Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-05-19
DIR NEW YORK LETTER.
The Sewing Machine Dr0p-Macy-The
Dog show-Fashtons.

Ouk NEW SOWk LEIIEhs
The sewing Mschins Drop-Maey-Ths
Dog show-Fsshio"s.
TnE SEWING MACHINE DROP
The most interesting thing that
has happened for many years, Ia the
drop IN Sewing machines. The bus
mess has been controlled for years
by q Ring organized by two or three
of the largest companies, who In
the early years OF the business sue
ceeded IN getting control of the
points without which no machine
can be made. These companies com
PEELED all the others to pay royal
ties, and really kept u great many
out of the field by refusing to H.
cense them at all. Last Tuesday
all these patents expired, and now
the trade in sewing machines is free
and unincumbered. That the bur
den imposed by this Ring may be
understood, l may say that one COM
pnny has paid in the last ten years
nearly u million 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 terribly, and then most OF the
machines have been sold on two
years. credit ION what are called leas'
es, the company owning 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,
collectors and processes to recover,
all of which made the business OF
selling machine, the first cost of
which was perhaps $50, for $40, not
very profitable. All this changes.
The Weed company reduced the
price of machines nearly u halt, the
day the patent expired, and all the
other companies who make ma
chimes competing with it, were fore
ed to follow suit. They intend as
far as practicable to bring the bust
ness down to u cash basis, and the
people who can pay will have the
benefit of the reduction inasmuch
as Under the old system q woman
who couldn't get credit for loaf OF
bread could get possession of 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.
One of the richest merchants in
the city was r. Il. Macy, who died
few weeks ago. Mr.. Macy made
y will, and to the astOnishment of
his friends, he left his only son an
income of only sl0OOa year, and
gave as a reason for it that the young
man was hopelessly depraved and
totally unfit to be trusted with prop.
erty. AS it happens to be entirely
true, it is a striking commentary on
the uselessness of human calcula-
tons. 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 furnished with all
the money he could spend, and he
went through the usual rotine of
fast young New Workers. life. He
had high company, drank expensive
wines, drove fast horses, etc, all of
which pleased the old gentleman
we'll 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
a blackguard of him instead OF IA
gentleman. He made the old mans
lite unhappy by his low associations;
and he had the bitterness of seeing
the boy who had been his pride, de-
generate into a debauchee, who
could not hold the respect of any
one, and who was the laughing stock
of his acquaintances, and the dis
grace of his family. Now for the
moral. The immense business Of
the Macy establishment will here
after be controlled by a 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 clean his
employers sons boots. This is on
y one case in thousands, though
very few make known the Delinquent
cies of their children as freely us
did Macy. The average young man
of rich parents in this city is not
reliable being.
THE DOG SHOW.
The prettiest show of the last
sixteen months, not excepting the
big Centennial, and the one most
completely carried out, is the dog
show under the auspices Of the
Westminster Kennel Club, which is
composed of sporting gentlemen
fond of fine dogs who wish to awak.
en- interest in improving their
breeds. About fifteen hundred ell
tries of handsome dogs of almost
every degree, from the great st.
Bernard and Siberian watch dogs
to toy Terriers makes collection
as interesting as it is possible to
name, to anyone having a common
liking for the noblest kind of brute,
hardly excepting the horse. The
Rev. Mr.. M'Donna, the celebrated