Music Trade Review

Issue: 1897 Vol. 24 N. 1

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
and the soft, sensuous south winds woo the
roses and the lilies.
In our retrospective, there are deserts
strewn with the wreckage of business con-
cerns, while over even the remotest hori-
zon hang heavy sulphurous looking clouds
LYMAN
which dart occasional lurid flashes. Thank
Editor and Proprietor.,
heaven, the view is retrospective—not
prospective.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
Let us turn to the brighter page.
3 East 14th St., New York
1897 is a rollicking youngster hardly but
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and
Canada, {3.00 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
of swaddling clothes, and it bids fair to
ADVERTISEMENTS, | 2 .oo per inch, single column, per
give a good account of itself in commerce,
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed.
industry and art before old Father Time
REMITTANCES, fa other than currency form, should
tM made payable to Edward Lyman BilL
swings his scythe and sweeps it off the
Entered at tkt New York Post Office as Second- Class Mmttmr. stage to make room for the next year.
From all reports at hand, we feel justified
NEW YORK, JANUARY 2, 1897.
in predicting that 1897 will, in a business
sense, be the bridge to better times. While
TELEPHONE NUMBER 1745. - EIGHTEENTH STREET.
it will not be in the slightest degree what
may be termed in the vernacular a boom
"THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
year, yet it will show material advances
over the year so recently laid to rest.
When one states we will have good
times—the good old days will be here right
now depend upon it—that individual is
either talking because he loves to hear
the sound of his own voice, or he is in total
ignorance of the conditions which form the
basis of our prosperity. No one who hag
given even a superficial glance at the
natural laws underlying the basis of our
national wealth can make such an irrational
statement.
In all ages nations have had to solve cer-
tain complex issues. From the earliest days'
of which we have recorded history down to
the present, the human race has had serious
problems, some easily solved, others fraught
with much trouble, but through all ages
THE PUBLICATION DAY OF THE REVIEW the process of evolution has gone steadily
IS CHANGED THIS WEEK FROM SATURDAY on, and we have advanced towards a higher
TO THURSDAY, OWING TO THE FACT OF civilization. This higher civilization has
THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY INTERVENING. brought in its train a keener state of suffer-
ALL NEWS RECEIVED AFTER WEDNES- ing, as it has generated a people of greater
DAY NOON WILL APPEAR IN NEXT WEEK'S nervous sensibilities. Whether we are
PAPER.
happier in these end of the nineteenth cen-
tury days than were our remote ancestors
who had less raiment and did not sell pianos
SEEN THROUGH "REVIEW" EYES.
HE curtain is rung down, 1896 has on five dollar monthly installments, we are
passed into history, and, as Lincoln not at this moment prepared to express
once remarked, history is mighty hard ourselves. However, we live in what may
reading for some, we may say, without be properly termed the industrial age, and
fear of contradiction, that 1896 furnishes by the almost phenomenal advance made
some plain cold, cheerless history for in our productive powers, we have brought
many. Take it all through, and carefully about new conditions which require the full
analyze the results of each month, and it exercise of deliberative and judicial minds
to successfully solve—minds in which the
does not make a pleasant retrospective.
The view is hardly such as is obtained predominating element should be patriot-
by a traveler who has laboriously climbed ism rather than partisanship.
T
a hill and can look back over peaceful
fields, a smiling sunlit landscape, while the
air is redolent with the perfume of violets,
brought into prominence by an invisible
power, men will stand at the helm of the ship
of state, so that we may be delivered from
the political hell broth into which we have
been plunged for the past three } 7 ears.
There are no reasons, save political, why
we should not be delivered from the bane
of partizan politics. Selfish, bigoted men
in Washington have cast their baneful
shadow upon the industries of this country
and they have succeeded in prostrating
them.
Let us hope that the new year ushers in-
to our national affairs more patriotism and
more true Americanism. We are sadly in
need of both.
The business man must have his innings
occasionally or he'll get disgusted and call
the game off.
