Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-05-25
ORR NEW YORK LETTER.
The Sewing Machine DrOP-Maey-
The Dog ShOvg-F Fashions.
4HE SEWING MACHINE DROP.


The most interesting thing that has hap
pened for many years. IS the drop in sew
ing machines. The business has been con-
trolled 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 points without
which no machine can be made. These
companies compelled all the others to pay
royalties, and really kept great many out
of the field by refusing to license them at
all. Last Tuesday all these patents ex-
pired, and now the trade in sewing ma
chimes is free and unincumbered. That
the burden imposed by this ring may be
understood, may say that one company
has paid in the last ten years nearly mil
lion of dollars; but the great trouble with
the business has been the credit system
and the enormous expense of selling. The
commissions paid to agents mount up ter
ribly, and then most of the machines have
been sold on two years credit, on what are
called leases, the company owning the ma
chine 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, collectors and pro-
eesses to recover, all of which made the
business of selling machines, the first cost
of which was perhaps, $50, for $40, not
very profitable The Weed company re-
dueed the price of machines nearly a half
the day the patents expired, and all the
other companies who make machines COM
peting with it, were forced to follow suit.
They intend, as far as practicable, to bring
the business down to cash basis.
MACY.
One of the richest merchants in the city
was R. II. Macy, who died few weeks
ago. Mr.. Macy made will, and to the
sstonishment Of his friends, he left his on
ly son an income Of only $1,000 a year,
and gave as reason for if that the young
man was hopelessly depraved and totally
unfit to be trusted with property. As it
happens to be entirely true, it is a striking
commentary on the uselessness of human
calculations. Macy's ambition was to have
his son a gentleman, and to have him
spend the vast estate he was gathering, like
one. Accordingly, he was all his life fur
nished with all the money he could spend,
and he went through the usual routine of
fast young New Yorker's life. He had
high company, drank expensive wines,
drove fast horses, ETC., all of which pleased
the old gentleman well enough till be woke
one day to the bitter knowledge that his
boy had contracted habits which he could
not throw off, and that made blackgusrd
Of him instead of gentleman. He made
the old mans life unhappy by his low as
sociations; and he had the bitterness of
seeing the boy who had been his pride, de-
generate into debauehee, who could not
hold the respect Of any one, and who was
the laughing-stock Of his acquaintance,
and the disgrace of his family. Now, for
the moral. The immense business of the
Macy establishment, will hereafter be con-
trolled by man who entered the store a
friendless boy, and who worked his way up
slowly but surely, and who, ten years ago,
would have been glad to cleah his employ
er's sons boots. This is only one. case in
thousands, though very few make known
the delinquencies of their children as did
Macy. The average young man of rich
parents in this city is not reliable being.