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THE MUSIC TRADE RtVibW.
12
Made Thousands Happy.
JOHN V. STKGER, THE POPULAR PIANO MANU-
FACTURER, P R O V I D E D 5 , 0 0 0 O F C H I C A G O ' S
POOR WITH FULL AND PLENTY ON
THANKSGIVING DAY.
HOUSANDS of those whose unlucky
fate it is to be poor are calling down
blessings on the head of John V. Steger,
president of the firm of Steger & Co.,
Chicago, for his bountiful gifts of season-
able good things and substantial to all too
poor to buy a dinner last Thanksgiving
Day. Owing to the prominence given Mr.
Steger's annual distribution by the daily
papers, he was enabled to have more guests
—appreciative guests—on that day than
any other resident of Chicago. His open-
hearted generosity relieved the pinching
want of the suffering poor of that city, and
much as the papers have noted his philan-
thropy, yet enough cannot be said to em-
phasize Mr. Steger's goodness of heart and
practical means of relieving the wants of
the unfortunate. The following account
of the distribution from the Inter-Ocean
of Nov. 2yth, will be read with interest:
Twenty-four years ago the third day of
this month, a young man stood on the rail-
way station platform in Ulm, Wurtemberg,
Germany, anticipating with varied emo-
tions the journey across continents that lay
before him. Yesterday he made glad the
homes of 5,000 Chicago families by dis-
tributing food and money in places where
such are not known except through the
avenues of charity. J. V. Steger, German
by birth, but a Chicagoan by preference
ministered to the wants of thousands of
families and made his repetition of a
Thanksgiving offering a welcome in homes
that are strangers to plenty and abundance.
At hi? warerooms, No. 235 Wabash avenue,
a crowd surged yesterday from 9 o'clock in
the morning until long after noon, eagerly
awaiting the bestowal of delicacies, which
his generosity had provided.
T
The idea of a Thanksgiving offering was
bred in Mr. Steger's mind in his early
youth. The son of a manufacturer, he saw
distinctions made in charitable gifts.
"Why should some receive? Why not
all?" were questions that presented them-
selves to his mind, and his every effort
was centered on that end and aim. Seven-
teen years old when he landed at Castle
Garden, he had the ideas of one a decade
older. He came direct to Chicago, worked
his way up from a position that paid less
than $1 a day, and yesterday he showed to
the people of this city his standard of char-
ity.
Notice had been sent out that all needy
persons would be fed at the down-town
warerooms yesterday morning.
They
brought responses from hundreds of sources
not counted upon, but ample provision was
made. Ten city policemen stood guard at
the entrances and exits of the building, and
it was no easy task for them to control the
men and women who clamored for assist-
ance. Four and a half tons of meat—roasts,
turkey, and chicken—were on hand, and
12,000 loaves of bread. In case the supply
of meat ran short one ton of turkeys and
chickens was standing in readiness at a
South Side butcher's establishment, and at
11 o'clock it was necessary to fall back
upon it.
The men and women, each carrying a
basket, were admitted through the door at
Wabash avenue and Jackson street. They
passed down the broad aisle provided until
they reached a long table. This was pre-
sided over by C. G. Steger, a son of Mr.
Steger, who gave to each one a bountiful
supply of meat and bread. Each was also
handed car fare, so that no expenditure
was attached to the mission.
"This does my heart good," remarked
Mr. Steger, as he pointed to the long line
of persons, whose every appearance indi-
cated poverty and want. "If I had
"
Just then there was a scuffle in.front of
the table where the food was being distrib-
uted. A tall, strongly built man thrust a
young girl aside, and handed up a large
basket to be filled.
"Stand aside, there," Mr. Steger said, as
he sprang from his chair and seized the
man by the arm.
For a moment the latter showed fight.
But it was only a moment. A policeman
tapped him on the shoulder with his club,
and ordered him to be quiet. The little
girl who had been thrust aside was made
happy with an extra supply of food, and
when she departed she clutched a silver
dollar in her right hand, more money than
the hand had ever before contained.
These incidents were legion. Men and
women, old and young, crowded, pushed,
and surged forward in an effort to reach
the distributing table. Assurances of the
police counted for little. By main force,
sometimes, it was necessary to control the
mass of humanity that besieged the place,
and yet, with all their eagerness, good
order prevailed.
Long after the noon hour there was a
jam at the doors. At 1 o'clock the crowd
was as dense as at 9, and not until 2 did it
begin to thin out. Twenty-six clerks and
a committee from the factory employees
presided over the distributing tables, and
they were kept busy until, a few minutes
before 3 o'clock, the front and rear doors
were closed and bolted.
The Miller Organs.
GOOD DEMAND BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD.
T
HE Miller Organ Co., of Lebanon, Pa.,
have not been complaining about bus-
iness during the depressing years we have
gone through. They have more than held
their own, and during the past six months,
their output has been simply phenomenal.
Their sales in this country have been
steadily growing, while their shipments to
England, Scotland, South Africa and Hol-
land have been unusually large.
This
gratifying condition of things has been
made possible by the fact that the Miller
organ is a carefully constructed instrument,
quite attractive in design, hence very sala-
ble. They are sold at reasonable prices
and afford the dealer a fair margin of profit.
They are instruments that should become
known to dealers who are anxious to add
to their trade, particularly in organs. Their
list of styles is extensive, and a perusal of
their catalogue would be advisable.
THE Kranich & Bach piano which was
displayed at the Mechanics' Fair, in Boston,
has been awarded a diploma reaffirming a
previous award, when they received a gold
medal.
DIAMOND Hard Oil Polish is a precious
preparation for all careful housekeepers;
cleans in a marvelous way furniture, pianos,
organs, etc., and gives them a new g-litter.
Manufactured by The Hartford Diamond
Polish Co., 118 Asylum St., Hartford, Ct.
Sales are Made
in these fin lie siecle days by men who are
thoroughly conversant down to the minut-
est details with that which they offer to
prospective customers. A piano salesman
will obtain much more satisfactory results
if he acquaints himself with the mystery of
the action and technical analysis of the
instrument. He can do this
By Studying
"The Piano"
the best book ever written, and so pro-
nounced by the highest experts, on the art
of tuning and regulating. It thoroughly
acquaints the reader with the grand, the
upright, the square piano on a scientific
basis. It is illustrated with carefully
designed diagrams accurately numbering
and naming each part of the instrument.
It should be in every salesman's library.
Tuners, whether amateurs or experts,
recognize it as the standard u ork of their
craft. No "kit" is complete without it.
Cloth bound, over one hundred pages.
Sent post paid on receipt of one dollar.
Edward Lyman Bill
3 East 14th Street
New York
Publisher