SOME PECULIAR PROFESSIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue IV, 27 July 1895, Page 95

SOME PECULIAR PROFESSIONS.

In a large Yorkshire town an ingenious individual gets his living by an extensive trade in rotten eggs. He has a regular round among the better class of provision dealers, and buys up all their bad and doubtful eggs, which he obtains fcr next to nothing. With a good cartful of these he then proceeds to the poorest quarters, and among the small and less reputable section of shopkeepers he generally finds customers, selling the rotten eggs to mix with good ones. He does a big trade, and as large quantities of eggs pass through his hands, he is reported to have made a nice little fortune. In a certain part of London is an old shop with a notice in the window intimating that ' best prices are paid for old legal documents, parchments, etc. The proprietor has thus become possessed of a huge quantity of legal documents. These he carefully peruses and makes a list

of, then, by watching the newspapers for claims to property, and seeing a name that corresponds with one in his list, he informs the party interested that he can, perhaps, supply them with valuable information. In this way, for the document for which he gave only a few half-pence, he in some cases obtains his own price, which sometimes runs into many pounds. In most of our large cities, and particularly in London, there are a number of men who make a business of becoming bail or security that anyone in the neighbourhood in ‘ durance vile ’ for assault or drunkenness will appear before the magistrate when required. A sum varying from 2s 6d to 7s 6d is paid for this service, and it is stated that persons so liberated invariably attend, and very rarely give their ‘ professional friend ’ cause to regret having undertaken to produce them. A number of women, generally widows, make money in a very strange way. Their business is to go round the

district where they reside and call upon a certain class, generally wives of respectable artisans or other workmen, and collect bundles of clothing or linen. These they convey to the pawnbrokers and receive the usual amount allowed in pledge. This they pay over to their employers, deducting ten per cent, commission. As a rule they are very busily employed during the first three or four days of the week trudging to uncles in all weathers, but on Saturday they are extremely busy, the whole of the clothing having to be redeemed before closing time, being required for wear on Sunday. The same commission is charged for redeeming the goods. One old lady was known to have some seventy or eighty customers on whom she attended weekly, and as the commission averaged a shilling a head, she must have realised a very respectable sum in this strange way.

Upwards of 2,000 men in London call themselves ‘translators,’ though quite innocent of any tongue save pure Cockney. They earn about 18s a week. Their profession is a curious one. They collect large quantities of old and apparently worthless boots and shoes, and by certain ingenious processes, best known to themselves, convert them into ‘ new ’ ones. A sum varying from is to 8s per dozen pairs is paid for the mutilated stock,first hand, and when they have undergone a marvellous transformation at the hands of the skilful translator, they usually fetch the modest but profitable sum of from 2s 6d to 4s 6d per pair. The struggling poor in London are good customers to the translators. Translated boots look fairly presentable when first finished, but it is considered prudent to reserve them for fine dry weather only.

Mr Charles Richon, of Paris, has adopted quite a novel method of earning a living. His cards are worded : — ‘ Charles Richon, Imitator of Nightingales for Gardens and Restaurants.’ The professional appears to be fully occupied during the summer season. Every time a wealthy bouryeous, owning a plot of land twelve metres in extent, invites his friend to a garden party. Charles Richon conceals himself behind the flower pots and slender tubs, and charms the company by imitating the glorious trills of the most melodious of the feathered songsters.

It may sound astonishing, but it is a fact, that in America a number of young fellows get a living, and are paid well, simply for booming wine. We have heard of a youth who used to get as much as £1 a week for going to parties, and simply talking about a particular brand of champagne, which the manufacturers wanted introduced into the country. The fellows went to various entertainments in the rdle of a guest, and whenever he could, he dilated on the merits of the particular wine and on its great qualities.

Perhaps the most curious occupation conceived by a woman is that of dinner taster. She is a product of Parisian refinement as yet unknown to this country. She spends a part of each day in visiting houses and tasting the dishes intended for dinner. She suggests improvementss, and shows the cook new ways of preparing dishes. She has a large number of patrons and rides in her own carriage. Herrman Zeitung, who makes his living by travelling in trunks and then exhibiting himself in variety shows on the Continent, made his last trip from Antwerp to Christiana in a wooden box, which stood on the ship’s deck four days and four nights without anybody knowing it contained a man. The voyage was stormy, but Zeitung kept his nose to a crack in the boards, ate his sandwiches, and kept well.