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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
there are men, even in the music trade, who
get such an exalted opinion of their own
shrewdness that they consider themselves
too important to longer depend upon the
publicity to be secured from the trade
press. I have noticed that the natural re-
sult in such cases is that the period of de-
cadence usually sets in, with a good strong
tide at that. The men who stand well to
the front in the musico-industrial affairs of
this country are the men who have been
liberal patrons of the music trade press,
and it is a fact that the music trade press
exercise to-day a more potent influence in
T is not always that Senor Cavalli can be this trade than ever before in its history.
persuaded to delve deeply into the in- A man may as well be out of business as
tricacies of the wool question, but when he not to be represented in the music press of
can be induced to dilate upon the wool pro- this country, and if he continues to stay
ducts of the world, then follows a most edu- out it is only a question of a short time be-
cational half hour. Senor Cavalli is prob- fore he will be out of business anyway.
ably one of the best wool experts in
* * *
•America, and what he doesn't know about
Thos. F. G. Foisy, the well-known piano
the values, qualities and possibilities of
manufacturer of Montreal, honored me with
wool grown from Argentine to Australia
a call last week.. I have previously enjoyed
wouldn't fill a very large volume. He keeps
the pleasure of Mr. Foisy's society in Mon-
in thorough touch with the wool markets in
treal, "Tom," as his friends call him, is a
all parts of the world. He has exchanges
typical Frenchman.
From his neatly
in almost every language from the melli-
waxed mustache straight through he com-
fl ;ous tongue of Spanish America to the
bines the earnestness of the Gallic race
heavy, peculiar accent of the Egyptian.
with the go-aheadedness of the American,
Himself being an accomplished linguist, he
and the result is Mr. Foisy has built up a
has no trouble in deciphering the queer
splendid business in his native city. Aside
hieroglyphics of Turkish and Hindostanee.
from the FDisy Piano Co., he is interested
The senor's large and thriving cat farm in
in considerable other manufacturing con-
the Adirondacks is now occupying a consid-
cerns. He can always tell a good story and
erable share of his time. He is breeding
enjoy listening to one as well. Here is a
some rare and beauteous Maltese series
little story which he related to me, that
which it seems almost a shame to sacrifice,
occurred at Quebec. A parent who enter-
still the increased demand foi blue felt is
tained some doubts as to his daughter's
imperative and must be filled. . '
ability, asked the French teacher: "Do
* *
you think my daughter will ever be able to
*
sing?"
Charles Henry Ormsby Houghton has the
Teacher—Nevare, Monsieur. .
distinction of being the shortest man with
Father—Then what's the use of giving
the longest name in the music trade of this
her
any more singing lessons?
country. "Omie's" size, however, is all
Teacher—A
great deal of use, Mon-
right one way, and while his stature may
sieur.
I
give
her
lessons two—three months
have been remarked upon, his powers of
more,
and
by-and-by
I teach her that she
absorption never have, adversely at least,
cannot
sing.
That
is
a very good musical
as he can polish off about as good a dinner,
education
for
the
young
lady.
. • • > :
and in the accomplishment of which absorb
Father—You
are
right!
If
she
can't
as much apollinaris as the man who sits
sing,
and
you
can
convince
her
she
can't,
next door, provided that that man isn't—
the lessons won't be thrown away."
"Pop" Winslovv, for instance. •
" *-
I
* •
I cut this from an exchange:
'' Thosewho speak lightly as to the efficacy
of trade-journal advertising have evident
ly not given the subject that consideration
which it merits. We believe that the facts
will bear us out in the assertion that more
can be accomplished, with a given amount
of expenditure, through trade journals, than
in any other way. By this we mean that
let two articles be of equal merit—one of
which is adapted to the members of some
branch of a trade, and the other for the
public in general—and it would take, in all
likelihood, three or four times as much
money to secure the same reputation for
and results from the latter as from the for-
mer."
Shrewd business men will recognize the
truth expressed in this quotation; still
. - r •
Geo. P. Bent, of Chicago, dropped in on
us bright and early last Monday morning.
He looked as if the w r orld was treating him
well, and in a talk later I realized that he
was mighty well pleased with the world
and everything in general—even business.
He said:
"Busy? Well, yes; I should say we are.
We are working hard just now to catch up
with orders which aggregated before and
during our removal.
"Yes, the orchestral attachment is one of
the great successes of the day. Dealers
say it is a good thing, and they are push-
ing it along. There are attachments and
attachments, you know; but the Geo. P.
Bent orchestral attachment is leading them
all. It is only necessary to hear them all
to admit this.
t
"Fall trade? Well, we haven't experi-
enced any summer dullness yet, and judg-
ing from the present activity we are going
to have a fine business this fall. We have
splendid facilities in our new factory for
filling all orders that may come our way,
and, by the way, we are going to have some
handsome new styles of pianos, which will
be 'talkers,' ready for the fall trade.
"Yes,
dealers everywhere like the
'Crown' goods. They all say they are mak-
ing money with them, and if other dealers
feel as confident and as hopeful about fall
trade, why, piano factories will have to
hustle the coming fall.
"Mr. Primer? Yes, I expect he will
open some important connections for us in
Europe. He has not as yet closed nego-
tiations with London or the Continental
houses, but I expect to hear from him in
this connection in a short time."
Mr. Bent left for home Monday evening.
His visit was a short one, but, as usual, he
managed to transact some important busi-
ness before his departure.
- • ' . iv. . . .
* *
J. H. Wegman, president of the Wegman
Piano Co., Auburn, N. Y., is probably the
youngest executive officer in the piano
trade. Although young in years, he is ripe
in experience, having served his time at
the bench under his father's tutorage, and
a short time before Mr. Henry Wegman's
death was given an opportunity of master-
ing the details of the business departments.
Such a young man should have the proper
metal in him to help build up a great busi-
ness; in fact, he should prove a worthy suc-
cessor to his talented father.
• *
Passing through Hudson strest recently
with a friend, I chanced to pass the estab-
lishment of a firm of "folders and repack-
ers" of dry goods. Before the door were a
hundred or more little bales of goods, bear-
ing odd markings, but showing that they
were destined for a firm in Texas doing
jn
business on the Mexican line.
"Do you know," asked my companion',
"why those goods are put up in such small
iio
packages?"
°
Upon replying in the negative, he
tinued: "They aie to be smuggled across
the Mexican line. The goods are purchased
in their original packages and delivered
here. The wooden boxes are discarded and
the goods subjected to hydraulic pressure
and baled. Each bale contains about thirty
pieces, or half the number of an ordinary
dry goods case.
- 11 ' j m
"The goods are then shipped to Texas,
and all marks removed. When all is ar-
ranged, some night the little bales afe sluiyg
across the backs of mules, two bales to each
animal, and with an armed escort the train
proceeds over the border to some distribut-
ing point in Mexico, where thegooids are
sold to Mexican traders at a good profit; J
"Smuggling in this manner is quite ex-
tensively carried on between this- country
and Mexico, the United States getting in
return for its dry goods, which are the most
easily handled, cheap,