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81 chapters
ONE THOUSAND WAYS TO MAKE MONEY.
ONE THOUSAND WAYS TO MAKE MONEY.
BY P A G E F O X. 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 NEW YORK Copyright, 1900, by THE Abbey Press in the United States and Great Britain. —— All Rights Reserved....
31 minute read
TO THE READER.
TO THE READER.
F RIEND—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 mon
1 minute read
INTRODUCTION.
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
2 minute read
CHAPTER I. HOW TO GET A PLACE.
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
10 minute read
CHAPTER II. STARTING IN BUSINESS.
CHAPTER II. STARTING IN BUSINESS.
Why Men Fail—Luck on the side of Pluck—Marking the Day’s Profits Before they Begin—No Diamond Like the Eye—The Man Who Takes His Bank to Bed With Him—The Two Hands of Fortune. Many men fail because they undertake a business without considering whether there is room for it; others because they do not thoroughly establish themselves in the place, making no effort to get a constituency; and yet others because they do not keep the goods that are in demand, or do not renew the stock sufficiently quic
3 minute read
CHAPTER III. MONEY IN TRADE.
CHAPTER III. MONEY IN TRADE.
What Kind of Advertisements Pay—“Don’t Fail to See the Blizzard Saturday Night”—The Keynote of a $20,000,000 Sale—Selling Goods by the Mile—Watches for Bait—How to Get Five-Year Customers—“Trade With Me and Get a House and Lot”—Why Trade at Push and Pluck’s?—Bargains in Buttons Often Means High Prices in Broadcloth. Thousands fail in business every year when an idea put into practical operation would have tided them over the trouble and opened the road to a competence. This chapter will tell you
7 minute read
CHAPTER IV. MONEY IN THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW ARTICLE.
CHAPTER IV. MONEY IN THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW ARTICLE.
Success of the “Imitation Cigar”—The Dealer’s Seeds of Gold are Black—Barnum’s Belief in Humbugs—Tricks for Trade—Politics for the Men, Novels for the Women—How the Remington Typewriter was Boomed—A Business Man’s Experience in Advertising. New articles in all lines of trade are constantly appearing. Inventors of mechanical appliances, authors of books, proprietors of patent medicines, introducers of something novel in groceries, and promoters of new departures in dry and fancy goods, are all an
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Section I. Household Ornaments.
Section I. Household Ornaments.
A home may be rendered attractive by a few simple ornaments that are very cheap. Vines, grasses, etc., add touches of beauty to a home and cost very little. Few people know how to prepare these little curiosities, and many would esteem it too much trouble to get and arrange the material if they did know. But most of these persons would buy them if the materials were prepared, and the vines, etc., ready to grow. You must have models of each kind in full growth in order to excite their admiration,
5 minute read
Section 2. Tea Dishes.
Section 2. Tea Dishes.
At almost no cost, you find yourself established in the midst of dozens of clinging vines and pretty plants. Now for the next step. Have a few appetizing tea-dishes in your window. Put out a sign, telling people that you will have every night certain fine and fresh table delicacies on sale. The effect of dainty dishes in close proximity to graceful vines is exceedingly tempting to the appetite. 59. Delicious Ham. —If very neat, you can sell to many families cold boiled ham for supper or lunch. P
1 minute read
Section 3. Pastry.
Section 3. Pastry.
Suppose you now try a little pastry. If you can make a superior article, you will have a ready sale, but it is often difficult to introduce the goods. It is sometimes a good plan to donate a cake to a fair, cutting the loaf into very thin slices, and giving them to leading ladies who may be present, superintending the matter yourself, and advertising that you will take orders. 62. Angel Cake. —The whites of eleven eggs, one and a half cupfuls of granulated sugar, measured after being sifted four
2 minute read
Section 4. Sweetmeats and Confectionery.
Section 4. Sweetmeats and Confectionery.
If you find that children are your best customers, you may cater yet further to their taste. Remember that your success depends upon your keeping choice articles. It is surprising how children find out the best candy stores, and how quick they are to discern between good and bad stock. By making your own goods, you can sell a little cheaper than the dealers who have to buy. 66. Walnut Candy. —This is something which all children like. Put the meats of the nuts on the bottom of tins previously gr
2 minute read
Section 5. Preserves, Pickles, and Jellies.
Section 5. Preserves, Pickles, and Jellies.
We put these sweets and sours into one group because they sell best when in proximity. Almost everything depends upon the way they are put up. If the fruit shows artistically through the glass jars, or the pickles are put up attractively in cute little bottles with fresh-painted labels, he must be a stoic indeed who can pass your show-window without a coveting glance. Here are a few of the most popular things in this line: 73. Orange Marmalade. —Take equal weights of sour oranges and sugar. Grat
3 minute read
Section 6. Toilet Articles.
Section 6. Toilet Articles.
These have a perennial sale. They are not confined to any season or age. Most of them, especially the French makes, come high, but they are composed of a few simple ingredients, and can be made by any person of ordinary skill. Here are a few of the best selling: 81. Rose Oil. —Heat dried rose-leaves in an earthenware pipkin, the leaves being covered with olive-oil, and keep hot for several hours. The oil will extract both odor and color. Strain, and put in little cut-glass bottles. 82. Cologne W
1 minute read
Section 7. Varnishes and Polishes.
Section 7. Varnishes and Polishes.
