Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-05-18

THE SEWING MACHINE DROP-MACY-TnE Deg
SHOw-FAsHIONS.


THE SEWING MACHINE DROP-MACY-Tnk Deg
SuOw-FAsHIONS.
Nav YORK, May IL, 1917.
To the Editor o the Free Press and Times.
The nest interesting thing that has hap
pened for many years, is the drop in sewing
machines. The business has been controlled
for years by ring organized by two or three
OF the largest companies. These companies
owned the important patents and compelled
all the ethors to pay royalties. and really
kept great many out OF tine field by re
fusing t. license them at all. Last Tuesday
all these patents expired. and now the trade
in sewing machines is free and unincum-
bered. But the great trouble with the
business has been the credit system and the
enormous expense of selling. The commis-
sions 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 owning the machine
till it is paid for. There was the loss Of in
terest on the vast capital this system neces-
STATED, and there was the enormous expense
OF detectives, collectors and processes 10 re-
cover, all of which made the business OF
selling machine, the first cost OF (which
was perhaps $50. tor so. not very profit
able All this changes. The price of some
machines was reduced nearly hall, the
day the patents expired. and the other COM
panes were forced to follow suit. They in
tend. as far as practicable, to bring the
business down TO cash basis, and the peO-
pie who can pSy will have the benefit OF
the reduction. lnasmuch as under the old
system a woman who couldn't get credit for
loaf of bread could get possession OF a so
sewing machine, this change of base will
work to the disadvantage of the poor. but
the really paying people will be advantagcd
by it.
One of the richest merchants in the city
was r. H. Macy, who died a few weeks
ago. Mr.. Macy made a will. and to the
establishment of his friends, he lett his only
son an income of only $1,000 a year, and
gave as reason for it that the young man
was incorporate and totally unfit to be
trusted with property. As it happens to
be entirely true, it is q striking commentary
on the uselessness of human calculations.
Macy g ambition was to have hisson gentle
man, and to have him spend the vast estate
he was gathering like one. Accordingly,
be was all bis lille furnished with all the
money he could spend, and be went through
the usual routine of a 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 cor
tracted habits which he could not throw of,
and that made BLACKBOARD of him instead
of a gentleman. lie made the old mans
life unhappy by his low associations; and
he had the bitterness of seeing the boy who
had been his pride. degenerate into deb
aucbee. who could mot hold the respect
of any one, and who was the laugh
ing stock of his acquaintance, and the dis
grace of his family. Now for the moral.
The immense business of the Macy establish
ment will hereafter be controlled by man
who entered 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 employer s 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 aver
age young man of rich parents in this city
is not q 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 com
posed Of sporting gentlemen fond Of fine
dogs who wish to awaken interest in i'm
proving their breeds. About fifteen hun
bred entries OF handsome dogs of almost
every degree, from the great ST. Bernard
and Siberian watch dogs to toy terriers, made
collection as interesting aGit is possible
to name, to any one having common lik-
ing for the noblest kind of brute. hardly
excepting the horse. The r ev. Mr.. M'Don
ma, the celebrated English auth GRITTY on
dogs, kindly crossed the ocean to attend the
show, and brought dogs with him of the
highest breeding known in the world.
Other English lovers of dogs sent their pets,
and noble animals they were though not
handsomer to the uneducated eye, and not
more intelligent looking, than many not
valued so highly. belonging to American
owners. Contrary to the general idea,
the st. Demands Of pure breed are not
black and white, but red. and iawn
and yellow, with not single black hair |
about them. The larger part Of the entries
were of sporting dogs, some OF which were |
sent from Michigan. Missouri and Virginia. |
The dark Irish settlers and field spaniels, were |
the handsomest. The pet toy dogs. though |
costly, were the ugliest of their race.
There were pugs, which nearly drew
scream of disgust at their horrid uglIness,
terriers, bred in and in till there il nothing |
of them but enough black coat to shiver
with, and greyhounds that looked like
skinned chickens. blue and starved. The
pets lay on satin cushions and had lace on
their collars; but one honest Newfoundland
or spaniel. with most of my readers would
on tweiGh in interest the whole weakly, ex-
pensive set, representing though they did
value of Thousands of dollars. There were
u very large number of these monstrosties
valued at thousand dollars each, and for
which that price is actually asked and OBJ
tanned and it does seem as though the
uglier and more frightful the beast, the
more money fashionable woman is willing
to give for it. The show was instructive as
well as pleasant. There were dogs trained
to degree Of intelligence that very many
humans do not possess, and the usefulness
Of the animal was demonstrated IN very
many ways. The proceeds of the exhibition
goes to the founding of g hospital for dis
abled dogs, under the charge of Mr.. Bergh.
Curious that dogs should have hospital,
when so many humans are unsheltered.
FASHIONS.
Taste in the small accessories Of the
toilet is more cultivated year BY year among
,ur countryw0men. Elegant silk stockings.
ielicate. fanciful handkerchiefS and neck