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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
your business. I'll give you $50 for that
violin."
The man hesitated a long while. Tears
A LITTLE COMEDY PLAYED BY A POOR MUSI- came into his eyes and his long, pale fingers
CIAN, A CONNOISSEUR AND A CREDULOUS
trembled as he told the story of his struggle
with
poverty, but he took the money.
BOWERY PAWNBROKER.
A week passed and the wealthy connois-
seur
had not put in an appearance. Mine
E was evidently a musician, and carried
Uncle
began to grow nervous. He took the
a violin in a black silesia bag. The
violin
down
from the nail and carried it up-
Bowery pawnbroker, as he saw him enter,
town
to
show
to an expert.
said to himself: "Ah, here's a poor devil
'•
I
can't
give
you the exact market value
of a player, forced to pledge the only thing
of
it,"
said
the
violin sharp, after a hasty
that gives him a livelihood, poor though it
glance.
"You
see
I don't handle that qual-
be."
ity
of
goods,
but
violins
of this kind are
"Let me have $2.50 on this, please,"
worth
about
$15
a
dozen."
said the man regretfully, as he carefully
drew the violin out of its covering. "I just
want enough to tide over a day or so, until
Changes in the Patent Law.
I get a remittance. Unless I knew I could
redeem it at once, I would never trust it
E hear at regular intervals from the
out of my hands, for it is not only my sole
individual who has unfortunately
means of existence, but, as you will observe,
attempted to make a fortune out of a patent
it is a very valuable instrument."
The pawnbroker handed out the money, on some visionary scheme, and attributes
and almost regretted that the loan was so his ill-luck to the patent system. He re-
small. As he was going out, the man turn- fuses to admit that his business judgment
ed back and said: "By the way, I wish you or executive ability is at fault, but loudly
would not put this violin aside with a lot of and persistently clamors f®r the abolition
odds and ends. It is too valuable to take of all patents. All fair-minded men, how-
any risk with. Besides, I will surely be ever, appreciate the value of patents and
are advocates of the American patent sys-
back in a day or so."
A few days later an elderly man came in tem, which has done more than any other
and asked to see some opera glasses. As he one cause to promote the prosperity of
was locking over the stock his eye lighted this country, and place it in the front rank
of nations. So universally is this fact rec-
on the violin, hanging on the wall.
ognized
that other nations are enacting
" Let me see that instrument, if you
patent
laws
modeled after ours, or are
please," he said. He looked at it critically,
amending
their
existing systems so as to
and then a delighted expression overspread
adopt
the
distinguishing
features of our
his face.
system.
"Just what I have been seeking for
But the staunchest adherents of the
years!" he exclaimed, making no attempt
to conceal his enthusiasm. " You see I am American patent system are ready to admit
a connoisseur, one of the virtuosi, as the that it has defects, both in the organic law
newspapers love to term us old fellows. I and in the bureau which under the law is
need this violin in my collection, and I'll entrusted with the granting of patents.
give you $40 for it." Mine Uncle only Unfortunately the office of Commissioner
of Patents is one of the "plums" gathered
shook his head.
every fouf years by the President. The
"Well, I'll make it $50."
"It*isn't for sale," replied the pawn- appointment is consequently looked upon
as a political one, and the Commissioners
broker.
" Say seventy-five, then." By this time of Patents are frequently men without any
the pawnbroker was deeply interested. He previous knowledge whatever of patents.
explained how the violin came into his pos- It behooves all true friends of the patent
system, therefore, to work for such legis-
session.
" I f you will drop in again in a day or so lation as will remove the office from the
I'll probably have seen the owner, and per- domain of politics. The change should
also require that the person nominated for
haps we may be able to negotiate a deal."
the office should be learned in the patent
'' I hope so," returned the enthusiast. ' 'As
law and in the scientific and mechanical
you will have some trouble in the matter,
arts. To induce men thus equipped to ac-
I'll raise my offer to an even hundred. I
cept the office, the appointment should be
must have that violin."
during good behavior.
As soon as he was gone the pawnbroker
It must be confessed that there have
hurried around to see the musician. The
man lived in a poorly furnished room, evi- been some Commissioners of Patents who
have filled the office very acceptably, and
dently in great povertv.
"What! Sell my dear violin?" he ex- with credit to themselves, but some of
claimed, indignantly. " N o ! a thousand them have been palpably incompetent.
Others have gone into office actuated by
times no. I'd rather starve first."
one
idea—"Reform"—and this wonderful
" Look here, my man," said the pawnbro-
thing
"reform" has frequently led to greater
ker; " I know just how you feel about it,
abuses
than those sought to be destroyed.
but after all it's merely a question of senti-
The
recent
episode of Josiah Quincy and
ment. A cheaper instrument will do you in
A Trick in Violins.
H
W
the Official Gazette is fresh in the minds of
the reading public, and the attorneys,
manufacturers and others who have busi-
ness dealings with the Patent Office are
hampered by the failure of the present con-
tractor for the photolithographing to fur-
nish copies of patents promptly. The late
Norris Peters enjoyed a practical monopoly
of this work up to the time of his death,
but the holding of this monopoly was due
to the merit of his work and the prompt-
ness with which it was executed. At-
tempts to place the work in the hands of
other contractors have always resulted in
great inconvenience and embarrassment to
the persons having dealings with the Patent
Office as well as to the office itself. The
last attempt made before the death of Mr.
Peters was such a miserable failure that the
Commissioner was compelled to return to
Mr. Peters and have him complete the
work attempted by his competitor. After
the death of Mr. Peters, his heirs continued
the business as the Norris-Peters Co., with-
out detracting from the quality of the
work or in any other way creating dissatis-
faction. At the beginning of the present
administration, the contract was taken from
the Norris-Peters Co., and given to a con-
cern in which Josiah Quincy had a large
interest. This concern did such slow and
poor work that a Senatorial investigation
into the manner of its securing the con-
tract and its business worth followed. The
work was restored to the Norris-Peters Co.
At the beginning of the present fiscal year,
the contract was awarded to a new man,
and the Commissioner, in his zeal for re-
form, even proposed to let the type-setting
go out on contract. The present new con-
tractor turns out good work, but he is ap-
parently unable to overcome a delay of a
week in delivering copies of patents. Had
the type-setting also been given out on
contract, jthe delay would surely have been
beyond the scope of the wildest imagina-
tion. The history of this work shows con-
clusively that each change in the identity
of the contractor is followed by delays
which work great inconvenience and embar-
rassment to the manufacturers and others
who need to be informed promptly and
fully of the progress made in their lines.
The present system is necessarily produc-
tive of instability and inferior results tor
no man can afford to expend the money
necessary to establish a proper plant if the
work is liable to be taken from him at the
end of a year. Such is the present condi-
tion of affairs, but the remedy is a plain
and simple one. Congress should at once
appropriate the money necessary to estab-
lish a lithographing plant at the Govern-
ment Printing Office, and require that the
work be done there. Here we have the
spectacle of the Government owning the
largest printing office in the world, and
yet being obliged to depend on private per-
sons for part of its printing. What an
anomaly! Let Congress remove it and, at
the same time, we will see the last of the
delays which have become too frequent in
the printing of patents.