With your plants, meats, preserves, candies, and perfumery, you have already got much beyond your show-window. You now have a “department store” on a small scale, and as you make the goods yourself you ought to be making money. There are some things you can add for which the demand will not be great, but then the cost of making is small. Besides, the goods, put up in bright tin boxes with colored labels and built up in pyramids on your shelves, will give your store an artistic and attractive app
2 minute read
Section 8. Soaps and Starches.
Section 8. Soaps and Starches.
Soaps are easily made and very profitable. Several firms have made fortunes in soap during the last few years. You can make just as good an article in your own home and reap all the profits. With starches, take pains to let your customers know that you have different ones for different kinds of goods. Many use the same starch for all kinds of washing. You must show people that your starches are made especially for various kinds of garments, and that the effect will not be so good if the wrong st
2 minute read
Section 9. Soft Drinks.
Section 9. Soft Drinks.
You may now if you have a counter try a few soft drinks. A soda fountain is expensive and perhaps would not pay at this stage, but you might try it when you have more capital and customers. First try.— 95. Root Beer. —Get a bottle of the extract, and make it according to the directions. Cost of ten gallons extract and sugar, $1. Put up in pint bottles at five cents a bottle $4. Profit, $3. 96. Ginger Pop. —Put into an earthen pot two pounds of loaf sugar, two ounces of cream tartar, two ounces o
1 minute read
Section 10. Dairy and Other Farm Produce.
Section 10. Dairy and Other Farm Produce.
If you live in the country, or if your grounds are large enough, you can add immensely to your profits by keeping a cow, a pig, some poultry, and a few hives of bees. You will now need help—a boy to milk your cow, run on errands, and deliver goods; and a girl to help you in the work-room and to assist in the store. 98, Golden Butter ; 99, Fresh Eggs ; 100, Sweet Milk ; 101, Sparkling Honey ; 102, New Cheese ; and 103, Clean Lard , are among the attractions and the sources of revenue you can add
2 minute read
Section 11. Garden Vegetables.
Section 11. Garden Vegetables.
If you have a small garden, you can supply your store with fresh vegetables during the season. It is very important that they should be fresh. Having your own garden, you can guarantee that quality to your customers. Take orders for the following day so that the vegetables may come straight from the garden into the hands of the consumer. Here are the six which grocers say sell for the largest profit. 106. Cut-to-Order Asparagus. —Asparagus is at least one-half better when newly cut. Choose the w
2 minute read
Section 12. School Supplies.
Section 12. School Supplies.
There are a number of articles in use in our schools which can be made at home. Once let it be known that you can make and sell as good a quality as the imported article, and at a cheaper price, and you will have the patronage of all the schools in your vicinity. Advertise wisely, and in cases where the trustees furnish the things, make a low bid for the entire school supply. 112. Book Covers. —Save all your paper bags, iron them out smoothly, and make them into book covers. Sell them at three c
2 minute read
Section 13. Christmas Presents.
Section 13. Christmas Presents.
You can do well with these if you are supple with your fingers and nimble with your tongue. Learn what artistic designs are becoming popular, and keep abreast of the latest fads. The fabric called denim is coming more into use every year, and as it is very cheap, and comes in all colors, it is especially suited for making, covering, and adorning all kinds of household handiwork. A ramble through the large metropolitan stores with a request to see the various lines of goods used for trimming and
4 minute read
Section 14. Miscellaneous Articles.
Section 14. Miscellaneous Articles.
Here are a few other things to complete the list of one hundred which you can make in your own home. You will discover many others for yourself as your trade increases, and your friends make suggestions. The secret of success is to find out what people want, and then give them a better and cheaper article than they can get elsewhere. You will find your customers’ wants changing according to the season or the newest fad. Things which you expected to sell will often be left on your hands. You must
11 minute read
CHAPTER VI. MONEY IN THE HOME ACRE.
CHAPTER VI. MONEY IN THE HOME ACRE.
Money at Home—What a Single Acre Will Do—Gold in the Soil—How a Dike Made a Klondike—$1,000 at Your Back Door—Nickels in Pickles! Livings in Pickings!—A Fortune in a Fat Slice of Earth—A Great (Grate) Way to Make Money. There are multitudes of people who have a single acre of ground which could be made to yield much profit if they knew how to handle it. Others have an half or a quarter of an acre; not enough, perhaps, to give them a support, but which would add very materially to their income if
4 minute read
CHAPTER VII. MONEY FOR WOMEN.
CHAPTER VII. MONEY FOR WOMEN.
One Hundred Ways a Woman Can Earn a Living—A New Way to Remember Your Friends—The Woman with a Pet Dog—Solving the Servant-girl Question—Shopping for Pleasure and Profit—Profits of a Lady Barber—The Business of “Samples”—The Rise of the Trained Nurse—Dollars in Scents—How to Go to Paris Without Cost—Something that will Sell to Millions of Shoppers—How Clara Louise Kellog Got a Start—A Woman Who Sold her Jewels for Newspapers—Women in the Civil Service. The field of woman’s work has been vastly a
41 minute read
Section 1. How a Boy can Get a Place. SEVEN WAYS TO GET A POSITION.
Section 1. How a Boy can Get a Place. SEVEN WAYS TO GET A POSITION.
