Music Trade Review

Issue: 1897 Vol. 24 N. 24

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
8
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
"The Washburn Two-step," published
by Lyon & Healy of Chicago, has won its
way into immediate popularity. W. T.
Jefferson, the composer, has every reason
to feel proud of his effort. In the dedicatory
note he writes: "Messrs. Lyon & Healy:
The manufacturers of St. Paul are ar- As a token of my appreciation of the
ranging for a permanent exhibition to wonderful tone quality of the Washburn
open in that city June 15th. Among those guitars and mandolins, permit me to
who have secured space is Earhuff & Co., dedicate this two-step to you."
the well-known manufacturers of North
M. B. Gibson, of the Weaver Organ Co.,
St. Paul. They will make a fine display
is
a member of the International Advisory
of their pianos, which fully merit the ap-
Board
of the Philadelphia Commercial
preciation of visitors.
Museum, and attended the opening last
S. M. Barnes is making a ten days stay week.
at Westerly, R. I., in the interest of the
The gold medal presented to the Chicago
M. Steinert & Sons Co. He is staying at
the Dixon House, and has a good line of Musical College by Steinway & Sons was
won this year by Miss Belle Field, daugh-
sample pianos.
ter of Alderman M. S. Field of Racine,
E. H. Flagler, for twelve'years with the Wis. She graduated with high honors
Oliver Ditson Co., in charge of the firm's from the post graduate class.
sheet music department, has accepted a
The Glen wood, la., Opinion says that C.
position with Cluett & Sons, Albany, N. Y.,
V.
York carries the largest stock of musi-
as manager of the firm's sheet music de-
cal
instruments in that section.
partment.
The engagement is announced of the
daughter of Almon Bristol, the well-known
music dealer of Fulton, N. Y., to Rev. F.
Palmer.
Gorgen & Grubb, the piano actionjmanu-
facturersof Nassau, N. Y., are again about
to enlarge their works by building a large
boiler and engine room.
D. E. Evans, music dealer, Springfield,
Mass., has gone out of business. Wood
Bros, have moved the stock to their store.
A. M. Wright, manager of the local
Everett house, attended the funeral of the
father of Mr. Wheelock, on Wednesday.
Tracy & Porterfield, music dealers of
Richmond, Va., have dissolved partner-
ship. The business will be continued at
the old stand by Mr. Porterfield.
A new music store has been opened at
the corner of Main street and Walker
place in Peabody, Mass.
T. B. Harms & Co., music publishers,
have purchased the goods and chattels per-
taining to the business of the New York
Music Co., who formerly carried on busi-
ness at 57 West Twenty-eighth street.
Messrs. Teller and Dorner, music print-
ers, who formerly carried on separate busi-
nesses, have joined forces under the firm
name of Teller & Dorner at 51-53 West
Thirteenth street.
W. C. Crawford, father of the wife of
James M. Hawxhurst, manager of Free-
born G. Smith's establishment in Chicago,
died at Mr. Hawxhurst's home in that city,
last week. Mrs. Hawxhurst was his only
daughter. Mr. Crawford's remains were
taken to his home in Gettysburg, Pa.,
where the interment took place.
Harry S. Barrett, son of S. W. Barrett,
the surviving member of Barrett Bros.,
music dealers, Binghamton, N. Y., was
married on June 8 to Miss E. E. Clapp.
Mr. and Mrs. Barrett left after [the cere-
mony on a Southern tour.
Albert G. Wigand of Wigand & Wedge-
f uth, 8 East Eighteenth street, reports a very
satisfactory retail trade for the month of
May and the opening week of the present
month. Aside from a good renting busi-
ness no small number of excellent cash
sales were effected.
According to a statement filed last week
by Receiver Peterson of the Century
Piano Co., Minneapolis, the claims against
the company will be paid in full, with the
exception of the claims arising from the
fees of the receiver and attorneys. This
is a somewhat unusual record. The court
has fixed June 14 as the last day for filing
releases. The statement shows a net cash
balance of $19,302.28.
Ernest Zitzman has taken charge* of the
small musical merchandise at Hayden
Bros.' department store, Omaha, Neb.
Harry L. and Louis Myll, of Detroit, have
opened up a music publishing house in this
city at 43 West Twenty-eight street.
C. Grunewald, the well-known music
dealer of Houston, Tex., devotes his leis-
ure moments to musical composition. Two
favorite marches of his, entitled the "Con-
federate Reunion" and "Success to Bryan,"
are great favorites in the South.
