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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
turn in his favor. He had contributed between $200 and
$300 to the pockets of his opponents when at last a
jack-pot was started, and before anyone caught openers
it had grown to the value of $500. The old miner's
eyes glistened as he looked at the pile of chips and at
last he opened it. Just as he shoved up his chips, a bell
boy came into the room and handed him a telegram.
He tore open the envelope and started as he read the
contents.
" The d
1, boys ! " said he ; " my wife died in San
Francisco this afternoon and they've telegraphed me to
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 1889.
come home immediately. How long before the train
San Francisco has the unenviable reputation of being leaves ?" he asked, turning to the bell boy.
" Five minutes, sir," was the reply.
the poorest advertising city in the United States, and
she undeniably deserves the name, for the daily newspa-
The miner looked at his watch and then at the jack-
pers published there are obliged to go begging for " ads," pot.
and if a weekly publication gets a " smell," it is through
" Well," said he, settling back in his chair, "tell the
good luck and not by any virtue of an appreciation of telegraph operator to send word that I'll be home on
the benefit to be derived thereby by the advertiser.
the next train," and picking up his cards in an ab-
Especially is this tendency to let trade drift their way stracted way, he muttered : " That's a big jack-pot and
noticeable among the music dealers. They very seldom I've got the openers. So long's she's dead it won't
use the columns of the newspapers as a medium make any difference whether I git home to-night er
through which to reach the public, rather trusting to termorrer. Give me two cards."
the decoration of country fences, the sides of cliffs
The various music houses have elaborate exhibits at
along public highways, and the " dodger,' with which the Mechanics' Fair, which just now is the centre of
the city is papered, much to the disgust of pedestrians attraction. Kohler & Chase are pushing the sale of
whose porkets are thrust full of these obnoxious flyers the Decker Brothers' instrument, while Sherman, Clay
as they go about their business.
& Co., are working for the Knabe and Emerson. The
I searched the pages of the daily papers to-day for apartments in which these firms have arranged their
the "ad " of a piano house and not one did I find, but exhibits are elaborately appointed with drawing-room
on a later trip down town and a visit to the leading furnishings, and professional pianists are employed to
music establishments, I found them getting into shape pound out soli and duets for the delectation of the
for the fall trade.
gaping public.
In conversation with Mr. Sherman, of the house of
A new feature, at least one of which I had never
Sherman, Clay & Co., he told me that the past summer heard before, has been introduced by the house of
had been an exceedingly dull one with the music trade Matthias Gray Company. It seems to be a taking de-
on this coast, which means all those states and terri- parture from the stereotyped features, at least with the
tories lying West of the Rocky Mountains between the country people. It consists of a man who claims to be
head waters of California Bay and Van Couver's Island. a humorist and who answers all questions put to him
.This is owing, no doubt, to the great depression in the in extemporaneous rhyme, and when a visitor leaves,
fruit and grape market, these two being the chief pro- he presents him or her with an advertising card on the
ducts of this coast. But very few people who are ex- back of which is printed an original joke. The card
pected to support the trade have been in a financial con- that fell into my hand bears the following far-fetched
dition to do so to any great extent, but the fall pros- pun: " Now, said the music teacher to his pupils after
pects are fair and the trade is making preparations for much thought on the subject, I have concluded that an
a lively holiday business.
understanding of the art of roller skating enters largely
In the course of the conversation, Mr. Sherman said into the completion of a musical education. Is there
that he did not believe that newspaper advertising was anyone in this room who can tell me in what style of
worth the money it cost in his business, and when he music roller skating may be properly classed?"
did consent to that method of advertising it was more
The pupil gave it up.
for the purpose of helping the newspaper along than
" It's strange that you can't think," continued the in-
for any other purpose.
structor, "it dawned upon me very suddenly this morn-
This house puts out a great many pianos on the in- ing. From the peculiarities of the art, I think it may
stallment plan and has in its employ a large number be classed as fall, set, oh !"
of agents, many of them working on commission while
The rhymes of this humorist were execrable and I
others enjoy both salary and commission. Mr. Sher- refrain from reproducing any of them here, for I have
man says he had rather have an agent talk to the peo- a too tender regard for the feelings of the readers of
ple about a piano than to have a hundred people read the REVIEW.
his advertisement in a newspaper.
Charley Mason, who travels for the music house of
Speaking of the "piano agent" reminds me of
A. L. Bancroft & Co., this city, has the reputation of
" Billy " Wade, a represeniative of the house of Kohler being the most colossal liar on this coast, a reputation
& Chase, San Francisco, and a royal fellow whose taste that he bears with evident pride, and judging by a story
for pure claret and draw poker is equally well devel- that I heard him tell a few nights ago in the reading
oped. " Billy," for so he is familiarly called by the room of the Palace Hotel, I am inclined to think that
boys on the road, made a trip last month through Cal- he is entitled to all the honor, or disgrace, that the term
averas county and swung around through Nevada liar implies.
county, doing a smattering of business in Nevada city
There were several "drummers " in the party smok-
and Rough and Ready camp, the whilom stamping ing after-dinner segars and chatting on various subjects.
