Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1900 Vol. 31 N. 19

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
he offense. We rely upon our own
The ONLY music TRADE paper which
sources of information for the correctness received any award at the Paris Exposi-
tion of 1900 was The Husic Trade Review
of our statements.
We strive to be correct because we claim which was given the GRAND PRIX, the
HIGHEST official recognition obtainable
that reliability is one of the cornerstones
for any exhibit in any division of art, me-
upon which journalistic success rests. It chanics or industry.
is the policy of this paper to trace a rumor
to its source, then give the individual who the second time given its emphatic refusal
is directly affected by the rumor an oppor- to accept a depreciated currency.
tunity to deny or affirm the report before
It has given an approval of the doctrines
—not after—publication.
of expansion and it would seem also as if
the result of the campaign had also dem-
KNEW A SILVER BRICK.
HP HE battle of the ballots is over, and the onstrated that the popular idea of trusts as
business interests of this country are they are commonly termed is to the effect
now assured of another four years of un- that they are not at present such a menace
to the welfare of America as has been
broken prosperity.
The result of the election shows that the claimed.
The whole situation may be summed up
American people can be relied upon to ex-
succinctly
in the colloquial expression that
ercise intelligent judgment when passing
the American people knew a good thing
upon great national issues.
With the passing of Bryan — together when they encountered it, and they pro-
with his unsound financial theories and his posed to keep it.
They were not to be won to the point of
coterie of cranks—there is no cloud visible
on the business sky which need cause any discarding the solid substance of prosper-
ity for the alluring shadow of Bryanism.
alarm to the most timid.
It is true the business element of the They knew Bryan was not even a gold
country had largely discounted the election brick but just an ordinary silver one.
The American workman exhibited his
by their confidence displayed weeks before
good
hard sense, and the ballot results
the depositing of the ballots occurred, yet,
notwithstanding the reasonable assurance, show that he has done some powerful
there is in any election an element of thinking along commonsense lines.
McKinleyism with him was synonymous
doubt until the returns are actually made.
As a matter of fact, the victory of last with plentyism while Bryanism he evi-
Tuesday was more than a party one. It dently allied with povertyism. The peo-
was a victory of the whole American peo- ple refused to take any chances.
A theory was not to be substituted for a
ple irrespective of party or class. It was
a reply to the insult placed upon them by fact.
And now for business.
the doctrines of Bryan who advocated not
only a false financial policy, but a danger-
UP TO YOU, MR. DEALER.
ous class feeling which could only result
T
H
E
R E is too much over-desire to do a
in the disestablishment of law and order.
large sized business on a small cap-
To teach an employee that his employer
ital.
is his enemy and to infer that because a
That has been the stumbling block to
man has gained wealth he won it by
the
success of many a piano merchant who
dishonest means, is disseminating that
which is contrary to American principles, has not used the proper discrimination as
and the American people recognized it fully to the kind of trade which pays the best.
Now, there is trade and trade, but it is
and replied from ocean to ocean in terms
which were unmistakable in their emphatic the kind that tells the story of business
success or failure, and the piano merchants
condemnation.
Bryanism has unquestionably received its who have been putting out instruments on
death stroke, and now the Democratic party ridiculously small installment payments to
can reorganize after first ejecting the men a class of customers who will never make
who have stolen its title and have masque- more than a first payment have simply
raded under it since the time when Bryan's been fooling themselves.
emotional harangue captured the conven-
It pays to get right down to facts,
tion at Chicago.
and the quicker the piano dealer who has
Perhaps these elections are worth all been buoying himself up upon the propo-
they cost. They certainly are educational sition that he has been doing well, simply
to our people, and stimulate thought and because he has been selling a good many
action along lines which are obviously con- pianos, should investigate facts, for a piano
ducive to the best interests of the country. stitch in time frequently saves more than
This nation, holding in its hands.perhaps nine pianos.
the financial destiny of the world, has for
Here we are at the beginning of a great
period of piano selling. Money is plentiful.-""
We have months of good business be-
fore us. The demand is going to be heavy
and people are going to buy more pianos,
because good times are everywhere.
Can you imagine a better time, Mr. Deal-
er, than the present, to exploit the idea of
big cash payments, instead of small install-
ment payments?
Can you figure out a better period in the
entire history of this trade where the op-
portunities have been better than those of
the present to place the piano business
more nearly upon a cash basis?
With cash or good, healthy installment
sales we are standing on pretty firm foun-
dation. Just talk cash a little harder and
have your salesmen as well. Get out of
the installment rut. No time better than
the present with the good results of Mc-
Kinley's election all around us.