266. Free Service. —Make friends with a clerk. Offer to go with him on the delivery wagon. He will be only too glad of your assistance. The next step will be to help in odd jobs about the store. After a little familiarity with the business, you will find an opening. Your friendly clerk will have a sick day, or a leave of absence, or a vacation. The employer knows you have assisted the clerk, and will gladly give you his place for a day or a week, and from temporary employment it is but a step to
3 minute read
Section 2. What Boys Can Do. TWENTY HINTS FOR BOYS.
Section 2. What Boys Can Do. TWENTY HINTS FOR BOYS.
273. The Boy Magician. —For fifty cents you can buy a book entitled “The Parlor Magician,” containing one hundred tricks for the drawing room. A few weeks’ practice should make you master of these arts, and then with your outfit you are ready for a money-making tour. It is best to take along a friend, as in some of the most clever tricks you will need an assistant. 274. The Glass-blower. —For twenty-five cents you can get a book with full instructions in the curious art of glass-blowing. The won
5 minute read
CHAPTER IX. MONEY IN AGENCIES.
CHAPTER IX. MONEY IN AGENCIES.
The Omnipresent Agent—What He Says and What He Sells—Power of the Successful Drummer—The Five Secrets of the Book Agent—Five Thousand Dollars Commission on a Patent—How Seven Men Carry $7,000,000 Insurance—A Man Who Receives $5,000 a Year and Does Nothing—How Teachers Pay for Their Positions—Searching for a $10,000 Preacher—The Matrimonial is Often a Matter-of-money-all—A New Way to Get Good Servants—The Farm Supply Company. Few occupations offer such inducements for persons with little or no ca
9 minute read
CHAPTER X. MONEY IN PROPRIETARY COMPOUNDS.
CHAPTER X. MONEY IN PROPRIETARY COMPOUNDS.
Proprietary Kings and How They Acquired Power—Patent Medicine Secrets Given Away—Where Perry Davis Found His Recipe—The Parent of the “Killers”—Men Who Made Their “Pile” in Pills—Fortunes in “Bitters”—Electricity, or “Mustard Plasters”—The Story of a “Discovery”—How a Man Made a Fortune With an Indian Cure—“What’s in a Name?” The Mighty Lubec—Tons of Drugs Taken Every Day—Triumph of “Soothing Syrup”—A New Patent Medicine for Every Day of the Year—The Man Who Took Everything. Owners of proprietar
8 minute read
CHAPTER XI. MONEY IN REAL ESTATE.
CHAPTER XI. MONEY IN REAL ESTATE.
The Costliest Spot on the Western Hemisphere—A Mile and a Half of Millionaires—The Kings of the Earth—Why Some Rich Men Do Not Live in New York—The Country Fool and the Knowing Ones—How Coney Island Was Born—The Story of a Great Land Sale—Rents in Apartment Houses—The Fifty-story Office Building—The Man Who Gave a Carte Blanche Decoration Order, But Won’t Do it Again—The Western Land Bubble—Good Farms Going to Waste—The Jersey Flats. No class of men have made greater or securer fortunes than dea
6 minute read
CHAPTER XII. MONEY IN THE FINE ARTS.
CHAPTER XII. MONEY IN THE FINE ARTS.
Some Things Everybody Ought to Know—An Institution that Teaches “Without Money and Without Price”—A Woman Who Earns $3,000 a Year—The Old Glue-Maker’s Gift to Women—How a Little Girl Earned $300—A Young Woman Who Earned More Than Her Father—“As Rich as a Queen”—Fortunes in Designs—Livings in Lace—One Painter’s Earnings Last Year—Checks in Charcoal—Book Publishers Who are Looking for Ideas. This is one of the most enjoyable as well as one of the most remunerative occupations. One of the noblest t
5 minute read
CHAPTER XIII. MONEY IN MANUFACTURE.
CHAPTER XIII. MONEY IN MANUFACTURE.
How a Blacksmith Got Rich—The Story of Pullman—The Story of the Columbia Bicycle—A Recipe for a Fortune—A Mica Secret—How to Make Marble—Another Great Secret Given Away—Rubber as Good as Goodyear’s—A Way to Smash the Trusts—Wanted—A New Railroad Car—Sidney Smith’s “Wooden Pavement.” Vast profits accrue from manufactures, but the best returns for investments in this line are realized when the manufacturer is able to make a new article, or to make an old article by improved means. David Maydole, a
6 minute read
CHAPTER XIV. MONEY IN MINING.
CHAPTER XIV. MONEY IN MINING.
The Earth a Vast Treasure-box—$300,000,000 from the Comstock Lode—A Short Story of Three Millionaires—Opportunities in Mica Mining—Fortunes in Salt Wells—$10,000 for Locating a Mine—Not a Cent of Capital Needed—The Gold Belt of the United States—Two Men’s Earnings with the Pan—What Michigan Boys are Doing—Big Dividends in Tin—A Man with an Income of $2 a Minute. The immense importance which minerals play in our industries and the glittering fortunes made by delving into the earth, are faintly in
11 minute read
Section 1. Money in Bicycles.
Section 1. Money in Bicycles.
372. A Non-Puncturable Bicycle Tire. —Any improvement in the universal wheel means a fortune to the inventor. The Dunlap tire sold for $15,000,000. 373. A Bicycle-Holder Attachment. —One that will make it stand upright when not in use. There is a fortune here. 374. The Bicycle Umbrella-Holder. —It should not be difficult to fit to the wheel a small attachment for holding an umbrella. The device should be made so as to allow the umbrella to turn at an angle. Most bicyclists would want this invent
3 minute read
Section 2. Money in Building Contrivances.