Reports from the Knabe factory tell of
great activity at this time. Representa-
tives of the firm in various large cities say
that Knabe grands and uprights were never
more popular than at present. The grands
are always in demand for concerts while
the call for uprights seems to increase, not-
withstanding competition.
A piano and organ department is one of.
the features of the great department store
Geo. PI. McGlaughlin, of the New York entitled the Liebmann Arcade, which was
house of Win. Knabe & Co., leaves to day opened in Brooklyn last week.
on his vacation. He will spend some days
Edward Winter, the veteran music
with his brother in Baltimore, and the
dealer of Kingston, N. Y., who lost the
balance of two weeks enjoying himself at
total use of his sight some time ago, has
the seashore.
been under the care of a New York spe-
Chris. Garritson, of the Kroeger Co., is cialist for the past three months, and the
away this week on a short business visit latest reports are encouraging enough to
to several important points within easy hope that his sight will be restored.
reach. Reports at the factory are very
The condition of business at the Both-
encouraging.
ner factory, when The Review called on
At the new Buckbee banjo and drum Tuesday, was reported "good." The force
factory, 115 East Thirteenth street, all is of workmen is up to the full complement
bustle and activity at present, full time and every man is kept busy.
work of a large force being necessary to
The National Conservatory of Music of
catch up with orders.
Guatemala recently purchased, for cash,
Several firms are considering the advis- one of the famous Mason & Hamlin three-
ability of exhibiting instruments at the manual Lizst organs.
Exposition in connection with the Music
Geo. M. Woodford, representing the
Teachers' Convention, to be held at the Weber-Wheelock interests, will start early
Grand Central Palace on June 24 to 28. in the week on a Western trip.
Only a few have yet decided.
Geo. N. Grass of Geo. Steck & Co., who
John Ludwig, of Ludwig & Co., noted was confined to his home for some days
last week as on tour in the New England with an abcess in his foot, which at one time
States, is now sending in excellent batches indicated blood poisoning, is again able to
of orders from Pennsylvania.
attend to business.
Robert Widenmann, of Strich & Zeidler,
Char'es H. Parsons, of the Needham
has been away this week on one of his brief Piano & Organ Co., expects to start for
business trips in behalf of the " S. & Z." Europe on June 23.
pianos.
P. J. Gildemeester will leave on Monday
A preliminary exhibition of the new next on a Western trip in the interest of
Staib action has been given. It is expected Steinway & Sons.
that all will be ready for a final exhibition
Among the members of the trade in
within a week from date.
town this week were Geo. P. Bent of Chi-
Mr. Bates, of the Bates Piano Co., Wor- cago; the Holtzman Bros, of Henry Holtz-
cester, Mass., called at the Weber-Whee- raan & Sons, Columbus; C. G. Conn, Elk-
lock warerooms this week and left an order hart, Ind.; Mr. Sonnenberg of New Haven
for several of the choicest styles.
and Major McChesney of Chicago.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
From the Editor's Note Book.
AN ILLUSTRATION OF HOW PESSIMISTIC TALK BECOMES CONTAGIOUS TOO MUCH TALK AND
LITTLE ACTION—IF YOU WISH TO SUCCEED YOU MUST JOIN THE ENERGY
BRIGADE DUN'S CHEERING REPORT ARTISTIC ADVERTISING.
'r ^ HE pessimist stalks abroad in
the land, and his influence to
a certain extent is retarding
the onward march of General
Prosperity. His forces are de-
ployed in such a way that it
is difficult for the moving columns to pass
by the pickets of pessimism easily.
The declaration of John Wanamaker on
the now famous occasion, when he chose
to sound the note of warning that unless
Congress acted promptly in the settlement
of business uncertainties disaster would
follow, has percolated through the minds
of the people, but as yet has had no special
influence upon the legislative branches of
the national government.
It is amazing sometimes to see how this
sort of pessimistic talk permeates the minds
of the entire people of the country.
I have a friend who is generously
remunerated for his labors by large weekly
cash installments from a well-known insur-
ance company. I know positively that his
salary has undergone no diminution during
the past three or four years. It is ample
for all his needs and he should be one of
the last men in the world to complain of
hard times, and yet, the other day while
we were engaging in a friendly and remin-
iscent chat he said:
"Times are mighty hard. I expected
to make a purchase of a piano this year,"
naming a certain make, " but things are so
tight with me, I think I shall defer the
purchase until more favorable times."