REVIEWLETS.
"THE number of men represented in the
allied music trades division in the
Sound Money Parade last Saturday ap-
proximated four hundred. Every branch
of the industry was represented. There
were piano manufacturers and dealers,
small goods manufacturers, piano action
makers, hammer coverers, piano hardware
men, trade paper men, music publishers,
travelers and salesmen. Their enthusiasm
was not of that kind which was easily
dampened, and notwithstanding the con-
tinuous downpour of rain, the music trade
battalion maintained an unbroken front
through the entire line of march.
r
All in all it was a glorious day. The
old veterans of the trade touched elbows
with some of the youngest members.
HTHE self-playing piano field is evidently
looked upon as a fertile one by in-
ventors and speculators, for hardly a week
passes but that we are called upon to
record the incorporation of some of these
concerns in the various States. Many of
them, however, never reaches beyond the
embryo stage. All the concerns which are
now manufacturing piano playing attach-
ments are doing a magnificent business and
their facilities are wholly inadequate to
keep pace with the demand.
So it will continue for some time to
come.
''THERE is scarcely a manufactured arti-
cle that you can think of which will
not immediately suggest to you the name
of the individual or firm that is celebrated
for its manufacture. They have been iden-
tified with the goods because, years ago,
they started out to make a name on the
strength of their product. It pays to ad-
vertise a good thing.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC .TRADE REVIEW
The Vocalion's New Quarters.
Our Population.
Kranich & Bach and Prosperity-
[Special to The Review.]
The total population of the United
States is 76,295,220, according to a Census
Bureau bulletin issued this week. This is
an increase of 13,225,464 over the enu-
meration of 1890. The percentage of in-
crease is 20.90. The figures are in excess
of the estimates made by competent ob-
servers, which ranged from 70,000,000 to
75,000,000. It is the largest actual in-
crease occurring during any decade since
the first census in 1790, when the popula-
tion of the nation was 3,929,214. The
growth from that modest figure to over
76,000,000 in a little over a century is one
of the marvels of our remarkable country.
It is a record unparalleled in the history
of the world.
One hundred years ago Russia stood at
the head, in point of population, of the
civilized countries of the Western world,
while the United States took lowest rank.
At the end of the century Russia remains
in the same position, while the United
States has risen to the second place.
But if the advance in material well being
and industrial achievements of the people
is taken into consideration, it will be found
that this country has forged ahead into the
first place by a long interval.
Taking the population of the country by
States, it is shown that New York stands
easily at the head, with a population of
7,268,009, Pennsylvania coming second
with 6,301,365 inhabitants, Illinois third
with 4,821,550, Ohio fourth with 4,157,545,
and Missouri fifth with 3,107,117. These
States keep in the order in which they
stood ten years ago, but Massachusetts
gives up her place as the sixth most popu-
lous State in favor of Texas, which has
advanced to within 59,000 of Missouri,
In the far West, some of the small States
show remarkable rates of increase, Idaho's
growth being 92 per cent., that of Mon-
tana 84 per cent., North Dakota 75 per
cent., and Wyoming 53 per cent. On the
other hand, Kansas has gained only 3 per
cent., and Nebraska 1 per cent., while Ne-
vada shows an actual loss in population.
New Jersey makes the best record in the
East, with an increase of 30 per cent.,
New York's growth being 21 per cent.,
and Pennsylvania's 20 per cent. The New
England States have made comparatively
little advance. In the South, Florida has
grown 35 per cent, in population, while
Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama have
each gained about 20 per cent. The other
Southern States fall far behind these fig-
ures. Illinois and Wisconsin, in the Mid-
dle West, have increased 23 per cent.,
Iowa 17 per cent., Indiana 15 per cent.,
and Ohio only 13 per cent.
POST ELECTION ORDER BY KELLER OF EASTON
A STRENUOUS K. & B. WORKER
FINE DISPLAY OF GRANDS.
Worcester, Mass., Nov. 5, 1900.
The Vocalion Co. is now " a t home" in
its new factory quarters at Beacon and
Jackson streets, and are already shipping
completed vocalions. The shop is one of
the best in Worcester. Everything is of
the most modern type. The power is all
transmitted by electricity generated in the
building. Much of the machinery is brand
new.
The building is of modern mill construc-
tion. The walls are massive brick. The
uprights and beams are of the heaviest
southern pine with intervening plates of
steel, so that there is absolutely no shrink
or swell. The floors are five inches thick,
consisting of two two-inch planks with as-
bestos between, and a floor of inch boards
on top of that. It is of the best type of
slow-burning building. A bonfire could
be started against one of the upright posts
and there would be little danger of spread-
ing unless given a long time to get to work.