Section 2. Money in Building Contrivances.
393. The Ornamental Floor. —Ornamental floors, for ballrooms, summer hotels, and all rooms where carpets are not indispensable. 394. The Secure Window Blind. —The present appliances for holding back the window blind permit it to shake to and fro, giving unpleasant noises in the night. There is needed a device that will hold it securely in place. 395. The Self-Locking Window. —Doors are made self-locking; why not windows? Who will invent a means by which the shutting of a window at the same time
3 minute read
Section 3. Money in the Kitchen.
Section 3. Money in the Kitchen.
409. The Cheap Washer. —For all the many washing machines, most of our women in middle-class and lowly life are still bending painfully over the old tubs. What is needed is a cheap washer that everyone will buy. 410. A Meat Chopper. —One which has a large number of small blades dividing the meat ten or twenty times with one stroke, where now the large blades divide it only one-fourth or fifth that number of times. The scroll bread-knife netted a princely revenue to its fortunate inventor. 411. A
3 minute read
Section 4. Money in the Parlor.
Section 4. Money in the Parlor.
427. The Chair Fan. —A slight vertical motion of the foot is much less tiresome than a lateral motion of the hand. An ingenious man could attach a fan to a chair so as to cool the face by the action of the foot. 428. Rocking-Chair Fan. —A fan to be attached to the top of a rocking-chair and operated by the motion of a rocker. 429. Christmas-Tree Holder. —A device for holding the tree upright in any spot without further support. Would sell once a year by the million if made for twenty-five cents.
1 minute read
Section 5. Money in the Bedroom.
Section 5. Money in the Bedroom.
436. A Noiseless Clock. —Many nervous people are annoyed by the ticking of clocks. Who can invent one which will perform this work silently? 437. A Narcotic Pillow. —Will not some one give us a pillow composed of the dried flowers or leaves of soporific plants? The nervous, overworked persons who could thus get a night’s sound sleep would bestow upon the lucky inventor the money which he now expends in drugs. 438. The Electric Fire Igniter. —In almost every household some one on a winter’s morni
2 minute read
Section 6. Money in the Cellar.
Section 6. Money in the Cellar.
448. A Furnace Feeder. —Every householder would buy an automatic feeder for the furnace, thus saving the arduous labor of shoveling coal. There should be a bonanza in the right invention. 449. Ice Machine. —The study of the large ice machines now in use, with a view to produce one on a scale so small and cheap as to be introduced into every household has boundless possibilities of wealth for a fertile-brained inventor. 450. Stove Ash-Sifter. —The waste of coal in unsifted ashes is enormous, but
1 minute read
Section 7. Money in the Library and Schoolroom.
Section 7. Money in the Library and Schoolroom.
454. A Paper Binder. —One that will bind newspapers and other periodicals, and which can be sold for twenty-five cents. Those on the market are too expensive. 455. The Correspondent’s Desk. —A desk with compartments specially arranged for correspondents would save much time and annoyance on the part of letter-writers. Paper, pen, ink, envelope, postage stamp, answered letters, letters requiring immediate reply, and letters which require time for consideration, would then be relegated to the most
1 minute read
Section 8. Money in Meals.
Section 8. Money in Meals.
460. Butter and Cheese Cutter. —A device which cuts butter and cheese into small square blocks. It should be shaped like a caramel-mold with sharp edges, cutting ten or twelve blocks with a single insertion. 461. Paper Table Cloth. —The constantly increasing use of paper for new articles is a feature of the times. We have paper napkins, but why could not a paper be manufactured of a little better quality so as to serve for a tablecloth? 462. Scroll-Edge Meat Knife. —The scroll-edge bread knife i
1 minute read
Section 9. Money in the Business Office.
Section 9. Money in the Business Office.
467. The Keyboard Lock. —A combination lock on the principle of the cash register. Instead of carrying certain combinations of numbers in your brain, you simply remember a definite order of keys, and push them in turn as you would in playing a light air on the piano. This patent would be a great improvement on the present system, and contains barrels of money. 468. Automatic Safe Opener. —Run by clockwork, and set so as to open automatically at a certain hour of the day, and impossible to open a
2 minute read
Section 10. Money in the Packing Room.
Section 10. Money in the Packing Room.
479. Nonrefillable Bottle. —Such a bottle is an absolute necessity to beer and liquor manufacturers, sauce and patent medicine makers, yet no one has yet supplied the demand. Here is a chance, and there are millions in it. 480. The Collapsible Box. —A box that cannot be refilled for fraudulent purposes. Must be so built that it cannot be opened without destroying it. It would be purchased by every maker of confections. 481. Bottle Stopper. —There are mines of wealth in a cheap substitute for cor
1 minute read
Section 11. Money in Articles of Trade.
Section 11. Money in Articles of Trade.
488. The Tradesman’s Signal. —An automatic device for letting the grocer, butcher, baker, etc., know when he is wanted, saving time both to the household and trade. Sure to sell. 489. Barrel Gauge. —A dial with hands to be attached to a barrel or keg to indicate the amount of its contents. 490. Elastic Chimney. —An elastic glass chimney which will expand with the heat and not break would sell by the million. 491. Air Moistener. —A apparatus for moistening the air in the room. It should avoid the
9 minute read
Section 12. Money in the Street.
Section 12. Money in the Street.
