are the qualities that proprietors are yearning for--nay,
actually groaning for, but which are hard to find in the average man.
Employers are keeping the sharpest kind of a watch for the right man. It
is stated on the best of authority that there are a thousand business
firms in New York and vicinity each having one or more $5,000 positions
awaiting the men who can fill them. If you have the right qualities or
will acquire them, at least a thousand great firms want your services,
and posts of responsibility with almost unlimited salary await your hand
or brain.