I looked at him in amazement and said:
" And you talk this way, you who have
a stated salary, a salary which will pur-
chase more in every line of wares made or
sold in this country than ever before in
this country's history, whether colonial
or national, and still you complain of hard
times? Tell me if men who are as snugly
fixed as yourself, and whose dollars have a
greater purchasing power than ever before,
complain of hard times, how shall the rest
of us who are subject to ever varying trade
conditions be able to stem the tide success-
fully against such a strong current of
pessimism ? Open any metropolitan daily
and you will see more advertisements of
every line of goods sold practically below
the cost of production than ever before,
and you who have dollars in your pocket to
take advantage of this situation complain
of hard times? "
4
'Well," he said, "I hadn't just looked at
it in that light, but you know I hear so
much about hard times that I suppose I
am influenced to a certain extent by my
environments like others."
"And," I replied, "that is the trouble.
One of the greatest drawbacks to-day lies
in the fact that men succumb to this in-
fluence rather than strive to overcome it.
Men talk too much about these things,
and it is this very talk which influences
their actions. We get tariff and currency
for breakfast, served up again for lunch
and its cold remains placed in a convenient
locality so that they can be easily served
for dinner as well. In the meanwhile there
are generous offerings interjected during
the day, which keeps the entire system
agitated. There is too much talk and too
little action. Talk is mouth-filling but it
does not supply a business or a financial
deficit."
*
*
*
*
The men succeed best who devote less
time to bemoaning their sad lot, but press
their energies towards extending their bus-
iness. It doesn't pay in these times to sit
down and lose faith either in the country
or in their neighbors.
Take a look about you, in your own and
neighboring towns throughout the coun-
try, and see if the following facts are not
universally true: The men who are suc-
ceeding are the ones who are pushing
things. And the men who are pushing
their trade are members of the energy
brigade. Work—persistent, continuous,
intelligent work—is producing results now,
just as it always has and always will. We
are in a era of careful though painstaking
merchandising. The careless merchant
or manufacturer cannot maintain himself
and continue in business in competition
with alert, active, aggressive, up-to-date
competition. The new merchant is in touch
with all the new ideas of merchandising.
Everything about him—his store, his em-
ployees, the display of his merchandise—
indicates enthusiasm, concentration, and
absolute attention to his own individual
business. Leaving the currency question
and all other political questions now to
public men, he is giving his entire atten-
tion to solving the problem of his own
individual success. And that man is suc-
ceeding.
*
#
*
*
There is reason for the stimulation of
business energy based upon the report re-
cently issued by Dun's Agency*. I append
an excerpt which is of interest:
The statement of failures in May by
branches of business gives much encour-
agement. In amount of defaulted liabili-
ties the month was the smallest since Sep-
tember, 1895; in manufacturing liabilities
the smallest since November, 1895, and in
trading liabilities the smallest since Sep-
tember, except the last month, 1894. Fail-
ures of general stores have not been as
small in any month as in May, 1897; in
only two months out of thirty-six have there
been smaller failures in boots and hats,
only five in groceries and not one trading
class in that month has reported failures
larger than in the half the preceding
months, though in furniture failures are
rather numerous. In clothing manufacture
the month was the smallest except four out
of thirty-six; except five in chemicals, six
in woolen goods, seven in machinery, lum-
ber and miscellaneous manufactures, and
exceeded the average only in iron and cot-
ton goods and earthenware, owing to a few
failures of exceptional size. Nobody can
mistake the meaning of such returns.
The statement that except for the tem-
porary depression in prices, the volume of
business transacted is now larger than
it was in 1892—the year of greatest pros-
perity—has been questioned by some. But
a comparison of prices this week in the
leading branches of manufacture not only
confirms that view, but shows a remarkable
similarity to the course of prices in the
earlier months of 1879, when the most won-
derful advance in production and prices
ever known in this or any other country
was close at hand. The key of the situa-
tion is the excessive production of some
goods in advance of an expected increase
in demand. So in 1879 consumption grad-
ually gained, month by month, until sud-
denly it was found that the demand was
greater than the possible supply. All
know how prices then advanced and the
most marvelous progress in the history
of any country resulted within two years.
Reports from all parts of the country
now show that retail distribution of pro-
ducts is unusually large and increasing.
There is no improvement in the market
for farm products.
*
*
*
*
Advertising involves the expenditure of
vast sums of money, and every investor is
actuated by the desire to secure the great-
est possible returns for the outlay which
he makes.
Tt is a question always open to argument
as to just which kind of advertising is the
best. I count among my friends some of
the best advertising men of the age. They
have brains, and are well paid for the use

Download Page 6: PDF File | Image

Download Page 7 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.