537. Street Sweeper. —A device like the present carpet sweeper to be used on paved roadways will command a large sale. 538. Phosphorescent Street Numbers. —Who has not been vexed in trying to locate an unfamiliar house in the dark? In many streets not one number in a hundred can be seen in the night. Contrive some means of illuminating these numbers, and you will confer a boon to others and reap a reward for yourself. 539. Buggy Top Adjuster. —A contrivance for raising or lowering the buggy top
2 minute read
Section 13. Money in Farming Contrivances.
Section 13. Money in Farming Contrivances.
551. A Corn Cutter. —A machine to run between the rows and cut the stalks on each side would sell to every farmer; and there are 4,565,000 farmers in the United States. 552. Frost Protector. —A chemical combination whose product when ignited is chiefly smoke. All farmers suffer from late and early frosts. They would pay liberally for a smoke producer which would protect their crops, for it is known that a very little smoke acts as a mantle to keep off the frost. They should be made cheap so that
5 minute read
Section 14. Money in the Mails and in Writing Materials.
Section 14. Money in the Mails and in Writing Materials.
573. The Reversible Package. —There is needed a package or paper box in which legal papers or merchandise sent for approval can be turned inside out and remailed to the sender. Such a device would have a large demand. 574. Copying Paper. —A paper used for duplicating manuscripts would command a ready sale. The carbon paper now employed is very expensive. 575. Word Printing Typewriter. —Some typewriters have as many as fifty keys. A small increase in number would cover the words in common use. Ma
3 minute read
Section 15. Money in Dress.
Section 15. Money in Dress.
590. Bachelor’s Buttons. —Invent an eyeless and threadless button, somewhat on the style of the envelope-clasp. The million or more bachelors would surely buy them. 591. Shoe Fastener. —Some device is needed for the quicker and surer way of fastening shoes. The button is inconvenient and the tie is unreliable. The Foster kid glove fastener made the inventor a man of millions. 592. A Trousers’ Guard. —One which will effectively prevent the wear at the bottom. Trousers commonly give way first at t
2 minute read
Section 16. Money in Personal Conveniences.
Section 16. Money in Personal Conveniences.
605. The Pocket Umbrella. —Few things are in more common or universal use than the umbrella, and yet what a cumbersome, awkward thing it is. Who will invent one that can be folded, packed and pocketed? A Mr. Higgins, by the invention of the sliding thimble for umbrellas received $100,000 cash as royalties on his patent. A pocket umbrella should realize for its inventor much more than that. 606. The Million Match. —A slow-burning match, which will burn four times as long as the ordinary one. Such
3 minute read
Section 17. Money in Household Conveniences.
Section 17. Money in Household Conveniences.
626. The Warning Clock. —A clock which will give notice of its wants when it is nearly run down. A simple device which it should be easy to contrive and quick to sell. 627. A Slot Gas Machine. —One which will operate a certain length of time by the payment of a nickel and automatically close when the money’s worth is consumed. It would be invaluable for small consumers. 628. Revolving Flower Stand. —A clock-work device so that all plants in a cone or pyramid could get their share of a sun-bath.
2 minute read
Section 18. Money in the Saving of Life and Property.
Section 18. Money in the Saving of Life and Property.
640. Safety Shafts. —A device for separating the shafts from the body of the carriage in the case of a runaway, and thus insure the safety of the occupants. 641. Pocketbook Guard. —Nearly all ladies carry the pocketbook in the hand. A device should be invented for fastening it securely to the hand so that it could not be snatched by a thief. 642. Cheap Burglar Alarm. —If you can invent an effective burglar alarm which can be sold at ten cents per window, you will have a monopoly in that article.
3 minute read
Section 19. Money in the Laboratory.
Section 19. Money in the Laboratory.
659. Fly-Killer. —There is needed some powerful chemical that will destroy flies the moment they enter the house, and yet be harmless to man. He will become richer than Crœsus who shall give us the much needed boon. 660. Artificial Egg. —The art of chemistry is now so far advanced that a clever student of the science ought to compound an egg which will be so cheap and such a clever imitation of nature, as to enable him to make money by his skill. 661. Sediment-Liquefier. —Find a chemical substan
1 minute read
Section 20. Money in Tools.
Section 20. Money in Tools.
668. The Instantaneous Wrench. —A monkey wrench, the jaws of which may be adjusted instantly, instead of by the screwing process now in vogue. 669. The Double Channeled Screw Head. —A screw in which the head has two channels instead of one, crossing each other at right angles. 670. The Double Power Screw Driver. —The last invention requires another, a screw driver, also double at the end, by means of which twice the power may be acquired in the insertion of screws. 671. The Multiple Blade Parer.
1 minute read
Section 21. Money in the Cars.
Section 21. Money in the Cars.
675. A Speed Indicator. —A contrivance for determining the speed of street railway cars. The speed is governed by law, but there is no practical means for determining how great it is. The laws of all our cities will insure the success of such an invention. 676. Automatic Car-Coupler. —A device is needed whereby the simple impact of one car upon another will cause a coupling-pin to be inserted in place. If you can contrive a system by which cars can be coupled by the same mechanism now employed f
1 minute read
Section 22. Money in Making People Honest.
Section 22. Money in Making People Honest.
