CAREERS YOU’LL BE GLAD ARE EXTINCT Unmasking Some of History’s Worst Jobs
Childbed Linen Warehouse Keepers For much of history, women gave birth at home, not in a hospital. So, it’s not surprising that an industry arose during the 19th century to cater to this. According to an 1842 book of trades, there was a job for supplying, collecting, and cleaning bed linens specifically for birth. Honey Dippers, Toshers, and Purefinders In 19th century England, the country had recently seen an enormous boom in the population, and most of the available housing lacked flush toilets or sinks with running water. This meant more sewage found its way into the city streets — giving rise to three jobs we no longer see today. Honey dippers collected waste from homes, toshers scavenged sewers for valuable items to sell, and purefinders collected dog poop (to be used in the process of tanning leathers). The next time you get a case of “the Mondays” and question whether or not you like your job, consider this: Would you rather be crushing and boiling snails for 10 days instead? Probably not! Still, which jobs of our era will be considered weird history in the future?
Occupations reflect the times: Jobs we have today didn’t exist years ago, and vice versa. Many past careers weren’t glamorous, and some are the worst professions in history. Let’s look at four foul jobs that no longer exist (and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it). Purple Dye Makers Dyeing clothes is so ordinary today that it’s hard to imagine a world where certain pigments are rare, but this was especially true for purple in generations past. Back in ancient times (first century CE), the hue of the royals was made by crushing thousands of snails, extracting their glands, and then heating the material in a pot full of brine for 10 days in an incredibly odorous process! Dripping Men Do you use the fat drippings from your roasts to make gravies or fry other foods? Since this liquid gold can add flavor to any dish, there was once an entire profession built around it. A dripping man back in Victorian England would go to homes and businesses to collect their fat to sell to the public.
CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF GIVING Even Small Contributions Can Make a Big Difference
Every one of us is in a unique position to help others through charitable acts. There are charities in our community dedicated to helping the homeless, animals, and others in need of assistance. At Emery Law Office, we firmly believe in donating time, money, and resources to various charities. Since the International Day of Charity takes place in early September, there’s no better time to explore a charity that aligns with your beliefs and donate whatever you can. In previous newsletters, we’ve discussed Melissa’s contributions to Compassion International over the past 18 years, but that’s not the only organization Melissa believes in. Over the past couple of years, Melissa has participated in 100 Women Who Care in Shelbyville. Every woman who joins this group commits $100, as an individual or small group, that they’re willing to donate to a local charity. Various organizations come to the meeting, and three will be chosen at random to give speeches explaining what their charity is, what they would use the funds for, and answer any questions. The group votes on which charity deserves the funds, and the winner receives every member’s donation for the quarter.
The group in Shelbyville has helped children, animals, the elderly, addicts, veterans, and many more. A single $100 donation isn’t enough for these charities to do something meaningful, but when the entire group bands together to give, it becomes a lot of money.
Another charitable act we try to do yearly is adopting a local family for Christmas. We’ll contact a local elementary school and have their resource officer provide us with the ages and wants of a family in need. We then get appropriate gifts and send them to the resource officer to give to the family. It’s a great way to support a family in our community!
There’s no better feeling than giving to those in need. It helps strengthen the community and makes us feel good about our actions!
This is a wonderful program because it spreads the wealth amongst the charities within your community. There are chapters across the country.
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