By Our Business Editor

image 1image 2image 3image 4cropped image 1

By Our Business Editor.

"Smells of the Shop"—This much-worn and abused quotation is now indiscriminately applied to every stray paragraph that has the least squinting towards business, as though honest toil, whether performed by the mechanic at his bench, the shopman at his counter, or the merchant at his desk, was not as respectable and as honorable as what are termed professional services. In what respect are the tortuous windings of a lawyer’s speech, designed to shield a criminal from just punishment, more worthy of respect, or deserving of a commendatory notice in the columns of the Public Press, than the honest mechanic whose labor and genius has produced something useful and beautiful; or the tradesman whose taste and good judgment in the selection of his stock, has afforded us a choice in the purchase of some article of use or luxury, that otherwise we should have been deprived of? We have met but few of the over-nice people who could "smell of the shop" so readily, who were not more than ordinarily indebted to the shop for whatever real advantages they possessed. We like "the shop," and have always taken pleasure in placing before our readers whatever in the business world was made interesting. We have never yet felt ourselves so dignified as to prevent us from publishing a merited notice, although the subject matter was solely "of the shop."

In this connection we shall mention a few of our friends, among whom, first, we shall speak of Messrs. Fowler & Wells, of 309 Broadway, New York.¹ We never pass their establishment but we think of the cant phrase "heads I win." In the Phrenological cabinet or Museum at this establishment are ranged around on shelves, some hundreds or more probably thousands of phrenological specimens, consisting of skulls, plaster casts of skulls, busts, paintings, &c., of many of the most eminent as well as otherwise noted men and women of the past and present century. There are also specimens from among the brute creation in great variety, the whole forming a most interesting and instructive collection, and judging by the numbers who pass from the museum to the examining rooms, we should say that the proprietors might truly say "heads we win," for from morning till night there appears but little rest either for Professor Fowler, or his assistant Professor Sizer. The publishing department is under the control and management of Mr. Wells, the business partner, and has been conducted with an energy and success that evinces more than ordinary business talent. Few men would have so well succeeded in establishing so large and profitable a business, out of the materials which Mr. W. found when he came into the concern some ten years ago. The Messrs. F. & W. now issue three of the most widely circulated and useful journals in the Union—the "Life Illustrated," "The Phrenological Journal," and "Water Cure Journal,"—and are also the publishers of many of the most useful works on health science and educational matters, that have been issued from the American press. We commend those who desire a scientific examination of their phrenological developments, a useful newspaper, or an instructive book to read, to call on them. To the curious the Museum also is well worth a visit.

Opposite this house is the large concern of Messrs. J. M. SINGER & Co., where are sewing machines of various patterns for the various departments of sewing, manufacture of clothing, shoes, &c. These machines have a world-wide celebrity, and in some parts of Europe, as well as in this country, have suspended all others. In France, at the great exposition, they took the first medal, and were afterwards adopted in the government factories to the exclusion of all others.

Further up Broadway, is the famous gallery of Daguerrean and Photographic Art of Garney​ ,² whose skill is one of old Sol's operators has entitled him to claim a niche in the temple of fame. To his previous credit as an artist he has recently added greatly by the introduction of a new process termed Hallotype, by which are produced pictures of such surprising beauty, softness, clearness, and stereoscopic effect as to combine in the most perfect manner all the effect of natural coloring, stereoscopic permanence, and photographic clearness. The day on which we called to examine these specimens was a dull and cloudy one—ill suited to show pictures to advantage, and yet on such a day they were to us the finest we had ever seen. We shall at some future day take occasion to make another call, and will endeavor to give a more particular description of these gems of art, and the process by which they are obtained.

Higher up Broadway, and near Canal street, is the Gift Book Store of Evans & Co., by whose genius as disseminators of useful information, has many a long winter’s evening been made to appear shorter, by the perusal of books obtained from their extensive concern. There is a certain charm or attraction in the manner in which they distribute their books and the gifts which accompany them, that the mere purchase of a book (however useful or cheap it may be) does not possess, and to this cause may be traced the effect of an increased demand for books, and as increased stock of useful information by the reader. Our motto is "read"—and whatever will induce our growing up generations to read, must of necessity tend to the general good of society. Therefore we consider the scheme of distributing jewelry, watches, &c., to their purchasers is a good one. There are however, sometimes funny scenes occur in these distributions—we will mention one that took place while we were in the store a few weeks ago. A middle aged lady had purchased and paid for five books, and was about leaving the store, when she was informed that she had not taken all her property. The lady looked amazed, said she had selected nothing else—she was then informed that she might select a brooch, ear rings and bracelet. Supposing they were to be paid for, she declined, "being short of money." Being told that she had already paid for them, she said it must have been some other lady—that they were mistaken, &c. At last she was made to understand that they were gifts to accompany her purchases. Of course, she was not less pleased than surprised, and carried off her unexpected acquisition with a countenance full of smiles.

---