681. The Housekeeper’s Safety Punch. —We want a device which will do away with the need of trusting to the honesty of the ice-man, grocer, baker, and others who supply our daily wants. 682. The Unalterable Check. —Invent a small, flat leather case with lock and key, into which the check or checks will securely fit. Only the signer of the check and the officer of the bank have the key. The latter, after paying the check, holds the case for the depositor. This would make it impossible for the chec
1 minute read
Section 23. Money in Traveler’s Articles.
Section 23. Money in Traveler’s Articles.
686. The Adjustable Trunk. —Some kinds of traveling bags can be adjusted to suit the degree of baggage a traveler needs. Some similar arrangement should be supplied for trunks. A half-filled trunk is more apt to be broken than a full one. 687. The Hollow Cane. —One which will contain many small articles for the use of travelers. 688. The Elastic Trunk Strap. —Avoid the hard work of strapping trunks as well as the unsightly straps by inventing an ornamental band which will do by elasticity what i
49 minute read
Section 24. Money in Toilet Articles.
Section 24. Money in Toilet Articles.
691. Curling Iron Attachment. —A wire frame attached to a lamp. The top part, which is fixed on the lamp chimney, should have a depression for holding a curling iron. May be sold to every lady for ten cents. 692. The Hinge Blacking Box. —Invent a blacking box with a hinge top, and thus avoid the difficulty of opening it in the old way, and also the nuisance of soiled hands. 693. The Mirror Hair Brush. —A combined toilet article for travelers, the handle of the brush being enlarged so as to hold
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Section 25. Money in Amusements.
Section 25. Money in Amusements.
695. The Ducking Stool. —A game for seaside resorts. Bathers would like a large pool or tank where, by a system of planks fastened to a central post, two bathers could go alternately up and down, one being in the water while the other was in the air, an arrangement like the see-saw which children are so fond of. It should have sufficient capacity to accommodate a number of bathers at once, and should be as near as possible to the sea, so as to be available by persons in bathing suits, who have a
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Section 26. Money in War.
Section 26. Money in War.
699. The Slow Explosive. —A shell that will penetrate the armor of a vessel before exploding and not, as now, at the instant of contact. A military officer in France says that a fortune awaits the man who shall invent such a shell. 700. The Transparent Cartridge. —A mica cartridge would have the advantage of being transparent, permitting the slightest chemical change to be detected, and the danger of premature explosion avoided. Mica has the peculiar property of withstanding intense heat. 701. S
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Section 27. Money in Minerals.
Section 27. Money in Minerals.
703. Galvanized Iron. —If you can discover a process for galvanizing iron which will save one-tenth of a cent in its present cost, you will, figuratively speaking, sink a shaft into an endless mine of gold, for the amount of galvanized iron now in use is enormous, and the range of its usefulness is constantly increasing. 704. Metal Extractor. —A solution which will precipitate gold or silver from the ore, and thus save immense sums now expended in the crushing of the ore. Such an invention would
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Section 28. Money in Great Inventions Unclassified.
Section 28. Money in Great Inventions Unclassified.
706. Storage of Power. —No man with brains need go to the Klondike. Diggings that pay infinitely better will be found in your own little workshop. Vast fortunes await those who can think out some means of utilizing the natural forces, such as tides, winds, wave power, and sunshine. These forces can be and soon will be stored compactly, so as to respond promptly to sudden drafts of power. The future of the entire world’s work lies along these lines, and there will be inventions and enterprises th
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CHAPTER XVI. MONEY IN THE SOIL.
CHAPTER XVI. MONEY IN THE SOIL.
Relation between Soils and Skulls—The Secrets of Successful Farming—Why go to Alaska when there are Gold Mines at the Home—Jute, a Keyword to Fortune—A Million Dollars in this Suggestion—What Ignorance Costs the American Farmer—A Rival of King Cotton—Doubling One’s Money in Fowls—How to get a Big Apple Crop every Year—$6,000 a Year to go to South America—Or, If you want to Go West, Uncle Sam will give you a Slice of Land—Onions the “Open Sesame” to Fortune—Breaking Records with Potatoes—Yankees
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CHAPTER XVII. MONEY IN LITERATURE.
CHAPTER XVII. MONEY IN LITERATURE.
Profits of the Pen—Ten Cents a Word—A Millionaire Novelist—$3,000 for a Short Story—How Hall Caine Won a Fortune—A Pilgrimage of Publishers—“One Thousand Times Across the Atlantic”—$5,000 for a Song—Suggestions to Writers—What It Pays to Write. Literature requires the least capital of any enterprise with the possibilities of rich reward and wide renown. A pen, a bottle of ink, a ream of paper, and— brains . These are all. There is no occupation so discouraging to the one who lacks the last-named
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Advertising Department.
Advertising Department.
809. Free Wants. —In establishing a paying paper you lose nothing by what you give away. You can well afford to give away space that costs you nothing. Before your circulation is large enough to attract advertisers, you must devise some other means of attracting them. Advertise that on a certain day you will insert everybody’s wants free. This will introduce your paper to a large number of persons, who will not only buy the copy in which their want appears, but will in many cases be ready to pay
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CHAPTER XIX. MONEY IN CLOTH.
CHAPTER XIX. MONEY IN CLOTH.
Capital in Cloth—How Uncle Sam Helps Linen-Makers—The Mistake of Stocking Manufacturers—5,000,000 Sales if the Maker will get the Right Thing—Better than Starch?—A Chance to Become a Millionaire—Another Eli Whitney Wanted—Go South and Get Rich—Secrets About Silk Manufacture—Startling Suggestions About a New Process of Making Wool. In the materials for making cloth and in the improvement of garments there is an unlimited field for development and fortune. Here are a few of the roads in which capi
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CHAPTER XX. MONEY IN FERTILIZERS.
