Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-05-16
New York Letter.
New YORK, May -, 1877.
THE SEWING MACHINE DRoP-MACY-THE
DOG sHOW-FAsHIoNS.
TIE SEWING MACHINE DROP.

THE SEWING MACHINE DR0P--MACf-THl
DOG sHOW-FAsHIoNS.
THE SEWING MACHINE DROP.
The most interesting thing that has hap
pened for many years, is the drop in sew
ing machines. The business has beer
controlled for years by ring organized
by two or three of the largest companies
who in the early years Of the business
succeeded in getting control of the point
without which no machine can be made
These companies compelled all the Others
to pay royalties, and really kept a grea
many out of the field by refusing to license
them at all Last Tuesday all these pat
ents expired, and now the trade of sew
ing machines is free and unincumbered
That the burden imposed by this ring may
be understood, I may say that one compa
ny has paid in the last ten years nearly Z
million of dollars. But the great trouble
with the business has been the credit sys
tenn and the enormous expense of selling
The commissions paid to agents mount up
terribly, and then most of the machines
have been sold on two years credit, on
what are called leases, the company own
ing the machine till it is paid for. There
was the loss of interest on the vast capital
this system necessitated. and there was
the enormous expense of detectives, col
lectors and processes to recover, all oil
which made the business of selling ma
chine, the first cost of which was perhaps
500, for $40 not very profitable. All this
changes. The Weed Company reduced
the price of machines nearly half, the
day the patents expired, and all the other
companies who make machines competing
with it, were forced to follow suit. They
intend as far as practicable to bring the
business down to cash basis, and the
people who can pay will have the benefit
of the reduction; nasmuch rs under the
old system q woman who couldn't get
credit for loaf of bread could get credit
for a $40 sewing machine, this change OF
base will work to the disadvantage Of the
poor, but the really paying people will be
advantaged by it.
MACY.
One of the richest merchants in the city
was r. IL. Macy, who died II few weeks
ago. Mr.. Macy made will, and to the
asonishment of his friends. he left his on
ly son an income of only $1,000 n year,
and gave as II reason for il that the young
man was hopelessly depraved and totally
unfit to be trusted with property. AS it
happens to be entirely true, it is striking
commentary on the uselessness of human
calculations. Macy's ambition was to
have his son gentleman, and to have him
spend the vast estate he was gathering
like one. Accordingly, he was all his life
spend, and he went through the usual rou-
tine of II fast young New Workers. life.
He had high company, drank expensive
wines, drove fast horses, etc, all of which
pleased the old gentleman well enough till
he woke one day to the bitter knowledge
that his boy had contracted habits which
he could not throw off, and that made u
blackguard of him instead of II gentle
man. He made the old mans life unhap-
ply by his low associations; and he had the
bitterness of seeing the boy who had been
his pride, degenerate into a debauchee,
who could not hold the respect of anyone,
and who was the laughing stock of his
acqueintances. and the disgrace of his
family. Now for the moral. The immense
business Of the Macy establishment will
hereafter be controlled by Il man who en-
tered the store friendless boy, and who
worked his way up slowly but surely, and
who, ten years ago, would have been glad
to clean his employers sons boots. This
is only one case in thousands, though very
few make known the delinquencies of their
children as freely as did Macy. The av-
erage young man of rich parents in this
city is not II reliable being.