The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-12-01
Made Money With Mittens.
(BOStOn JOurnal.)

/
the mitten capitalist of the United
States. Mrs. A. G. Condor is the
name OF this wealthy individual, and
she distributes every year from II, 0OO
to $1,000 dozen pairs of mittens.
She is a living illustration, SAYS the
Cleveland Lcmlcr, that it pays to knit
| mlttens, modern. up-to-date proof
Of the fact that our grand mothers
knew what they were doing
The story of woman's struggle to
make living in New England 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 a brave. plucky New England
woman can do when she sets her
mind to it. Mrs. Condor has written
this statement of her mitten indus
try from its beginning up to the
present time. She tells it simply.
and Ill its simplicity lies the lesson of
what perseverance, integrity and at
tention to business will accomplish
for woman as well as a man. This
Is what she says:
Il commenced business in 1864
with a capital of $40 in a little room
about 15N12 feet in size first made
over wornout felt hats thrown away
by men, cleaned. shaped and turned
them, and then made them over into
hats for women and girls. Then, as
l lived IN the country, where there
was no industry, but very many will
ing hands, | resolved to procure, if
possible, some work for those idle
hands to do.
Il went to Boston and saw some
yarn manufacturers, and from them
got 20 pounds of yarn on credit, this
yarn to be made into mittens. The
manufacturers furnished the yarn and
| put it out at the homes of the peo-
pie near where lived. | had diff
Guilty in starting the work. and was
obllged to return part of the yarn to
the manufacturers at the end of the
year. because | found it impossible
to have it all knit up into mittens.
This was not very encoura Gin" for
a 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 | once cot
well started could not supply the
demand for yarn. Tons of warm were
sent to me and my business grew
until l paid the steamboat company
the largest freight bills of anv one
who did business Oh the Boston and
Bangor route. From 10000 to Il. 900
dozen mittens were manufactured
yearly, and besides making mittens
we made ladies' and misses hoods
ana caps. todues, etc.
Il had fifteen hundred names on nv
books of people 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 household
were knitting. oftentimes as many as
there were members in the lamily.
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 1892 commenced
to buy machines and kept adding to
my stock. until now | have 50 ma
chimes. We make from u. 900 to Is
100 dozen in one year on the machines.
Dne OF my girls has made 1O4 pairs
IF mittens in one day. small single |
nittens. and 50 pairs of boys double |
med mittens. Nearly all of the !
machines are run at the homes of the
>nltterS, for in that way they make |
more money.
Girls on an average make about
our dozen of cheap mittenS or two
iozen OF lined mittenS in dav. We
make 4 great MANY fancy backed nit
ems of all sizes. and of these the girls
make from one to two dozen a day.
The price of knitting used TO be IS
'ents pair. Then it dropped to six.
md 1t Is about that now"