CHAPTER XX. MONEY IN FERTILIZERS.
Wanted, a New Fertilizer—How “Golden” Forests Drop Gold—Why the Fields Near Berlin are so Productive—How We Lose $5,000,000 a Year—The Peat Treasures of New Jersey—Fortunes in Phosphates—Millions of Fish on Land as well as in the Sea—$1,000,000 for Him Who will Pick It Up. We are yet in the infancy of this important product. The desideratum is a fertilizer that will do the best work in the least bulk. The 4,565,000 farmers and vegetable growers of the United States will make independently rich t
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CHAPTER XXI. MONEY IN ADVERTISING.
CHAPTER XXI. MONEY IN ADVERTISING.
More Money in Ink—Millions Paid for it Every Day—New Devices to Catch the Eye—Exposure of Advertising Tricks—Cupid on the Counter—What “Bargain Day” and “Below Cost” Really Mean—How an Advertising Agent Made a Fortune in a Day—“Delivering” 5,000 Customers—A Line that Every body is Sure to Read—A Great Advertising Success—Playing With Mystery—A Sure Way to Draw a Crowd—Novel Ways of Advertising in Paris—Almost a Street Fight. Do you realize what an important part advertising plays in trade? The m
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CHAPTER XXII. MONEY IN THE POWERS OF NATURE.
CHAPTER XXII. MONEY IN THE POWERS OF NATURE.
Vast Forces yet Unknown—The Human Form a Key to unlock Nature’s Caskets of Gold—The Storage of Air—The Waste of Steam—The March of Electricity—How One Company saved $50 a Day—Sunbeams for Sale—Winds and Waves awaiting Man’s Sail and Wheel—How a Western Man Invented a Sand Mill—Enormous Power of Sea Waves—A New Use for the Artesian Well—Eureka! The Right Kind of a Storage Battery—Opportunities for Enterprise and Wealth. The finding and unlocking of the forces of nature have been sources of some o
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CHAPTER XXIII. MONEY IN BUILDING MATERIALS.
CHAPTER XXIII. MONEY IN BUILDING MATERIALS.
Boundless Wealth in Brick, Wood and Stone—Farmers Who have Untouched and Unknown Mines—A Man With 2,000,000 Acres—How a Farmer Astonished a Lawyer—A New Way to Measure Land—Men Who Don’t Know They are Rich—Are You One?—More Money in the Builder’s Stone than in the Philosopher’s Stone—Secrets of Brick Making—The Exploits of “Lucky” Baldwin—A Man Who Lives in a Glass House—The Floor of the Future—Time is Money, but the Shorter the Time the More the Money. It is certain that nearly all the structur
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CHAPTER XXIV. MONEY IN AMUSEMENTS.
CHAPTER XXIV. MONEY IN AMUSEMENTS.
Money in Fun—Salary of a “Star”—A Fortune in “A Parlor Match”—A Pianist Who Got $2,500 a Night—How to Get a Start on the Stage—A New Field for the Amusement Artist—Humor and Hard Cash in Shadowgraphs—What Max O’Rell Earned on the Lecture Platform—Money in the Traveling Show—The Greatest Money Burning in the United States—Fortunes in Fireworks. People who cater to public amusements are so many, their entertainments so diverse and their talents so unequal, that no general statement can be made abo
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CHAPTER XXV. MONEY IN ROD AND GUN.
CHAPTER XXV. MONEY IN ROD AND GUN.
How to Combine Profit and Pleasure—Some Truths About Trout—Stories of the Wild North—Fortunes in Furs—Nearly Five Million Skins a year—Cost of Birds for Ladies’ Hats—$25 a Day and Your Own Game Keeper—An Elephant Hunt in Africa. Happy is the man who can combine pleasure and profit. Most men use the rod and gun for sport, but there are a number of persons who follow the business “professionally.” Especially in the great forests of the north are found thousands of men to whom the skins of wild bea
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CHAPTER XXVI. MONEY IN THE FOREST.
CHAPTER XXVI. MONEY IN THE FOREST.
Unappreciated and Unappropriated Wealth in Trees—$5,000,000 Burned in Florida Forests—Reckless Waste of Timber—An Opportunity to Make a Fortune in Paper Cane—Chances in Cedar—Small Spools Help to Wind Great Fortunes—How Some People Throw Away $50,000 a Year. There is doubtless more money in the forests that clothe the mountains than in the metals that are buried beneath their granite and limestone backs. Much of this wealth has been squandered through lack of knowledge of its worth and because o
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CHAPTER XXVII. MONEY IN THE SEA.
CHAPTER XXVII. MONEY IN THE SEA.
The Magician who Makes Gold Swim—$30,000,000 in a Shoal of Cod—200 per cent. Profits in Salmon—How French Sardines are Made in Maine—Vast Money in Bivalves—John Bull, Brother Jonathan, and the Seal Fisheries—Chasing a Greenland Whale—Old Salts who Have Made their “Pile”—Why Salt Fish is Worth More than Fresh—The Greatest Reservoir of Wealth—A Leaf from a Business Ledger. Gold floats in the air, swims in the sea, springs up out of the earth, and lies deep hid in the mountain bed. How can gold swi
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CHAPTER XXVIII. MONEY IN WASTE MATERIAL.