ground of Bret Harte. He found himself booked for The tide of conversation finally turned on the subject
the night at the Wisconsin hotel, Grass Valley, and of hotel accommodation in the country towns. Of
with an eye open for social enjoyment he soon struck course not a word was said in favor of the bucolic boni-
up an acquaintance with half a dozen guests at the face, and during the deluge of vituperation that flowed
hotel. The party was made up of commercial travel- from the lips of " these merry men," Charley took occa-
ing men and capitalists interested in the mines sur- sion to tell the following bed bug story which is inter-
rounding Grass Valley. Among the latter was a plainly esting for the enormity of its untruthfulness.
dressed man well up in the fifties. He was a forty-niner
" I'll tell you what happened to me about a year ago
and had saved the earnings of his earlier days, and was in a hotel in Sacramento," he said. " I stopped at the
now a wealthy man resting on his oars, attending only R
House one night, and when I got up in the
to the affairs of a small gold mine, in which he was in- morning my pants were gone. I sent out and bought
terested, near Washington camp.
another pair and slept in the same room that night,
Before the evening had half wofn out some one sug- taking the precaution to put the new pants under my
gested a friendly bout at poker, and in less than fifteen pillow. Somehow I couldn t sleep ; I kept thinking
minutes four of the party were seated around a table that perhaps the thief would be back after another pair
up stairs fingering a stack of chips, and " Billy" and of trowsers. While I lay dozing, my bedroom door
opened and in walked a bedbug dragging my pants
the old miner were members of the party.
As the hours wore on. the game grew interesting and aiter him. He crawled cautiously up to the chair at the
the amount of money invested became of considerable head of the bed, laid down the pants and went out. My
proportions. The old forty-niner played in hard luck surprise was so great that I hadn t the power to move
but he bore his ill fortune with good nature, and confi- during the proceeding, and when I arose the following
dentally asserted that the tide would sooner or later morning I found a note pinned to the pants saying :
" ' I found these trowsers too small for my youngest
boy, so I return them. Yours truly, B. B.' "
There are people who think that the bedbug does
not exist in California, but it takes but one night's so-
journ in a country hotel to convince them that they are
sadly mistaken.
THOMAS BEWSY HOLMES.
WE ARE ALL RIGHT.
Messrs. BILL & BILL:
GENTLEMEN: Upon looking over the back files of
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW I find that for months
past you have advocated the necessity of Piano and
Organ Manufacturers organizing. You have published
many reasons why such an organization should be
effected. Although 1 cannot believe that all of the
objects you have enumerated can be attained, still I be-
lieve that much good can be gotten out of such an or-
ganization, but do not believe it is wise to attempt too
much on the start. A word relative to your position
in this matter. It seems to me that you have gained
everything that you desired, and upon the appointment
of the Committee of Permanent Organization the mat-
ter was taken practically out of your hands. Your ac-
tions in the matter were fully vindicated and approved.
I have noticed the articles in the various trade papers
in reference to the organization since the preliminary
meeting, and it occurs to me that they are actuated
purely and wholly by jealous motives, and in their arti-
cles lose sight of the fact that what they say reflects
entirely upon the Committee and not upon you. I
think that the entire trade will consider the matter in
the same light.
Further, by seeking to belittle your honest offoris in
the matter, they only make the more prominent their
own smallness. I, for one, am glad that we have in our
trade, at least one honest, fearless journal, which is not
only in name but in deed, an advocate of the best inter-
ests of the music trade.
A MANUFACTURER.
A HOME-MADE iCOLIAN HARP.
EOLIAN harps were made by the Greeks many
centuries ago and hung among the trees or
where the wind could blow upon them, making
a low, soft, musical sound. The Baptist Weekly tells
how to make one, which is very easily done and inex-
pensive, for most of the material can be found about
the house, " Wax a piece of buttonhole twist about two
and a half feet long ; tie each end strongly to a small
peg and thrust the pegs down the crevice between the
two sashes of your southern or western window, stretch-
ing the silk as light as possible. It will surprise you,
the sweetness and variety of the tones the wind will
bring from it. Having done this you may be moved to
go further and prepare a more elaborate aeolian harp.
"Take some quarter-inch wood and make a box the
length of your window frame, four or five inches deep
and six or seven inches wide. Bore a few small holes
in a circle near what will be the upper side of (he back
of the box when placed in the window with the open
side of the box, fasten two bridges like violin bridges,
one at each end, and stretch on them several strings of
fine catgut, contriving a series of screw pins to aid in
the tight stretching necessary, and allow of their being
tuned to one note. Then raise your sash on the windy
side of the house, and the wind passing through the hole
and over the strings will in its rising and falling make
very sweet music."
A
A VETERAN MUSIC DEALER RETIRES.
E. D. ZEIGLER, OF ERIE, PA., SELLS HIS OLD-ESTABLISHED
BUSINESS.
N
EWS comes from Erie, Pa., of the retirement from
business of Mr. E. D. Zeigler, the oldest, and
for some years the only dealer in music and
musical instruments in that city. Twenty-four years
have elapsed since he started in this line in Erie. Up
to about fourteen years ago he was extensively en-
gaged in the publication of sheet music. He was his
own printer, his plates being printed from by copper-
plate process. The entire stock-in-trade, plates and
good will have been purchased by Mr. Brehm, who
has taken possession. Mr. Brehm will occupy a hand-
some store in the new Zeigler Building as soon as that
structure is completed. Greatly improved facilities will
be enjoyed in the new quarters.