The business outlook for the music trade,
while not of the deepest roseate hue, has
many points which are reassuring.
The driftwood of years in the ware-
rooms has been cleared up and gotten rid
of and the stock carried at the stores
throughout the country is indeed much de-
pleted.
When sales are made the void created by
removals must at once be filled.
That condition of affairs means a steadier
state of trade, with much less of the spurty
element injected than heretofore. It is
true, holiday trade was disappointing, but
that is easily explained.
Pianos are not in vogue just now as holi-
day gifts, and the people who buy pianos
are just as liable to purchase them in Janu-
ary as in December.
Better times, surely—and we are willing
to go on record as stating that the output
for pianos for the present year will exceed
that of 1896 by a cool twenty thousand.
This statement is made upon a table as ac-
curate as the detached condition of the
trade will permit of making.
But a twenty thousand increase hardly
warrants one going into ecstacies.
Our advice is just inject a moderate
amount of conservatism into all business
dealings and do not let the return to better
times be marked by the old hurrah method
of doing things.
It is far better to make less goods and
get the pay for them than to scatter through
a widely separated territory wares on all
sorts of elusive as well as delusive terms.
Better have the instruments than not to
have the pay for them.
This week business concerns are scan-
ning the balance sheets for the old year.
It seems that events are always guided to For the few the occupation will be a pleas-
an ultimate issue for the nation's good by a urable one.
Master's hand, so we must now believe that,
For the many—well, as DeWolf Hopper
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
says, there are things perhaps 'twere better
not to dwell on.
For ourselves—trade journalism is, of a
truth, too closely interwoven with the trade
not to immediately feel the results of a
business depression. We believe in stating
things precisely as they are. Too much
elongation of the truth causes one's utter-
ances to sink into disrepute, and the frank-
ness and sincerity of THE REVIEW utter-
ances have been instrumental in creating
its success.
During the past year we held a magnifi-
cent, regular patronage, but our special
work was not up to previous years, and, to
be honest, who could conscientiously solicit
or expect big specials when the trade itself
was prostrate! One matter, however, Jn
which we take a journalistic pride, and
that, notwithstanding the depression of the
times, we have steadily improved our ser-
vice and perfected the far reaching machi-
nery of THE REVIEW. To-day, our news
service is unexcelled and THE REVIEW not
alone reaches all parts of the North Ameri-
can continent, including United States,
Mexico and Canada, but European countries
as well. Our trade directory, too, seems
to have met with trade approval.
in South America will entirely depend up-
Smith & Nixon Affairs.
on the condition of his health. He has
COMPLETE THEIR WORK BIG DIS-
done some prodigious work in behalf of EXPERTS
CREPANCY BETWEEN ASSETS AND LIABILI-
the autoharp, and a respite from his duties
TIES.
will unquestionably be . beneficial to his
HE first act in winding up the big
health.
assignment of the Smith & Nixon
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Piano Co., which occurred on April 22d
"He's hit mighty hard, the steady blows last, was completed Dec. 26th when the
expert accountants who had been at work
that you have been striking at mendicant
on the books of the concern for the past six
journalism have been home thrusts," said months made their report.
a well-known member of the trade after
The fact that expert accountants were
his attention had been called to a violent employed to examine the books of the de-
personal attack upon the editor of THE funct company has never been made public
REVIEW. He was correct, the wounded before.
The assets of the assigned concern were
vulture flutters and rushes hither and
reported to the Court as $183,716.52, and
thither seeking to escape the prods of our the liabilities as $664,684.92.
free lance. The fact is, we are giving the
The great difference between the assets,
mendicant editor a hard fight for existence. and liabilities, it is said, led the creditors
We are fighting for a principle. We claim to suspect that all the assets had not been
that when journalism has reached the point reported, and they held a meeting to take
some action to consider the matter. A
when it is simply dependent upon the
committee was appointed to investigate,
ablity of a man to carry on successful men- and this committee employed two expert
dicancy and intrigue, that it is quite time accountants to examine all the books of the
the trade should be aroused to the point of Smith & Nixon Co. This great piece of
accounting work has just been completed
lifting it from that mire.