CHAPTER XXVIII. MONEY IN WASTE MATERIAL.
The American People Waste More Fortunes than Other Nations Make—The Shoreditch Experiment in England—The Tonner System of Germany—Millions in Ashes—Coal Fortunes Waiting to be Picked Up—Astonishing Possibilities in Irrigation—Tons of Tin Thrown Away Every Day—$5,000,000 Lost in Sulphur Every Year—A Fortune Waiting a Stovepipe Inventor—Enormous Waste of Gold and Silver. The American nation is a wasteful one. Every year by neglect, poor economy and extravagance, material is lost which if saved wou
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CHAPTER XXIX. MISCELLANEOUS WAYS OF MAKING MONEY.
CHAPTER XXIX. MISCELLANEOUS WAYS OF MAKING MONEY.
Odd Ways of Making Money—Millions for Cents—How to Live Without Paying Rent—X-Rays and X-Bills—Fortunes in Old Iron—Newspapers, Like Wine, Increase in Price With Age—High Price for a Wig—900 per cent. Profit in Old Books—What the “Old Furniture Man” Makes—The Five-cent Millionaire—Profits of Peddlers—Why Pawnbrokers Get Rich. The ways of making money are as multifarious as the diversity of human industry. Some men earn a fortune, some discover it, some win it, and some marry it. Every year new s
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CHAPTER XXX. MONEY IN SPECULATION.
CHAPTER XXX. MONEY IN SPECULATION.
True Stories that are Stranger than Fiction—Fortune’s Great Army—The Rise of Jay Gould—The Meteoric Career of James Fisk—Ferdinand Ward, the Napoleon of Finance—How Vanderbilt Made a Million in a Day—A Man who was Devoured by both Bulls and Bears—Some Rules for Timid Investors—John C. Eno, the Free-Lance Operator—The Wonderful Success of James R. Keene—How Daniel Drew Spelled “Door”—The Great Leiter Wheat Deal. This is a dangerous sea, strewn with wrecks, but the fascination in the thought of ma
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CHAPTER XXXI. WHERE TO INVEST MONEY.
CHAPTER XXXI. WHERE TO INVEST MONEY.
What Shall I Do with My Money?—Enormous Profits in Trust Companies—The Most Costly Bell in the World—The Bell Telephone—Edward Bellamy’s Vision—The Best Paying Stocks—$11 per Day in a Lodging House—How a Young Man Made $10,000—How to Start with Nothing and Be Worth $100,000 when You are 40 Years Old. The first question is, How to get money? The second, How to invest it? The general distrust of money concerns is seen in the enormous deposits in the savings banks—a disposal of savings which yields
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CHAPTER XXXII. MONEY IN SPARE TIME.
CHAPTER XXXII. MONEY IN SPARE TIME.
Fortunes in Spare Moments—Millions Missed for Want of Economy of Time—Stories of Famous Men. Lost ! somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever. 962. Five Minutes a Day before a box of paints or a bunch of finely shaded ribbons will make you expert in colors, a position of great importance and large salary in many stores. 963. Ten Minutes a Day practicing stenography after you have learned the system
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CHAPTER XXXIII. MONEY IN ODDS AND ENDS.
CHAPTER XXXIII. MONEY IN ODDS AND ENDS.
How a Family Saved $100 on a Salary of $700. Economy is quite as large a factor as industry in the gaining of a fortune. With people living on small incomes, it is often the one element that determines whether they “make both ends meet,” or run in debt and ultimately fail. The following example shows how one family, whose income was only $700 a year, actually saved $100. Mr. ——, of ——, found himself getting behind in money matters, and determined to practice rigid economy. He found a great many
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CHAPTER XXXIV. STRANGE WAYS OF MAKING MONEY.
CHAPTER XXXIV. STRANGE WAYS OF MAKING MONEY.
A Thousand Ways to Make a Living—The Humbug of Great Names—The Mania for Old and Rare Things—The “Relic” Manufacture—The “Imitation Enterprise”—The “Box Office” Clique—The “Cure” Fad—The “Fake” News Agency—The Museum “Freak”—The “Treasure” Excitements—The “Literary” Bureau—The “Watered” Stock. There are ways of making money that lie so far out of the ordinary channels as to warrant this chapter. Some of them are only strange because they are new, as the telephone and the wood pulp were strange a
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CHAPTER XXXV. HIGHLY PAYING OCCUPATIONS.
CHAPTER XXXV. HIGHLY PAYING OCCUPATIONS.
Some Golden Plums—What Electrical Experts Get—The Confidential Man—Rapid Rise of an Advertising Agent—Editors in Clover—Railroad Presidents Come High—A $25,000 Engineer—The Paying Berths in Medicine—Some Astonishing Lawyers’ Fees—What Vanderbilt Paid a Steamboat Man. There are some positions in which enormous salaries are paid. They are, of course, places where great responsibilities are incurred. Strange as it may seem, however, occupations where thousands of human lives are imperiled are not c
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APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
We subjoin a table showing the average salary or wages in one hundred of the leading occupations. In most cases the figures have been compiled from government reports, but where no reports could be obtained an estimate has been made by taking the average receipts from certain districts. In the latter instances, of course, the table cannot be considered perfectly reliable; this is especially the case with the professions of the lawyer, the doctor, and the clergyman. Still, as the sections of the
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