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THE
PIANOS FORJTHE INSANE.
Kansas City Inaugurates New Reform—Pianos
to be Used as a Therapeutic Agency—Experi-
ment to be Made at the Osawatomie Asylum.
(Special to The Review.)
Kansas City, Mo., April 23, 1906.
In Kansas—of course—a new reform has been
inaugurated which is fraught with interesting
possibilities. It is proposed to equip the insane
asylums of the State with pianos, on the as-
sumption that music that "hath charms to soothe
the savage breast" will exert a quieting and
remedial influence upon the patients. Mrs. J. M.
Lewis, a member of the State Board of Control,
is the pioneer in this enterprise, and upon her
recommendation the Osawatomie Asylum will
lie the place of first experimentation. Twenty-
five pianos will be installed as a starter, and
soon the somber walls of that institution will be
reverberating with popular airs, while the awe-
struck patients are to become as docile as lambs.
They will no longer require the restraints of
handcuffs or straitjackets, but will melt into
quiet submission under the hypnotic spell of
blending cadences from twenty-five busy instru-
ments.
It is not stated in what manner the pianos will
be used. In this connection the Kansas City
(Mo.) Journal says:
"Manifestly the patients cannot be depended on
to operate all of them, and it would be expensive
to hire professional piano players, who would be
taking grave chances in such employment where
artistic temperament might easily taper off into
dementia. Perhaps the State will buy pianola at-
Tachments to be run by a gasoline engine, in
which case the 'sweet compulsion' that 'doth in
music lie' would be manifolded, as it were, un-
der the skilled attention of an engineer.
"There should be, of course, some unanimity
of selections. It would be confusing, for in-
stance, if one piano was mournfully sobbing
'Home, Sweet Home,' while the next one to it was
bellowing 'Bedelia.' With twenty-five pianos at
work upon twenty-five different tunes there
might be a confusion that would defeat the ob-
ject of the experiment. If perfectly sane people
with rock-ballasted nerves are driven to the
verge of aberration by a visit to the ordinary
'studio' building, it is hard to believe that the
process of mental derangement will reverse itselt
after its victims have gone to the point of butt-
ing their heads against the walls. Another thing
that suggests itself is that various classes of in-
sane patients will require different kinds of mu-
sic. While 'Always' and Chauncey Olcott might
be the very thing for the languishing maidens
suffering from the pangs of unrequited love,
these gentle airs would hardly exert a subduing
influence upon the man who killed his wife and
nine children with an ax. But it is not within
the province of an outsider to make suggestions.
Those in charge of the experiment are well
qualified to formulate the system. They should
not hesitate, however, to give to a waiting world,
from time to time, such bits of information as to
the success of the new plan as may be justified
by events."
STOCKHOLDERS LIABLE.
An Important Decishon Handed
Down in
Michigan Which Concerns All Those Inter-
ested in Shaky Companies.
V Special to The Ueview.)
Detroit, Mich., April 23, 1906.
The stockholders of the defunct Manna Cereal
Co., in which money was sunk by Michigan peo-
ple, have lost the first lawsuit in their battle
against being held liable for the debts contracted
by the company.
The concern was organized a few years ago to
manufacture breakfast foods, but the scheme fell
through, and the crash was complete. Ira L.
Wood, of Detroit, was appointed receiver, and it
was found that the company had some $20,000
debts, with no money in the treasury. He noti-
fied the stockholders that they would have to
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
11
make up the amount, and suit was brought in the
"Although I am naturally inclined to decry an
Wayne County courts against about 200 stock- upright piano for the reason of having acquired
holders, with the result that the first decision by a preference for grand pianos, I have been com-
Judge Mandell is in Mr. Wood's favor.
pelled to change my mind since using the Smith
& Nixon upright pianos. The perfect workman-
ship of this piano, and its wonderful singing
OFFICERS NOMINATED
quality, make it a grand piano in an upright
case in every sense of the word. 1 cannot re-
For the National Piano Manufacturers' Asso-
frain from adding this, my testimonial, to the
ciation—To be Voted on at Convention.
numerous others you have doubtless received."
The nominating committee of the National
Piano Manufacturers' Association of America,
OUR FOREIGN CUSTOMERS.
consisting of Otto Schulz, chairman; W. H. Poole
and B. H. Janssen, have presented the following
Pianos and Other Musical Instruments Shipped
names to be voted on in acordance with Article
Abroad from New York for the Past Week.
X of the By-laws of this Association:
lS])oci:il [ o T h e Ui'virfW.)
For secretary, William Tonk, New York; for
Washington, D. C, April 23, 1906.
treasurer, George Miller, Philadelphia; for mem-
The following are the exports of pianos, or-
bership committee, Harry Schaaf, Chicago, chair,
gans,
musical instruments and kindred lines of
man; Melville Clark, Chicago; Francis Connor,
New York; E. B. Bogart, New York; Henry F. all kinds for the week just ended at the Port of
Miller, Boston. The other officers and committees New York:
Antwerp—3 pkgs. piano players and material,
are nominated at the annual meeting.
$610.
Amsterdam—3 pkgs. organs and material,
INCREASING THEIR FORCE.
