The times., 1898-11-13

that 1t pays to knit mittens. modern.
up-to-date proof of the fact that our
grandmothers knew what they were
doing.
The story of woman's struggle to
make living in New England in the
days when work was scarce and money
so rare as to be almost a curiosity is
always interesting. Mrs. Condon's story
is particularly worthy because it shows
what brave, plucky New England wom-
an can do when she sets her mind to it.
Mrs. Condor has written this statement
of her mitten industry from its beginning
up to the present time. She tells it SIM
ply, and in its simplicity lies the lesson
of what perseverance, integrity and at
tention to business will accomplish for
a woman as well as man. This is what
she says:
Il commenced business in 1864 with
capital of $40 in n little room about l5xl2
feet in size. / first made over worn-out
felt hats. thrown away by the men,
cleaned shaped and turned them, and
then made them over into hats for wom-
en- and girls. Then, as l lived in the coun-
try. where there was no industry, but
very many willing hands, I resolved to
procure, If possible. some work for those
idle hands to do.
"1 went to Boston and saw some yarn
manufacturers. and from them got %
pounds of yarn on credit, this yarn to be
made into mittens. The manufacturers
furnished the yarn, and l put it out at
the homes OF the people near where
lived. / had difficulty in starting the
work. and was obliged to return part of
the yarn to the manufacturers at the
end of the year, because / found it i'm
possible to have 1t all knit up into nit
tens.
This was not very encouraging for
years work, but persevered, and at the
beginning of the second year one family
insisted on having some yarn TO knit into
mittens. So / tried 1t over again. and
after ii once got well started | could not
supply the demand for yarn. Tons of
yarn were sent to me and my business
grew until ! paid the steamboat compa-
ny the largest freight bills of any one
who did business on the Boston and Ban
gor route. From 10000 to 1000 dozen nit
tens were manufactured yearly, and be-
sides making mittens we made ladies'
and misses hoods and caps, toques, etc.
'I had 1,509 names on my books of peo-
pie who were at work for me, and many
more than that were really working, as
on my books there would be only one
name from each house, although perhaps
two. three or four members of the house
HOIu were many
as there were members in the family. In
the long winter evenings men and boys
wound the yarn, and in some cases even
the men knit.
After 1873 the knitting of mittens by
hand. gradually decreased, and machines
came in to take the place of the knitters.
In 1882 commenced to buy machines and
kept adding to my stock, until now
have eiGhty-two machines. We make
from 70 900 to 15, 900 dozens in one year on
the machines. One of my girls has made
l0i pairs OF mittens in one day, small sin
gle mittens, and eighty-five pairs of boys
double-Iined mittens Nearly all the ma
chimes are run at the homes of the knit
tiers, for in that way they make more
money.
Girls on an average make about four
dozen of cheap mittens or two dozen of
lined mittens in day. We make great
many fine fancy backed mittens Of all
sizes, and of these the girls make from
one TO two dozen a day. The price of
knitting used TO be . cents a pair. Then
1t dropped to 6, and 1t is about that now"