The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-10-12
MAKING A LIVING.
Queer Ways of Doing 1t in
Large City.

camera. the other carrying hlgh
stack of Photographic plates, bound
around by a shawl strap, halted in
front of a grocery in Blue Island
avenue.
'.You get them out in front and I'll
be ready for them" said the man with
the camera. as he spread his tripod in
the gutter and took aim at the front
door of the grocery.
The other member of the firm went
inside and said to the grocer: We're
going to take a picture of your store.
You'd better come out in front with
your family and the clerk OF course
you'll want to be in it
why are You going to take pic
ture? didn't order one"
That's all right You don't have to
pay anything unless you want to. Get
every oody out in front"
The grocer yelled upstairs to his
wife, who came down with the two lit
tie girls close behind her. When she
heard what was to he done she insisted
on going back to ''primp," but the man
at the camera objected.
Hurry up; get in position" he
shouted.
His mariner grouped the family in
the front door and said: Every one
stand still
There was a click. The man at the
camera sand ''All right" and slid in
panel. Then he and his partner gath
cred up their outfit and moved on.
Four days later the partner of the
man who had worked the camera came
into the grocery and displayed a dozen
handsome photographs.
We got good picture" said he to
O.
ture of YOU"
1T is purity good picture" b" said the
grocer, closing one eye and surveying
the photograph with admiration.
Those will be nice souvenirs to send
to your friends and relatives"
Il didn't order any pictures"
Certainly not, and you don't have
to take them unless you want to, but l
should think you could find use for a
dozen of them"
What are they worth?"
'Ill let you have them for two dol
lars and a half"
Il didn't order 'em and / don't care
much for 'em, but I'll give you two
dollars"
That's pretty cheap, but I'll take
it"
1t is thus that some street photo
graphcrs make their money. They
know that every business man Is fiat
tered when he sees himself in photo
graph standing in proprietary atti-
tude in front of his establishment.
This is but one of the many unusual
ways of making money in a large city.
There are small and trivial demands
which are multiplied 10y large popu-
ti"n. SO that it often becomes profit
L. &
sional cocllroach exterminatOr would
not seem TO be u public necessity, yet
the cocliroach man in Chicago makes
good living There are hotels, restau-
rants and apartment buildings always
ready to pay him good price to come
with his insect powder and patert
blower and fill all the cracks and cor
ncrs of the building with a poison
which will kill the pestiferOus little
animals. In some instances he makes
yearly contract and agrees to keep the
premises clear
The professional ratter agrees for
certain sum to turn loose his ferrets
and kill all the rats in a building.
There are several ''ratters" who are
employed by the janitors of the big
downtown buildings. In wholesale
dry-goods and grocery houses the
'.ratter'' is an important man He
and his ferrets clean the premises of
rats and mice and save much property
from destruction
The soap artist makes a good living.
He works principally in saloons and
blrber-shops. making ornate designs
on the mirrors with piece of white
soap lie is a rapid workman and is
good on fancy letters For quarter
Of a dollar he will convert large
mirror into a gigantic picture with
pale effects. and usually he Will spend
the money with the house. OF late
these iourneymen artists have begun
to use water colors for their mirror
decorations. The bright colors give a
more startling effect and can be
easily washed off at any time. At
least two theat"rs employ men to
decorate saloon mirrors with gay ad-
vertisements.
There are three men in Chicago who
make a fairly good living by market
in- ideas. That Is their business.
Suppose a man opens a new rcstau-
rant. The idea man go into the
place and says: why not put out sign
that You'll give a dish of ice cream free
to every rcd-headed man. 1t would
cause talk.
If the restaurant man adopts the
suggestion the idea man will expect
to bc paid for It.
He writes poetry for soaps and pat
cnt medicines and submits it to the
proprietors. If they like it he names
his price. At the big retail stores he
drops IN and confides new and start
ling schemes for advertising. He
goes To the theatrical manager, and
SAYS: Here, wouldn't this be good
catch line?''
Day by day he pokes into other
peoples business, and is well paid for
it. because, after all, there is nothing
more valuable than ideas of the right
kind.
The professional entertainer who
goes to evening parties and cheers up
the guests has never made a decided
success in Chicago. There are a few
of these entertainers who find some
employment, but the only attempt to
establish a bureau where they might
be employed at any time was failure.
In 1898 Burr Mcintosh, the actor, es-
tablished such a bureau and engaged
a large number of competent musi-
clans, singers and readers, who were
To be let out to parties and receptions
at so much a night. Mr.. Mcintosh had
| made Il success as a parlor entertainer
| in London and was anxious to intro
duce the British custom in Chicago.
| lie was well patronized by few ultra
society people, but the others neg
| lected his bureau and entertained
themselves in some manner.