There is humor in the statement that a and the report of the experts was submitted
to the members of the creditors' committee
paper is influential and all that, and at Saturday. The findings are reported to be
the same time be always begging for funds. very sensational, but the members of the
Perhaps some of our friends who are well committee refuse to tell what they are.
An irrefutable argument that can be
The experts in the case were Basil W.
versed in sesquipedalian terminolog}' can
made in favor of the rising tide of REVIEW
Nye,
the official examiner of the City Audi-
explain it. The platform that we propose
popularity is that in this, the first issue for
tor's
office,
and his partner, Thos. ]. Kerr,
to stand for for 1897 is below. It is our
both of whom are recognized as men of
the year, appear the advertisements of
old one.
eminent ability in their profession. Neither
Stultz & Bauer, Hammacher, Schlemmer&
of them would say anything about their
No trade-paper bulldozing.
Co., Paul G. Mehlin & Sons, C. F. Goepel
report, as they could not do so without be-
& Co, Homer D. Bronson Co., John C.
No advertising payments in traying the confidence of the men who em-
Haynes & Co, Ludwig & Co. and the Arm-
ployed them.
advance.
strong Co.
A member of the defunct firm made a
No monetary loans to support statement to a newspaper reporter in
All new advertisers who show their ap-
regard to the examination of the books by
preciation of our methods by coming under newspaper mendicancy.
the experts. He said that an attorney and
our banner for 1897.
THE REVIEW proposes not only to stand expert accountant had been employed by
THE REVIEW is not only true to its sup-
on that platform, but we intend to do some the Steinways, who are among the heaviest
porters in that it gives them great big active work in its support.
creditors. He gave it as his opinion that
value for the money, but it looks loyally
The fight is on and personal abuse, their reason for asking to inspect the books
after their interests, whether in Maine, splenetic mouthings and jealous attacks was that they suspected that all of the as-
sets of the firm had not been turned over
California, Mexico or Minnesota.
shall not deter us from giving the lance an to the assignee, and that the inspection
THE REVIEW is clean, forceful, healthy.
extra twist, now that the cuirass of our was, in fact, a search for more assets.
Excellent reasons why it is a powerful enemy is found to be so vulnerable.
"You need not look for anything sensa-
newspaper property.
tional
in the experts' report," said he, "for
Will you contribute to the touring ex-
there
is
nothing to be found. The firm
penses of the mendicant editor, or will you
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turned over absolutely everything that they
refuse to disgorge to his impecunious de-
owned to the assignee, Mr. D. D. Wood-
Rudolf Dolge, acting under the advice
mands, thereby striking a killing blow at mansee."
of his physician, will sojourn a while in
the very citadel of unclean journalism?
Spanish America. He will sail for Caracas,
Shall trade journalism be prostrated at
"Capen" Styles.
Venezuela, on the steamer "Philadelphia"
the
will
of
a
soulless
knave,
or
shall
it
be
on the 17th inst.
HE new style Capen pianos, which have
elevated to a platform of dignity and in-
Mr. Dolge, aside from supervising the
been recently placed on the market by
dependence?
the Brockport Piano Co., Brockport, N. Y.,
rapidly growing autoharp business in the
Under which flag?
are going to give some of the older pianos
countries which lie south of us, will also
a pretty close run for place during the year
What say you, messieurs?
look after the interests of the National As-
just opened. They are not only artistic
and attractive in appearance, but they are
sociation of Manufacturers, he being a
well made, and splendid value for the
member of the general committee of that
W. H. GRUBBS, the Columbus, O., dealer, money. Dealers who are handling the new
organization.
has adjusted his affairs and resumed busi- pianos are quite "taken" with them. Have
The time which Mr. Dolge will remain ness.
you seen the new style "K"?
T
T

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