The St. Mary banner., 1907-10-26
Making inventories.
Ey EDWARD WILLISTOy Ft,ENTZ.

anu INC IldhlHS IuFtLlOtltS Ul iHS
contents of stores and private resi-
dences is one of those businesses
which goes on continually, but so
quickly that little is heard of it. The
growing tendency of wealthy persons
to carry an adequate insurance upon
their furniture, books. pictures. and
the other things in their homes has
given considerable impetus to this
industry, and has created a demand
for the most comprehensive and exact
knowledge an equipment which few
women possess, but which is bringing
very handsome returns to those who
do possess it.
The business of appraising, or
rather of making Inventories, en-
braces the whole range of human
knowledge. Indeed, its motto might
very we'll be the old Latin sentiment:
eign to me-" The object is to give
a man such a list of the things he
owns, and SO arranged, so as to
enable him, in case of fire or bur-
glary, 20 tell at once what his loss
has been; and in the one event to Sc
cure his insurance money, and in the
other to recover the goods. The ad-
vantage of such a list is so evident
to men of large possessions, to col
lectors of books or lovers of old lace
or china, or connOisseurs of paint
ings that the business is constantly
growing; but to be of even the slight
est value the list must be accurate
Here comes in the appraisers skill,
and here is the demand for specially
trained women.
No college will impart this train
Ing. 1t must be acquired by actual
practice and experience; but an edu-
cation, if it is good for anything,
should have trained the faculty of OBJ
5ervation and strengthened the men,
Dry, and both these things are useful
in this work.
A still more practical equipment is
the absolute mastery of some one de-
partment of knowledge. 1t may be
books or book-binds, or silks or lace
Or etchings or furniture; but it must
be thorough in its own field. The eX-
pert in book-bindings must be famil-
lar with all the famous binders both
of the past and of the present, so that
she can make no mistake in the kind
Of leather used, and can see at a
glance whether an ornament is hand
fooled or machine-struck. She will
look at the pores in the leather of
one binding, and because she finds
them in peculiar groups will pro-
nounce it sheep. Another she knows
is calf because the pores are evenly
distributed.
II her specially is furniture, she
will be able to tell you The character
lstics of Chippendale and Sheraton,
and the difference between birch and
maple, and how haywood is treated
mahogany.
Another girl picks up a piece of
velvet and says, This is Scutari 1t
is made only in one place, on the
Bosphorus. I know all about it,
Such knowledge as this is more
pursuit of fad than with the de-
liberate purpose of turning it to
financial account; but the possession
of such fad is good stepping
stone to the business of making in.
ventories. Even then the beginner
will usually receive not more than
six dollars week until she has dem
onstrated her ability. She will most
likely be set at work on some task
which includes her specially, but en-
braces something more, and her sue
cess will be measured both by the
extent of the knowledge which she
displays in her peculiar field and by
the intelligence which she manifests
in gathering information outside of
it. If she has an accurate and COM
prehensive knowledge of several
things she will be able to command
from three to ten dollars a day.
The business of making inventor
les is not yet, and indeed may never
be, one in which large number of
girls can find employment; but for
the exceptional girl it offers new
and attractive opening, in which there |
is not only a high standard of pay
ment for the work itself, but excel |
lent opportunity for collateral en-
ployment, such as the giving of ex-
pert opinion in special cases.-From
the Youths Companion.