John H. Patterson, the president of the International Cash Register
Co., of Dayton, Ohio, is a specimen of what, happily for this country,
is not an infrequent young American, whose original capital being that
of brains and industry, pays interest in the shape of great enterprises
and a large fortune. Mr. Patterson’s parents were farmers. After a
public school education he went to Miami university, and afterward to
Dartmouth college. On graduating he began life without any definite
plans, clerked, saved money and pushed ahead until he became manager of
a coal mine. It was while he was holding this position that he heard
of the then almost unknown cash register, bought two of them and saw
that there was a field for their development and use. Together with
his brother, Frank R. Patterson, he bought the patent of the machine
and began to manufacture the registers. In 1894, after ten years
of effort, and with success apparently in sight, the brothers were
confronted with the complete failure of one of their new inventions
and the return from England of a carload of broken machines, instead
of an expected draft for $30,000. Nothing daunted, Mr. Patterson began
to analyze the causes of the setback and came to the conclusion that
the successful manufacture of the machines depended on the faithfulness
of his workmen, which had to rest upon the mutual goodwill of employer
and employe. This belief led him to adopt an industrial system which is
probably unique in the annals of manufacturing enterprises. Briefly, it
consists of developing the mechanical talents of the workmen by prizes
and promotions; by making schools, clubs, libraries, choral societies
and the like a part of the economy of the factory and by remembering
that all work makes Jack and his bosses very dull boys indeed. That the
principle is a sound one seems to be certain, if one may judge by the
general use of the Patterson cash register.