Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
• ?• i EDWARD LYMAN BILL< < •
of Mr. McKinley's ability as a statesman and
diplomat ?
-
It is due unquestionably to the President's
admirable policy that the commercial world
has been to a large extent free from embar-
rassment or insecurity during this agitation.
Editor and Proprietor
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Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, HARCH 26, 1898.
TELEPHONE NUMBER,
1745—EIGHTEENTH STREET.
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month, The Review wil)
contain a supplement embodying the literary
and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
on our regular news service. The Review will
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
trade paper.
FROM THE REVIEW STANDPOINT.
T H E prevailing uncertainty with regard to
the relations of this country with Spain,
and the premature conjectures which have
been rife anent the report of the Board of
Inquiry into the " M a i n e " disaster, has re-
sulted in a marked tension, or anxiety, dur-
ing the past week which has been felt par-
ticularly in the way of poor collections.
Business meanwhile in all lines continues
to be fairly active, and the sensational war
talk which is a feature of some of our metro-
politan dailies has not "scared" business men
into losing their wits. They have full con-
fidence that the Administration will act
prudently and for the best interests of the
country, and this faith is indeed well merited.
In this great crisis President McKinley
has demonstrated that he is something more
than " a mere politician." He is resorting
to every legitimate means to preserve peace
with honor, at the same time making all
preparations for any emergency that may
arise.
Although assailed on all sides by people of
varied shades of opinion, ranging from con-
servative to extremist, and harassed by the
officiousness of the " new " journalism, the
President has maintained an equipoise and
displayed a discretion and prudence in all his
moves that have commanded the admiration
of statesmen and intelligent people the world
over.
He has acted so cautiously, so ably, and
has shown such good sense in his entire
treatment of this Spanish-Cuban imbroglio
that he has now at his back both branches of
the national legislature and the people of the
United States with party lines entirely ob-
literated. What more convincing evidence
JN another part of The Review appear figures
bearing on the exports and imports of musi-
cal instruments for the month of January,
the latest month for which these statistics
have been compiled.
They are timely because they continue to
show how the tariff law, under which we are
at present operating, augments the interests
of American manufacturers.
Under the Wilson Tariff Law our imports
were enormous; our exports comparatively
small. Meanwhile, since the present tariff
law went into force, there has been a steady
decrease in imports of musical instruments,
and a big increase in exports.
This metamorphosis is not, of course, con-
ducive to the best interests of foreign manu-
facturers, but it proves beyond any question
of doubt that the claims of the protectionists
"that home trade is conserved and benefited
by protective laws" are largely substantiated.
Musical instruments and their concomi-
tants, which were formerly imported in large
quantities, are now made here and such pro-
gress has been made in their perfection that
the time is not far distant when, with our im-
proved methods, wonderful facilities and in-
telligent labor, we will be able to reverse the
old order of things and appeal successfully
for trade on the European continent.
At the present time a number of represen-
tative firms making a specialty of small harps
and other instruments of that family are in
Europe establishing branches and agencies,
and latest reports are to the effect that their
mission has been a success.
IT has been the privilege of The Review on
very many occasions during the past eigh-
teen months to refer frequently to the pains-
taking efforts made by many manufacturers to
develop the piano both in its architectural
and tonal spheres. The progress made in
the development of tone in particular, has
been as remarkable as pleasing to all who
take an active interest in the greater perfec-
tion of the American piano.
To the scale architects—the silent workers,
from whose brains came many of those great
perceptions, which, when materialized into
practical results, affect the improvement of
the piano so vitally—the trade is under deep
obligations.
They, more than all others, are responsible
for the great instruments of our time, al-
though they often escape the attention and
eulogy they deserve in this connection.
It is to those practical superintendents who
originate and strive for certain ideals that is
due in a great measure the credit for the
place which the piano occupies in the artistic
world.
And to those silent and tireless workers in
the realm of piano making, many of whom are
individually little known outside of the house
or the piano they are identified with, The
Review would respectfully doff its hat and
tender its need of praise, because it is
merited.
E delegates of the United States to the
conference of the Union for the Protection
of Industrial Property, held in Brussels re-
cently, have made public their report. One
of the conclusions reached by the conference
is that patents granted in the several coun-
tries shall be mutually independent, so that,
for example, a patent granted for fourteen
years in one country shall not shorten the
term of a patent subsequently in a country
where the normal term is seventeen or twenty
years. Upon many of the subjects brought
up much light was thrown by discussion, but
some of the delegates appear to have lacked
power to act definitely upon them, so that it
will be necessary to reconvene the conference
probably in June. When the next conference
meets it is understood that it will convene in
Washington at such time as may be deter-
mined by the government of the United
States.
AMONG the many "good things" in the
address delivered last week by John Ogden,
of John Wanamaker's, at the Spring Conven-
tion of visiting merchants, the following ex-
cerpt, to which might be applied as text,
"don't get discouraged," is worth quoting:
"A great deal of advertising fails of its re-
sults because the advertiser gets discouraged.
The most successful advertising that I have
ever known is that which has been exploited
on a very large scale. The man who has had the
courage to spend $20,000 should have the
courage to spend another $5,000 and vitalize
the advertising that has been done. Lack of
courage is one of the most common experi-
ences of advertisers. I am speaking now of
news and trade paper adyertising and the ad-
vertising of general merchandise."
IF the American manufacturer can once be
persuaded to adapt his products to the
wants of Central and South Americans, rather
than labor to make the Central and South
Americans adapt themselves to his products,
the figures representing the amount of im-
ports from the United States and Europe
may be somewhat changed, says New Ideas.
The lowest estimates place the amounts of
imports into Central and South America and
into the West Indies at not less than
$600,000,000 annually. All but $90,000,000