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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
The flusic Trade Ambassadors.
AN APPRECIATION OF THEIR SERVICES BY A
PROMINENT DEALER
HOW THEY HELP
THEIR CUSTOMERS THE SPEAKER CON-
SIDERS THEM THE "BUSINESS
MAN'S BEST FRIEND."
" The traveling men of the music trade
industry are, as a rule, a superior set of
gentlemen," said a prominent dealer to The
Review this week. " They are the busi-
ness man's best friend. The individual
ambassador is not always handsome, but
he is thoroughly posted in his business, as
well as in all the news of the world, from
the most recent marriage in the Sulu Isl-
ands to the latest gossip in the realms of
trade, art and literature. He is quick at
repartee and as willing to take a joke as to
give one. He comes like a sunbeam on a
dark, gloomy day, when our sales are few
and far between. He dissipates the gloom.
With his wit and his cheerful manners
he livens up the old man of the house
until, forgetting his blues, he doesn't care
whether he sells a dollar's worth that day
or not. We cannot buy goods of all of
them, but we can treat them all as gentle-
men. By doing so we gain them as friends
and make money in the operation.
"You ask: How do we make money? By
the information they give as to prices,
new goods that are on the market, and a
thousand and one things pertaining to our
business that are worth money to the wide-
awake merchant.
"If a dealer gets mad at something that
has gone wrong in the store,don't take it out
on the innocent pianoman who drops in at
this time. The golden rule should hold
good in this as in all the other affairs of
men, that is, treat every Knight of the Grip
as you would have him treat you under like
circumstances.
"I have said that I consider the trav-
eling man the business man's best friend.
As a rule this is so, but there are excep-
tions to all rules. There are some smart
Alecks who claim to know more about your
business than you do yourself. If you at-
tempt to swallow half they say it will leave
a bad taste in your mouth. They tell you
a house of your standing, of course, would
order so and so, when, if they know any-
thing, they ought to know that the num-
ber of instruments is out of proportion to
your general stock. They persist in talk-
ing to you when they see you are busy with
a customer, and they insist on your buying
of them after you have repeatedly told
them you were overstocked with goods
in their line. This kind of an animal,
though, is almost extinct.
"The polished and polite gentleman
who holds you up in your store comes with
a fund of information that is both enter-
taining and instructive. He can extol the
merits of his particular brand with the
magic eloquence of a Patrick Henry, or at
the opportune time he can electrify you
with burning words of patriotism. These
men are not only a power in the commer-
cial world, but they are a mighty power to
voice the sentiments of the American peo-
ple, to warn them of the hidden dangers
that lie beyond, and to uphold the honor
and the integrity of our native land. A
strong, a willing and able power is needed
in these perilous times, when inordinate
greed would take the land from an unwill-
ing people or concentrate the trade of the
many into the hands of the few.
"But these men and others like them
will bravely man the ship of State, and
through storm and through tempest they
will safely guide her into the harbor. With
true patriotism they can see their country's
mistakes and are willing to acknowledge
her faults, but they will ever join in the
noble sentiment contained in that immor-
tal toast: 'Here's to my country, may she
always be right, but here's to my country,
right or wrong.' "
O. K. Houck & Co. in Little Rock,
O. K. Houck & Co., of Memphis, who
have had temporary quarters at 515 Main
street, closed a deal last week with Judge
U. M. Rose, for a double store 50 feet
front by 140 deep to be built at Nos. 309
and 311 Main street, Little Rock, Ark.
The new stores will be specially arranged
for the conduct of an up-to-date piano and
music business and Messrs. O. K. Houck
& Co. expect to get possession about June 1.
44
Artificial Lumber."
The Artificial Lumber Company has
started up its immense plant at Barberton,
Iowa. This company is capitalized at $12, -
000,000, and will employ 300 men. It will
have a capacity of 60,000 feet of lumber
every day. This lumber is manufactured
mainly of straw pulp, and is intended for
use in interior decorations, pianos, organs,
fine furniture and finishings of buildings,
cars, and numerous other articles.
Che
Standing
of a
Rouse
is often fixed in the minds of readers by
the class of printed matter which it dis-
tributes. It pays, as has been demonstrat-
ed by leading houses, to place extra efforts
lo secure the most artistic effects obtain-
able in the composition and arrangemen
of business literature. We have men who
rank as artists in this line and can assure
customers the most superb effects in the
printing of catalogues and all advertising
matter. A specialty of brochures, designs
fot covers, illustrations, color work.
Tell us what you -wish and we will
tell you the cost. No further bother; money
saved too.
Cbe
Review
Press
3 €a$t 14th street
Hew Vcrk
A nichigan Incorporation.
Among the certificates of incorporation
filed on March 5th with the Secretary of the
State of Michigan, was that of the Post &
Bristol Co. of Lansing for the purpose of
manufacturing and selling pianos, etc.
Capital, $25,000. Incorporators: J. W.
Post, R. C. Bristol and R. A. Post, all of
Lansing.
Tuners Organize.
The piano tuners of Boston, are about to
organize, for the purpose of educating the
public to the necessity of having pianos
carefully looked after by competent men.
This is a move which might be duplicated
in every large city. The number of
itinerants abroad in this art is compara-
tively enormous and the reputations of
manufacturers and good tuners are there-
fore damaged in a very serious way. The
formation of associations is a panacea.
Pianos for Southern Russia.
German piano manufacturers are doing
a considerable trade in Southern Russia.
The best known makes are: Bechstein
(Berlin), Bluethner (Leipzig), Schiedmeyer
(Stuttgart), R. Ibach Sohn, (Barmen), and
others. Most in demand are pianos not
under 130 centimeters (4 feet 4 inches)
high. Grand pianos are almost entirely
of Russian make, those of Becker, Peters-
burg; Diedrichs, Petersburg, and Muehl-
bach, Petersburg, being the favorites.
The average price of the pianos most sold
in Southern Russia is from $215 to $260.
Odessa is the chief place for the trade;
about 500 pianos are yearly imported
there.
American Exhibitors at Paris.
From the official list of American manu-
facturers to exhibit at the Paris Exposition,
we clip the following relating to the music
trade industry:
D. H. Baldwin & Co., models of Ameri-
can piano factories, plans and specifica-
tions; Elzner & Anderson, art joinery; C.
Dannenfelser, work on models.
Contributing exhibitors—Grand and
Upright Pianofortes. 1. The Baldwin Co.
and twelve others; John W. Macy, scheme
of construction of the Baldwin piano;
Thos. T. Hall, joinery work; Clarence E.
Kerr, sounding boards; C. H. Burton &
Co., cabinet woods and veneers; O. S.
Kelly Co., plate of style 40 upright; T.
Shriver & Co., plate of grands and style
33 ; Strauch Bros., keys and actions of style
40; American Felt Co., felts; Clement J.
Barnhorn, design and sculpture of piano
case; Horace Moran, design of upright
case; P. E. Guerin, metal decorations;
Wm. H. Fry, carving of upright pianos.
The Hamilton Organ Co. and contribut-
ing exhibitors—Organs and Upright
Pianos. Andrew J. Sorensen, plans and
details of organ cases; Chicago Brass Co.,
reeds; Piano and Organ Supply Co., reed
boards and keys.
Pianos and Materials (outside the Bald-
win exhibits). Ludwig & Co., New York,
upright pianos; Staib-Abendschein Co.,
New York, actions; Pratt, Reed & Co.,
Deep River, Conn., keys.