The building has a length of 185 feet on
Jackson street and 70 feet on Beacon
street. The company also occupies a 70-
foot section of the Estabrook building
which adjoins on Beacon street. The total
floor area is 70,000 square feet, which is
two-thirds more than that at the old loca-
tion. A new Corliss engine has been in-
stalled, making 150 horse power, capable
of doing much more work when required.
Two 100 horse power boilers provide the
steam. The engine is connected direct
with a 100 horse power Westinghouse gen-
erator, through which passes all the power
used in the shop for running machinery
and two large elevators, and illuminating
by incandescent and arc lights.
Each department has its own electric
motor, so that anyone of them may shut
down without interfering with other parts
of the works. Every ounce of dust and
shavings from the woodworking machinery
of the shop is utilized for power. Small
electric motors operate bellows, which fur-
nish the corps of tuners with wind for use
in their delicate work of giving the reeds
the exact pitch. There are numerous other
little conveniences and the employes of the
new shop are given every advantage of
modern sanitary construction.
Worcester-made vocalions are played in
every civilized country. They are becom-
ing common in England and the countries
of the European continent. Wednesday
nine big instruments were shipped to Aus-
tralia. Some idea of the business may
be obtained from the fact that the aver-
age week's payroll is $2,300, and last year
business to the amount of nearly $300,000
was done.
The new shop will employ more men
when everything is in order. New ma-
chinery has been added, and more is build-
ing in the company's machine shop, for it
builds most of its machinery. Then the
force of 175 men will gradually be con-
siderably increased.
Weser Bros, have a pleasant suprise in
store for their patrons and the trade. It
will be announced at an early date.
L. W. P. Norris, President of the Linde-
man & Sons Piano Co., West Twenty-third
street, is getting in some big orders and
sending out notable shipments of the
choicest Lindeman & Sons uprights. He
reports the outlook as very good.
The report this week at the Behr Bros,
factory is: " Very busy and growing more
SO every day."
The first visitor at the Kranich & Bach
warerooms in this city on the morning
after election was W. H. Keller, the Kran-
ich & Bach agent at Easton, Pa. He said
that in view of the results at the polls, he
desired to order a carload of his favorite
instruments at once. The selection of pi-
anos was made, and they are now being
prepared for shipment.
Mr. Keller has been the Kranich & Bach
agent at Easton for nearly, if not quite, a
quarter of a century. He handles the K.
& B. as his leader and is a strenuous work-
er in the firm interests. In a booklet is-
sued by him recently under the title:—"Is
Your Name in This Book—If Not, Why
Not?" Mr. Keller gives a long list of de-
lighted purchasers in Easton, South Eas-
ton, Phi lipsburg, N. J., and out-of-town.
The list contains the names and ad-
dresses of 276 prominent professional men
and women, and other citizens of good so-
cial standing in his territory. Each pos-
sesses one or more Kranich & Bach pianos,
and every one is an enthusiast on the mer-
its of these instruments. As Mr. Keller
puts it: " They have purchased and tested
the Kranich & Bach pianos in a manner to
justify full expression as to their relative
worth and merit."
During a recent visit to the Kranich &
Bach warerooms, The Review, under the
guidance of Victor W. O'Brien, inspected
a number of Kranich & Bach grands just
completed, in plain and fancy woods. They
fully sustain every claim made for them,
and every indorsement from those who
have used and are now using similar Kra-
nich & Bach products. It is safe to predict
that this will be a great season for the
firm's business.
Opera in English.
"Esmeralda," a grand opera in four acts
by Arthur Goring Thomas, will receive its
first American presentation at the Metro-
politan Opera House next Monday, Nov.
12. The management of the Metropolitan
English Grand Opera Co. selected this
work as the first novelty of the season. It
is especially adapted for production by an
organization devoted to the presentation of
opera in English, as it was written by an
English composer for an English Opera
Co. "Esmeralda" was composed for the
Carl Rosa Opera Co., by whom it was first
produced on March 26, 1883, at the Drury
Lane Theatre, London. It won an im-
mediate success and has maintained its
popularity up to the present time.
Miss Grace Van Studdiford is proving
to be a valuable member of the Metropol-
itan English Opera Company. Her first
successes, as Martha and Michaela, were
followed by a triumph won last Saturday
afternoon, when she was called upon at an
hour's notice to sing Marguerite in ' 'Faust,"
owing to the sudden indisposition of Miss
Alice Esty. Her hit was all the more re-
markable in view of the fact that she ha.d
never previously appeared in the role,

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