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TH
MUSIC
TRADE
REIVIEIW
9
Moreover, if one is well dressed and comfortably housed,
a member of a union, is placed by its rulings on the same basis of
is liable to be more genial, spirits better and capable of in-
remuneration as the skilled and veteran employee.
This is certainly a break in the right direction and unions by
forcing the inexperienced men to the same pay scale as the men
finitely more work, all of which has an influence upon the custom-
ers who visit the store.
A man who looks as if he denied himself all the good things
whose skill has been tested by many years are working contrary to
of this world, whose clothing is worn and out of date, whose whole
all natural laws.
It is a kind of socialism which is distasteful to ambitious men.
. By artificial means it is possible to sustain these rules for a while,
appearance is somewhat frayed, is not liable to influence the confi-
dence of his customers.
Good dressing and good living are essen-
tials of the successful, temperate conservative business man.
but the men themselves, that is the experienced men, sooner or later
' I V HERE is no more severe handicap in a modern business estab-
are bound to revolt.
*
'"T~* H E laborer is worthy of his hire, and the man who has proved
*
his accomplishments and skill, is certainly worth more than
lishment than to exercise a false economy in needed better-
ments.
made attractive in order to draw retail trade.
a raw recruit who has recently become a member of a labor union.
Then again the recent showing up of the gigantic blackmailing
Piano merchants should consider that their stores must be
'Tis true betterments cost money, but they are worth all they
cost.
scheme of the walking delegates in our city has served as an eye
Of course expenditures along lines of improvement should not
opener to the honest union men. They do not believe in a system
be made out of proportion to the business, but no piano merchant
of blackmail any more than they do that of intimidation and riot,
should permit his business to become fossilized by saying that sur-
but they have bowed the head and bent the knee to the imperial sway
roundings that were good enough ten years ago are good enough
of reckless leaders so that they themselves have been great sufferers.
to-day.
The firebrand element cannot hold leadership much longer in
They are not, the world moves ahead and every establishment
the labor union because the sober thinking union men will be bound
must make improvements or drop behind in the race. We are pro-
to sidetrack the blackmailing walking delegate and to establish reg-
gressive, and when improvements are once placed in they never go
ular grades of pay, and not place all men, no matter what their capa-
out.
bilities, upon the same plane of equality.
elevators, and have their customers walk up four flights of stairs?
How many establishments to-day would give up their electric
What would we do without telephones, which enable us to trans-
E
A. KEISELHORST, one of the youngest, if not the youngest
piano dealer in the country, remarked to The Review in the
act a prodigious amount of business with more expedition and accu-
racy than we were able to do in the old days.
course of a chat recently:
What about speaking tubes for the different departments ?
"I believe in system and the older I grow, the more I
Think of the time, money and running they save. A merchant
see the necessity of a system in every department of this business,
who used to write all his letters by hand gave most of the day to it.
and when The Review advocates business system, it is doing good
Now he employs a stenographer and winds up in an hour and has
to the music trade.
time to think about his business.
"When I was in Chicago some years ago, Governor Kimball
asked me how my expenses were running.
No, we wouldn't give up any of those things, because we con-
sider them a business necessity and we have never known a piano
"I am keeping them down, Governor," I replied, "and I have
man who has made his warerooms really attractive to ever complain
just discharged my young lady cashier and propose to attend to
of the expense. All outlay which assists in drawing trade is worth
that part of the business myself."
what it costs.
"You are wrong," repeated Mr. Kimball, and when you go
back to St. Louis, you immediately reinstate that young lady. You
I
N some piano stores there are employees who should be taught
are worth more directing the business."
to have a higher regard for politeness.
Politeness is a business necessity, and it means the saving of
"I thought over Mr. Kimball's words and acted upon them,
much to an institution.
1
and now it is simply directing with me, and formulating a system in
every department."
Now the career of Geo. C. Williams, president of the Chemical
National Bank, who died recently, presents an important lesson
Now, there is something worth thinking and in thorough line
along these lines. Speaking of politeness, Mr. Williams once said,
with The Review's policy that the man at the head of the business
"No institution is too important to ignore the laws of courtesy. If
should not wear himself out attending to details.
I could speak twenty languages, I would preach politeness in them
He should
all.
employ others for that.
W
I speak in
praise of politeness out of the experience of fifty-nine years in the
While he plans, others should execute.
E know of one well-known piano merchant
A grain of politeness saves a ton of correction.
and, by the way,
we have adopted that word merchant in place of the term
dealer—of whom it was said that his living expenses were less than
any salesman in the establishment.
Now, it pays any man who caters to the public to look prosper-
banking business."
This great financial leader looked upon politeness as a most
important matter—made it one of his requirements in all walks of
life, insisting upon its observance in each department of the bank.
Affability and politeness are splendid business essentials to cultivate
ous, and penuriousness in dress and in living should be just as
because people are frequently turned away by some gruff remark,
harshly criticised as reckless extravagance.
or some lack of fine courtesy and politeness on the part of attaches.