John H. Patterson.
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.