$212.
Bremen—10 pkgs. piano players and material,
The Story & Clark Co. Have Added One Hun-
$1,000.
dred Men to Their Manufacturing Army.
Berlin—21 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial,
$2,046; 6 pkgs. music rolls, $374.
(Special to The Review.)
Buenos Ayres—76 pkgs. talking machines and
Grand Haven, Mich., April.23, 1906.
Within a very few months the Story & 'Clark •material, $3,524; 10 pkgs. organs and material,
Piano Co. will have increased their working force $470; 3 pkgs. pianos and material, $321; 3 pkgs.
by over 100 men. The fine new section of the piano players and material, $378; 2 pkgs. musi-
plant is now ready and will be filled up as rap- cal instruments, $125.
Bombay—47 pkgs. clocks, $808.
idly as men can be secured.
Calcutta—21
pkgs. organs and material, $650;
The company hopes in a very short time to
increase their capacity to fifteen pianos per day. 1 pkg. musical instruments, $144; 2 music, $327.
Copenhagen—-2 pkgs. organs and material,
Mr. Corl says it is his desire to give home men
a chance in this increase of the working force $100; .1 pkg. talking.machines and material, $250;
whenever it is possible to do so. When the force 2 pkgs. organs, $110.
Christiania—2 pkgs. organs and material, $2oo,
is brought up to the standard desired by the com-
.'Dresden—4
pkgs. talking machines and ma-
pany, the concern will employ 300 hands. This
terial, $115.
will be in a very few months.
Glasgow—10 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
The piano player department, which has been
operated at the plant of the Western Piano Sup- terial, $385.
Havana—28 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
ply Co., has been moved into the main building
and the players are now being manufactured to- terial, $1,479; 4 musical instruments, $226; 9
gether with the rest of the Story & Clark pkgs. talking machines and material, $282.
Havre—18 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
products.
terial,
$685; 4 pkgs. piano players and material,
The plant increased to double its capacity
within the past year and erected a fine addition $850; 2 pkgs. music, $266; 9 pkgs. piano players
that is larger in size than the original building. and material, $1,000.
Hamburg—2 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
With the big increase in force the plant be-
terial,
$256; 3 pkgs. organs and material, $112;
comes one of the largest in Ottawa County.
14 pkgs. pianos and material, $619; 12 pkgs.
piano stock, $600; 3 pkgs. musical instruments,
ELSENHEIMER TOJ>MITH & NIXON. $150.
La Guayra—4 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
The Celebrated Teacher and Musician Pays a
terial,
$161.
Very High Compliment to the Splendid
Liverpool—15 pkgs. organs and material,
Qualities of the Smith & Nixon Pianos.
$2,753; 6 pkgs. organs and material, $300; 2
One of the most enthusiastic admirers of the pkgs. pianos and material, $750.
London—86 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
Smith & Nixon grand in the upright case is Dr.
Nicholas J. Elsenheimer, the prominent German terial, $8,479; 12 pkgs. organs and material,
$1,892; 59 pkgs. piano players and material, $12,-
teacher, pianist and composer.
Dr. Elsenheimer is a native of Wiesbaden, and 450; 520 pkgs. talking machines and material,
was educated at Munich, Berlin and Heidelberg. $4,763; 5 pkgs. pianos and material, $1,240; 2H
After his arrival in America he was connected pkgs. music, $1,563; 3 pkgs. talking machines
with the College of Music for several years, and material, $249.
Lyttleton—15 pkgs. organs and material, $1,405.
where he displayed splendid gifts as a conscien-
Melbourne—1 pkg. musical instruments, $153.
tious teacher.and a musician of broad versatility.
Nuevitas—1 pkg. piano players, $3,245; 12
He is also well-known as an orchestral leader.
He has recently accepted the position as teacher pkgs. talking, machines and material, $217; 1
in the piano department and in the departments pkg. pianos, $285.
of harmony, counterpart and composition in the
Naples—3 pkgs. pianos, $340.
Cosmopolitan School of Music of Chicago.
Para—17 pkgs. talking machines and material,
Dr. Elsenheimer is recognized as one of the $646.
Southampton—1 pkg. music goods, $120.
most talented and best-rounded musicians in Cin-
St. Petersburg—5 pkgs. talking machines and
cinnati. He has of late taken an extremely
prominent part in musical matters, and is con- material, $231.
Trinidad—5 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
ceded to be a leading force in all things pertain-
ing to his chosen art. He stands easily in the terial, $155.
front rank of piano and theory teachers. Last
Tampico.—1 pkg. pianos and material, $185.
season he was one of the soloists with the Theo-
Wellington—6 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
dore Thomas Orchestra, of Chicago, on their terial, $219; 34 pkgs. organs and material, $1,506;
spring tour, and will also be one of their soloists 2 pkgs. piano players, $285.
this season.
Werden—11 pkgs. organs, $760.
The appreciation of Dr. Elsenheimer of a splen-
Vienna—17 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
did instrument is expressed in the following let- terial, $538.
ter received by the manufacturers:
Yokohama—2 pkgs. pianos and material, $224.