he enterprise
of manufacturing it. Liter he added to the list of his proprietary
medicines cathartic pills, sarsaparilla, ague cure, and hair vigor. He
died July 3, 1878, after having accumulated a princely fortune. His
brother, and partner, Frederick Ayer, conducts the business. The firm
occupy several large buildings and employ three hundred people. The
world demands fifteen tons of Ayer's pills yearly. They publish thirteen
million almanacs, in ten languages, issuing twenty-six editions for
different localities, keeping several large presses constantly at work.

[Illustration: HIGH-STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.]

C.J. Hood and Company also make sarsaparilla and other proprietary
medicines. They employ seventy-five operatives.

E.W. Hoyt and Company employ twenty hands, and make two million bottles
of German cologne.

There are numerous other manufactories in the city, of more or less
extent. Their products consist of porus and adhesive plasters, lung
protectors, sulphuric, hydrochloric, and nitric acids, and other
chemicals and dye-stuffs, belting, paper stock, yarns, shoulder-braces,
suspenders, shoe-linings, elastic webbing, sackings, rugs, mats, gauze
undergarments, looms, harnesses, felting, hose, bunting, seamless flags,
awning stripes, reeds, braid, cord, chalk-lines, picture cords, twines,
belts, fire hose, leather, bolts, nuts, screws, washers, boilers,
tanks, kettles, presses, fire-escapes, water-wheels, wire-heddles,
card-clothing, wood-working and knitting machinery, cartridges,
chimney-caps, stamps, tools, lathes, files, wire-cloth, scales, steel
wire, paper boxes, music stands, mouldings, carriages, sleighs,
shuttles, doors, sashes, blinds, furniture, asbestos covering, blotters,
crayons, drain-pipe, glue, lamp-black, machine brushes, matches, croquet
sets.

[Illustration: MERRIMAC HOUSE.
Built in 1833, rebuilt in 1873. Henry Emery proprietor since 1845.]

Proper attention has always been paid to education in Lowell, In 1822,
there were two schoolhouses within the territory, one near the pound,
the other near the stone house at Pawtucket Falls. The Merrimack Company
soon after its organization built a schoolhouse on Merrimack Street and
paid the teacher. The Reverend Theodore Edson had charge of the school.
Joel Lewis was the first male teacher. Alfred V. Bassett was the second.
In 1829, the school had one hundred and sixty-five pupils. In 1834, the
school was divided. The High School building on