Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-09-20
TIE STORY OF A MILLIONAIRE.

eight years OF age, began his business lie
by vending cakes in the streets OF kidder-
minister On Thursday, June l6, 1881,
that whilom cake merchant died at Erding-
ton, near Birmingham, full of years and
honors, millionaire in fortune, but leav-
ing behind him what is more priceless than
untold gold, the reputation Of a blameless
life, and vast educational establishments
built under his own personal inspection
and endowed at his sole cost.
Born ON the 23d OF February, 1875, IN
Mill street, Kidderminster, JOSIAH Mason
was the second son OF poor carpet weaver,
so poor thai he could only afford to send his
child for few months to dame-school in
the cottage next his own ; and, as we have
said, at years old the boy was compelled
to face the world on his own account, sell
ing cakes from door to door. After time
he ventured on higher flight, and having
procured donkey, with paniers, he pur
sued the calling OF dealer in fruits and
vegetables, till he had reached his 10Th
year. Tired of street life, and largely in
huenced by desire TO tarry at home With
a sick brother, Josiah taught himself
shoemaking /; but, as he often said in after
life, although he used the best leather and
put into it his best work, he could not
make it pay, and so gave it up. Mean
while he had been trying hard at self
improvement, being helped to knowledge
of the art of writing by attendance at
various Sunday. schools.
From 10 to 90 he tried his hand sue
cessfully at various occupations, includ-
ing shop excepting. baking, carpentering,
blacksmith's work, house-painting, and
finally his fathers old trade of carpet
weaving. Resolved to try wider field for
enterprise, he removed to Birmingham,
where he fell in love with and married his
cousin, Anne Griffith, union prolonged
in mutual confidence and happiness fifty
three years. Some one who knew his
character and circumstances took him to
Mr.. Harrison, split-ring manufacturer, of
Lancaster street, Birmingham, saying,
@This is the very man you want. MIR. |
Harrison, disappointed probably by many
previous applicants, rather coldly remarked,
d | have had good many young men come
here, but they we're afraid of dirtying their
fingers" Young Mason, who had been
standing quietly in the background, raised
his hands, and, looking at his extended
fingers, said, with a quaint humor that
characterized him throughout life, Are
you ashamed of dirtying yourselves to get
your own living?" This unstudied touch |
of nature so impressed Mr.. Harrison that
he at once closed with his visitor, to whom
he sold his business twelve months later
for f500, Mr.. Mason being able to pay for
it out Oh his first years profits.
The story of Josiah Mason's business life |
thenceforward reads like chapter from a
fairy tale Inventing a machine for bevel-
ing hoop rings, he SO reduced the cost and |
increased the speed of manufacturing them
that clear gain of FL 900 resulted from
its first years use. The first machine SO
constructed was made in 1925, and was
until very recently still in use in the large |
works at Lancaster street. To the split |
ring trade Mr.. Mason quickly added that
of making steel pens. James Perry, OF
Manchester and London, had been the
first maker of these, preceding by a |
short time the earliest Birmingham max
ers. The two latter had begun to make
the slit in their pens by machinery, while in
Mr.. Perry's the slit was made by means of
a hammer. At that time nine pens were
sold upon card for three and sixpence
and one of these falling into Josiah Mason's
hands, he set about devising improvements
and the same evening made three pens,
which he sent in letter-for which he had
to pay ninepence postage-to Mr.. Perry.
That gentleman at once saw the value of
the Improvement, FASTENED to Birmingham,
and had an interview with Mr.. Mason, who
from that time onward became the sole
maker of the pens sold under Perry's
name. The trade at first was of very
modest proportions, the old account-books
showing that in 1929 and 1880 orders
were executed by twenty or thirty gross
at a time, from which the concern grew
until Mr.. Mason became the largest PEN
maker in the world In 1880 twelve work
people were employed in Lancaster street,
and IL pounds of steel were thought a
large quantity to roll for weeks con-
sumption. In 1874, toward the close of
Mr.. Mason's connection with the works,
nearly thousand persons were employed,
the quantity OF steel rolled every week for
pen-making exceeded three tons, and about
sixty tons of pens were constantly in move
ment throughout the building, in one or
other of the many stages of manufacture.
The significance of these figures will be
better understood when we add that there
are probably million and a half of pens
to ton.-[Cassell's Magazine.