If some outside people were asked to name in three lines the three chief
trades of Birmingham they would probably answer by saying "Guns,"
"Hardware," and then, perhaps rather puzzled, might add "more guns."
This, however, would be a very bald and incomplete reply, and would
denote a somewhat benighted idea of the productive resources of
Birmingham. Gun and pistol making form a very important industry in the
city, and one ward--St. Mary's--is the happy hunting ground of small
firearm makers. All the same, gunmaking is not the be-all and end-all
of our manufacturing activity, and is, indeed, only one of the many and
increasing trades that thrive and progress in the midland hardware
capital.

It is, indeed, a distinct advantage for Birmingham that it has many
different trades, and if some are depressed and slack others may be
active and prosperous. Hence, there is generally business doing
somewhere. It is the misfortune of some towns and districts to be
devoted entirely to one or two industries. For instance, take
Manchester. If the cotton trade becomes depressed or paralysed
Cottonopolis soon becomes a starved-out city. Then there are textile
towns, boot and shoe boroughs, pottery districts, &c., &c. Birmingham,
however, is pretty smart at taking up new ideas, and does not let new
manufacturing industries go begging for a home. A certain number of
trades languish and die out owing to change of fashion and to certain
articles becoming obsolete. Snuffers and powder flasks, for instance,
are not in large demand in the present day. A limited number are still
made for travellers and for remote countries that have not cartridges,
the electric light, or even incandescent gas, within their reach.

Brass and pearl button making used to be important industries, and tons