The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-19
have ODD CALLINGS
MANY PECULIAR WAYS of MAKING
A LIVING HAVE BEEN
ADOPTED
NOT ALL ARE LUCRATIVE

The Making of Chimneys Still Con-
stdered an Art-How Food and
Fuel for the Family Are Gathered
Gratis in Streets and AHeys-An
Old Lady With am Eye for Spec
uIation.
In the same sense that 1t is true all
Kinds of people. are required to make
up world, so is 1T true that men, won.
en- and children make living in all
Kinds of ways in large cities Odd or
peculiar professions or occupations are
not considered remunerative as a rule bv
social economists, but are viewed as be-
Ing the product of stringent necessity.
There are many people engaged in Pc
culiar professions IN St Paul and some
OF them are much more ,remunerative
than those callings in which there is
ferce competition. Others have been
ADOPTED merely as method of obtains
ing the most meager subsistence and,
taken together, ssome Interesting side
lights are thrown upon the vagaries Of
tate and fortune in a large community.
fflOf ESS1ONAL AUDITORS
Among those professions or occupa-
tons with which the general public does
not not come into contact frequently is
that of-the actuary. Actuaries may be
men or women, but as a rule they
| are men, and they are nothing more or
less than skilled bookkeepers or ac-
countants. Thus, If a business man
wants his books gone over thoroughly
and the exact condition of his business
summarized, he frequently calls upon The
actuary who, for sum equal to the
pay of the average bookkeeper, goes
over all of the book accounts and pre-
pares detailed report of the condition
OF the firms affairs. Such action on
| the part Of merchant Is not viewed In
the light of a reflection upon the IN
tegrity or capacity of the regular book
keeper, but Is looked upon as a precau-
| t1onary measure. AS a rule the actuary
gets the greater part Of his work from
business men who look after their own
accounts, not employing regular book.
keeper. Business men so situated em>
ploy an actuary frequently In order to
avoid possibility of errors of their own
IN keeping the accounts Of the firm
There are several aetuaries in ST.
Paul who have offices In the big down
town office buildings. The actuary has
no other incentive in his occupation than
cision, such qualifications being their
chief claim for preference in their chosen
field of competition. The most skilled
actuary is able to take a set of books
that have been kept under mixed sys-
tenn of single or double entry, or, in fact,
almost any kind of records of purchase
and sale, and bring them UP to date
In one clearly defined method of book
keeping, rendering the keeping Of future
accounts much easier to one who may
be inexperienced. The most skilled ac-
tuaries of Chicago, Boston and New
York are able to command payment for
their work at a rate not at all unfavor-
able when compared to that of a bank
president or large corporation mana
gers.
EYE FOR SPECULATION.
In large centers of population necessity
compels the adoption and pursuit of num-
ing. The other day the wife OF a resi-
dent of Summit avenue received call
from comfortably attired and clearly
elderly woman who explained that she
owned her own small home which was
clear of incumbrance, but that she was
entirely alone and dependent upon her
own efforts for the money necessary for
her living expenses. The old lady asked
for any cast-off clothing that could be
spared and was given several serviceable
garments In return for this kindness
she told her benefactress she would on
the following day give here half dozen
line fresh eggs, as she had few hens
and was Always supplied with fine fresh
ones. She kept her word, and the Sum
nit avenue woman rewarded her further
by giving her another garment A few
days later she related her experience with
the old lacy to a couple Of women friends
who We're paying a call and was sur
prfsed to learn that one of them had a
similar experience with the same old
woman. A little investigation revealed
the fact that the old, lady was making
very comfortable living by purchasing
eggs at 10 cents a dozen down town.
bleaching them until they had the ap-
pearance of fresh ones, and giving them
out In half-doZen lots to charitably dis
posed women who were thus persuaded
to give more literally of their supply Of
worn garments. These garments the old
lady repaired and sold to second hand
dealers, or by private sale to customers
living in remote districts of the CITY,
making a snug sum each week by her
conniving manipulations.
Without careful inquiry 1t would not
be supposed that there was much money
in the business of selling lunch and sand
wiches from the little cars that are seen
at various busy locations in the down
town district. The lunch car business is
peculiarly night occupation. There are
half dozen of them in ST. Paul, and all
Of them make money. The investment
for start is a small one. and the returns
are quick, and calculated on a basis of a
profit of 300 per cent. Thus, If a car takes
in S. per night the profit Is in excess Of
the pay of the average skilled laborer
One man in st. Paul is said to have ac-
cumulated a comfortable bank account
and some valuable real estate in the
lunch car business. He owns several
cars, and makes profit of from 81 to SO
per day.
SECRETS OF THE FUTURE.
AZ in most large cities not a few per-
sons in ST. Paul make comfortable liv-
Ing by card reading or fortune telling
In the great majority of instances the
card readers are women and go per cent
of their patrons are women who are not
g. IL I,,<7 1,J-~ r.