802
THE CONGRESS OF WOMEN.
And now the people were as distressed and depressed as they had been buoyant and hopeful a few hours before. Hundreds were rendered homeless, no provisions were at hand. But you know the distress following a fire. Hundreds of people left the city as rapidly as the trains could take them away, going back to their old friends and homes. Tents were provided by the government for those who remained.
What must I do? The question came to me again. I shared with others the depression. To go back to my friends in Central Kentucky, with failure written on my face, I would not. I could not lend money for my building and loan, because all this property had be^n bought on payments of one, two and three years, and could not give first mortgage, and no one had money to take stock in building and loan as an investment.
In a few days they began talking of rebuilding the city. The city council met and passed an ordinance that no frame houses should be built within a square and a half of the principal street, Cumberland Avenue. I reviewed the situation and knew if they did build, it would create a demand for building material of all kinds. It was then I conceived the idea of going into the building material business on commission, as ignorant of the business as it was possible for a woman to be. But by the time they had cleared away the rubbish I had corresponded with various firms, and made satisfactory arrangements to furnish my customers to be with brick, lime, sand, doors, sash, blinds, lumber, mantels, grates and iron fronts. I had also taken the agency for Hall’s Safe and Lock Co., and sold a number of safes.
One thing I always kept before me, and that was to represent none but the best of whatever I handled. I didn’t want my customers to be saying somebody else’s material was better than mine. I studied and worked hard. I found the lumber business the most difficult to learn and manage, on account of the great variety of woods and measurements, and so pushed that branch of my business less than any, and generally when I had a customer sent for a lumberman to come and take the order, and I would not advise a lady to take up this business. But I did splendidly in all the other branches, selling thousands of brick, a large number of mantels and grates, many car loads of sand, and a number of iron fronts, now to be seen in Middlesborough. I compelled my mind to remember the different grades of brick, and the prices of each, their weight, how many a car would hold, how much the freight would be, the rebate allowed on an extra quantity, etc.
I ordered my common brick from Knoxville; they were not smooth, but very hard and a little over size, which made them popular with the brickmasons. Some of my pressed brick came from there, too, and some from Findlay, Ohio. I handled the white marble lime from Knoxville; it was a few cents higher than the limestone lime, but was much purer—being ninety-eight per cent pure carbonate of lime—was whiter and worked more smoothly, and when they once use it they would use no other; and so I soon established a good trade in lime. I supplied them with better sand than they had been getting. They had been using sand that had earth in it, so that several houses had to betaken down to the foundation on account of it. Mantels, grates and iron fronts came principally from Chattanooga and Louisville. They have a furniture factory there now, and foundries making all these. I made friends with the contractors and the workingmen, they ofttimes giving me their orders in preference to a man. Of course this business brought me daily in contact with some of the roughest workingmen, but in all my business relations I have never been treated with the slightest discourtesy or rudeness. I never forgot I was a lady bred and born, and others always remembered it.
My attire was thoroughly feminine. I do not believe in, nor do I think it necessary, for women to adopt masculine attire for business. When her business is such as to demand masculine dress, then she should take up some other business. I believe woman should be thoroughly womanly and men should be men. It isn’t necessary for a woman to adopt a stiff shirt-front, a vest and a mannish hat to succeed, and men are not better friends for this poaching on their preserves.