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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
I
'M ME was when the practice was almost universal to mellow up
a bit with a merchant before an order was expected, and the
merchant was a victim to the habit so that he expected to have a
good time with the traveling man, or else fat orders were not forth-
coming.
The keen competition of modern business, however, has
changed much of that. Then, perhaps, there are other reasons.
The New York Medical Journal has the following to say regarding
the use of alcohol:
"Whatever the effects of alcohol may be on the physical sys-
tem, there is no doubt whatever about its temporary effects on the
mental; it leads to diffusion of mind, desultory conversation, a gen-
eral sense of 'what's the use of doing anything but enjoy one's self?'
This is a state of mind that the sharp, merciless competition of
modern business methods could not utilize; human nature does not
change, and excitement was demanded as of yore, but employes who
felt the need of occasional excitement were required to find it in
getting business away from their rivals. Drinking was simply for-
bidden, because it was found that the abstainers did more work and
so obtained better results. The change was rapid, till now drinking
is for the most part confined to purely social occasions and is much
less a feature of those than formerly."
Commenting on the same matter the New York Times says:
"Within the memory of many, drinking, and rather heavy
drinking, was a recognized factor in the transaction of business,
and 'a man who could carry a heavy load of liquor without obvious
symptoms was respected and even feared as a dangerous business
rival.' The 'drinking man' now finds his opportunities for both
employment and advancement very seriously limited, and he is
rather rapidly disappearing from view. He is no longer consid-
ered respectable, useful, or amusing, and he was often held to be
at least one of the three bv our grandfathers' fathers."
F
ACTORY superintendents, dealers and tuners should under-
stand that The Review stands ready at all times to answer
any practical questions which relate to the technical side of busi-
ness.
We conduct weekly a technical department under the editor-
ship of a man who thoroughly understands every department of
piano making, and believing that a trade journal should supply all
information relating to the craft, we shall take pleasure in replying
to any communications concerning theories of piano building which
may be directed to this office.
I
T too frequently happens that undeserving men obtain credit,
and when this kind of men, men who have not character or con-
science, obtain goods through misrepresentation, they immediately
become a disturbing clement in legitimate trade circles. It is the
one astounding thing in business, that the men without character,
without honor, can open a store, and not only secure goods, but
they can reorder until they owe a man out of all proportion to their
resources, even though they are strictly honest.
It is not wholly in retail circles, but in manufacturing lines as
well, that credit is frequently given to the unworthy.
We have had in this city several piano concerns who have
failed recently showing little or no assets, who obtained such credit
that a vast amount of indebtedness was piled out of all proportion
to their resources, and when the crash came there was little or
nothing left for the creditors. Such men have a tendency to dis-
turb the general market conditions, because in order to tide them-
selves over temporary difficulties they sell goods below cost, or
even at any price, only to get in money to meet obligations which
are most pressing and which will save them from grounding on
financial shoals.
I
N such times as the present manufacturers and merchants can
afford to scan their credits more closely than ever before.
There is enough good trade to go round, and after all it is the
character of business, which counts. No man should fool himself
with the idea that he is doing a profitable business, simply because
he is sending out a lot of goods to irresponsible parties. It isn't
the number of sales which count, but it is the quality of sales. It
is a singular thing when times are good the manufacturer will
figure, if so and so can ever pay, he can pay now, and then he feels
optimistic in a general way about everything, and this sort of
healthy optimism induces him to send out his merchandise in a
manner which he would not do if times were not so universally
good.
O manufacturer should ship goods to a man whose character
is questionable, it doesn't matter how good his rating is; if
he isn't square he will evade payment, and when a dishonest man
reaches a place in business where it will pay him better to make an
assignment than to pay his creditors in full he will even though the
double amount of his indebtedness is stowed away in some safe
hiding place.
Then when times are bad, the manufacturer will say, he must
take a chance because he needs the business, and so the dishonest
man reaps another credit. Singular indeed the credulity of man-
kind. We progress tremendously in some things, but we stand still
on intelligent discrimination with credits.
N
ONCENTRATION in business counts for much. The men
who have a definite plan win more than the men who scatter
aimlessly over the whole country. Concentration is the keynote of
business success, and some of the maxims laid down by Napoleon,
whose shadow even now falls athwart the whole continent of
Europe, were, "Attacks should not be scattered." "Always be
superior to the enemy at the point, of attack." "Time is every-
thing." In his long list of victories may be found examples of
how he used these rules. In Arcola, Marengo, Jena, and a score
of other battles, it was always one point with Napoleon—concen-
tration. A man in business may study with profit rules of the
man who created a new map of Europe. They are not philosophic
or scientific axioms, for they are rules of the will, commands, and
not of the mind. They are directly applicable to the commercial
battle, for concentration of capital and purpose means victory.
Carrying out these same principles, in his actions, Napoleon with
an army of less than a hundred thousand defeated an enemy of
three hundred thousand, and so the man with a modest capital, but
with concentrated ideas and energies, may frequently win out
against the larger competitor, whose ideas are not fixed, and whose
energies are scattered.
C
HERE are just as great opportunities to-day for the small man
in business who concentrates his energy, even though his
capital is small, but who has fixed ideas in conducting his business.
vSome of the large men in the piano world of to-day were small
men in ten years past—they were well down the trade line. We
can name scores of them who have climbed steadily up the heights
to wealth and fame, and every one of these men had a fixed pur-
pose—a motive. They did not conduct their business with the idea
of downing the other fellow, but to win out themselves, and to do
this in the face of keen competition required ceaseless energy with
carefully executed plans.
There are just as good opportunities to-day as there were ten
years ago, but there never was a time in the history of the world
when there was a greater demand for energy, perseverance and
ability than to-day.
T
A
OVERNOR FOLK, of Missouri, does not believe in the mail
X order business, and he favors advertising in town papers.
Recently he said: "We want our country towns to grow. We
wish the city merchants to build up, but we also desire the country
merchants to prosper. I do not believe in the mail-order citizen.
If a place is good enough for a man to live in and to make his
money in, it is good enough for him to spend his money in. No
merchant can succeed without advertising in one way or another.
Patronize your town papers, build them up, and they will build the
town up and build you up increased trade and greater opportuni-
ties."
C
HE advance guard of dealers who visit New York for the
purpose of selecting stock for fall and winter trade have
been calling at the leading factories this week and placing substan-
tial orders. Speaking of the visitors to New York brings to mind
the fact that at no time in the history of the city have more people
been within our gates. New York has become one of the great
points of interest, not only for Americans, but for people from all
over the globe, who enjoy its hospitality.
T