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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Developing Employees.
A widely read newspaper has recently
been conducting a series of articles by
large employers relative to the prospects
for success of the young man of to-day in
various lines of business. These letters
deal with the qualifications required, the
surrounding conditions and the best way
of encouraging and developing the good
points of young men in business.
In reading these letters the thought has
frequently occurred that many employers
either do not know or do not employ the
best methods for bringing out those quali-
ties in their employees which go to make
up a successful business career. One let-
ter in particular was that of an employer
of some 200 or 300 men, in which he said
that he very often failed to find the proper
qualifications among his employees to pro-
mote any one of them to certain higher
positions which had become vacant from
various causes. This letter brought out a
storm of comment and criticism, both from
his present employees and from many men
who had at one time or another been em-
ployed by him. In the general tone of
these replies may be found interlined this
question: Do employers as a rule practice
the best methods for developing the good
qualities of their employees ?
In one of these replies the statement
was made that this particular employer
was harsh and overbearing in his manage-
ment of the forces under his supervision;
that he often treated rudely suggestions
which employees might offer, in this way
discouraging advancements which his
employees might wish to make. This
correspondent claims that when certain
of the higher positions became vacant the
employer was at a loss to know which of
his men might be trusted in advance-
ment, because he had failed to keep in
close touch with them and to learn which
of them might be worthy of promotion.
At such times he usually hired outsiders to
fill the positions and thus engendered dis-
satisfaction among his helpers. The writer
claimed that to his own personal knowledge
several men had left or been discharged
from the employ of this firm and later had
risen to positions of trust and responsi-
bility. This point, he claims, goes to show
that this employer had good material in
his house, but through faults of his own
had failed to develop and cultivate it. It
might be well to state that the employer
admitted openly in his published article
that he had a vacancy for a superintendent
which he thought he would fill otherwise
than from his own ranks of men because
he considered none of them capable for
the position.
It seems to me that many others might
draw a lesson from the article written by
this employer, and the storm of protests
which it brought out. One man known to
me personally left the employ of this house
simply because he thought from the gen-
eral tone and conduct of the business that
there was little chance for promotion. He
is now acting as buyer for one of the de-
partments in a large house, though he is
still a young man. The success of this
career only goes to prove the truth of the
R. C. Kammerer Returns.
assertions made in the foregoing para-
Robt. C. Kammerer returned from his
graphs. Too many employers are so Western trip Thursday night. After the
wrapped up in their own personal duties closing of the Convention, where he was a
and success that they fail to study those prominent figure, he visited a number of
around them, often to the detriment of cities through the West and included in
their own interests.
his return a number of important points
I have always believed that employees where the Steck agents were glad to ex-
are co-workers, and as far as possible they tend greetings to genial "Bob." Mr.
should be treated as such. They should Kammerer is one of the leading members
be encouraged in giving ideas that will of the New York Athletic Club and will
tend to put new life into the business. take an active part in the games which
Suggestions will often be offered which occur at the club's headquarters on Trav-
are unreasonable or entirely impractica- ers Island to-day.
ble, but in such cases care should be
Frank Sohmer Married.
taken to show wherein the plan is faulty
in order that the same mistakes may be
Frank J. Sohmer, nephew of Hugo Soh-
avoided at another time. Ridicule or sar-
mer,
was married to Miss Pearl Edgerton
casm at such times will often silence a
on
Thursday
at the First Presbyterian
man forever as far as his approaching his
Church,
White
Plains, N. Y. The young
employer is concerned, and too often it
couple
started
on
a honeymoon tour short-
also fans an underlying fire of dislike which
ly
after
the
ceremony.
Frank Sohmer has
afterward flames into hatred. Fifty per
many
friends
and
well-wishers
in the pi-
cent, of our business men would be better
ano
trade
and
out
of
it.
He
is
a bright
off to-day, in more ways than one, if they
business
man
and
his
future
is
full of
had practised in the past a more liberal
promise.
plan of consideration for their employees.
The foregoing is taken from a hardware
In Town.
paper, but it is also pertinent to the music
Among the visitors to The Review
trade, hence its publication.
sanctum, as well as among those in town
this week, were Rufus W. Blake, of the
Publishers vs. Automatics.
Sterling Co. ; J. F. Bowers, of Lyon &
Commenting on the meeting of the Music Healy, Chicago, and president of the Mu-
Publishers' Association of the United sic Publishers' Association; George A.
States, a report of which appears else- Crancer, of the Crancer & Curtice Co.,
where in this paper, the Tribune of this Lincoln, Neb. ; R. D. Gardner, Water-
city says: "Certain questions concerning town, N. Y. J. H. Rice, representing the
copyright attracted especial attention. The Schiller Piano Co., reached town yester-
details of the discussion were not given day. Chas. Becht, general traveler for the
out for publication. It is understood, how- Steger and Singer interests, is looking over
ever, that the publishers are taking the the trade situation in New York.
position that the sale of music arranged for
any sort of mechanical instrument ought
Decline in England's Patents.
to be subject to copyright law and to royal-
The English Patent Office has just issued
ty. Thus, certain attachments for organs its report for 1899, and it appears that there
and pianos are played by means of punc- has been a falling off during the past twelve
tured roles of paper, each one specially cut months, as there is a diminution of about
to produce a special musical composition. 1,000 in the number of the year's complete
Selling these rolls, the publishers main- specifications. The outbreak of the war
tain, is tantamount to selling copies of the occasioned the invention of several shields
music, and they should therefore be sub- and cuirasses for soldiers; the abnormal
ject to royalty. The same argument is heat during the summer resulted in many
used with reference to records made for applications for patents for headgear for
the phonograph and other instruments of horses; and the passing of the "Shop As-
the sort. Some hold also that a royalty sistants' Seats Act," by which every em-
should be paid for every public perform- ployer must provide his assistants with
ance of a copyrighted work. This is the seats during their work, resulted in the
law in France, where every hurdy-gurdy granting of patents for over fifty various
which plays a copyrighted air has to pay a kinds of seats. The largest number of
royalty for it. No action was taken on the applications in one day was 127, and the
subject and it was not even decided to smallest 50. Women were responsible for
make any test case, in order to get a deci- 574 specifications, 149 of which were in
sion on some one or more points from a connection with articles of dress, and 42
court. The whole question was referred to related to cycling. The general diminution
the association's Committee on Copyright." is attributed to the great decline of inven-
tion in connection with the cycling in-
The Connor Piano.
dustry.
Francis Connor is getting excellent re-
A piano purchased from Geary Bros.,
sults from the booklet catalogue recently
New
Haven, Conn., which was being hoisted
issued. He has been busy making and
into
a
third floor of a high block at the
shipping Connor products ever since the
corner
of Franklin and William streets,
season began. Out-of-town dealers, when
that
city,
on Monday, fell to the sidewalk
visiting New York, should certainly in-
just
as
it
had
about reached its destination.
clude an examination of the new Connor
It
was
smashed
into pieces. Cause—bad
uprights when making the round of fac-
tackling. Fortunately no one was injured.
tories and warerooms.