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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
expresses our feelings toward you is on the Net many men know Mr. Gilmore as well as I.
lie has the biggest heart of any man 1 know, and
record."
Vociferous applause followed Mr. Andrews' neat he has the love and esteem of the jobbers, and it
and happy remarks, and three roof-lifting cheers is in this spirit we take the greatest pleasure
and a tiger followed. Then Walter A. Miller, in presenting you with this elegant cup. That's
manager of the company's recording laboratory, all."
adjusted the gold record to a Triumph machine,
President Gilmore's Appreciative Remarks.
and Mr. Edison, with his face in the bell of the
The cheering was long and vehement, with calls
horn—he is slightly deaf—heard the following for "speech." At last Mr. Gilmore feelingly said:
formal congratulatory address, which was re- "All I can say is you take me off my feet. On
corded by Len Spencer:
behalf of Mr. Edison, who never makes a speech,
1 thank you for the beautiful testimonial of your
What the Gold Record Said.
regard;
and for myself I thank you for this ele-
, "Mr. Edison: This record of pure gold, which
addresses these words to yen, is a gift from the gant present. 1 knew something of what was
going on in regard to Mr. Edison, but never
jobbers engaged in the distribution cf the Edison
dreamed far a moment you had 'something up
phonographs and records. They have come from
ycur
sleeve' for me. However, 1 promise you our
the East, the West, the North and the South of
this fair land of ours. They are your loyal and company will continue to be fair and square with
admiring friends—your ambassadors of com- you, and that our business policy of the past will
merce, whose mission it is to distribute your remain unchanged unless mutually beneficial.
products to the four quarters of the globe. By Again 1 thank you all most sincerely."
Description of Cup Presented to Mr. Gilmore.
the tench of your colossal inventive genius you
The solid sterling silver loving cup presented
have created industries, giving employment to
countless thousands the world over. The wheels to Mr. Gilmore is of the massive Grecian style,
of commerce occupied in the production of your being about twenty inches wide and placed on
invention sing a never-ending song of praise to an ebony base about two feet high. The general
style and ornamentation was worked out from
your magnificent achievements.
' To the seven existing wonders cf the world the ideas and suggestions of Mr. C. V. Henkel,
you added the phonograph, which is the eighth president of Douglas Phonograph Co., being bowl
wonder of the world. It speaks every language shape, set in foliage of repoussed laurel leaves
uttered by human tongue, and in the field of lan-
guage-study it is the greatest educator the world
has ever known. With song and story it will con-
tinue till the end of time to entertain the multi-
tudes of the earth, who place the name of Thomas
A. Edison at the head of the column of the world's
greatest captains of industry."
The phonograph record wcund up with an or-
chestral rendition cf "Auld Lang Syne," in which
the assemblage joined with a will. To be sure,
everybody was gratified and no one expressed it
more unreservedly than the eminent recipient. As
Mr. Edison never indulges in speeches he looked
his appreciation. A replica of the record in the
standard material will be given every one in at-
tendance as a memento.
Description of Edison Gift.
The stand supporting the gold record presented
to Thomas A. Edison is made in solid sterling
silver, ornamented with solid gold inlay and
surmounted with three beautifully modeled fig-
ures, representing music, art and progress. On
the sides of three panels are imbedded a portrait
of Mr. Edison and appropriate inscriptions of tha
^vent.
The style followed throughout was that of the
celebrated Louis- XV period, the rococo design
with its graceful flowers and scrolls artistically
intermingled, showing intricate chasing. Above
the decorative work was the holder for the rec-
ord, the entire affair being mounted on an ebony
base and being in all about twelve inches high.
CUKAT
KDISOX
FACTOISY
TOIUKH
II Y T I I K
and berries, with the name of a different firm on
each leaf (about 160 in all), representing donors.
In center of leaf work, on one side, is bas-relief
of Mr. Gilmore; second side, well-known litho-
graph of an old lady and gentleman listening to
a phonograph, and third side, etching of the in-
scription presentation. The cup is surmounted
by three beautifully carved handles. Between
the different handles are three panels, each a bas-
relief of cherubs representing music, progress
and art. The cup is a handsome example of the
modern silversmith's art, and was made by
Dieges & Clust, of this city.
Presentation to President W. E. Gilmore.
The inscription on the cup was as follows:
When the applause had subsided Geo. Ilsen, of
"Presented to William E. Gilmore, July 18th.
Cincinnati, then said: "The committee are also 1900, by the Edison Phonograph Jobbers of the
responsible for my selection; at least you would
United States and Canada as an expression of
think so if you were 'over the Rhine,' where its their personal esteem."
purpose would have practical application in short
As Mr. Gilmore concluded Victor H. Rapke
order, though I doubt very much whether one mounted the rostrum and evidently intended mak-
man could handle it easily and make a neat job ing a few remarks laudatory of Mr. Edison, but
of the performance. However, we will let that it was not on the programme, and he eventually
pass and come to my pleasant task. We all know retired not without shouting into Mr. Edison's
that Mr. Edison gave the world tha phonograph, ear: "We did the best we could," which caused
but the man who made the phonograph a com- the wizard much amusement.
mercial product—a man who has surrounded
With these ceremonies over a photograph was
himself with assistants as able as himself—is
W. E. Gilmore. (Tremendous cheering.) He is taken cf the entire assemblage in front of the
the right-hand man of Mr. Edison, and we honor library building, with Mr. Edison occupying a
Mr. Gilmore in presenting him with this mag- prominent position. Subsequently the remainder
nificent silver leving-cup—not a small one, by of the plant, including the laboratories, private
any manner of means—for perhaps it might take experimental rooms and kinetoscope department,
three men to handle it in action. (Here the flag heretofore unvisited, were inspected.
shrouding the cup was removed with more cheer-
Dinner and "Show" Wednesday Night.
ing and blushes on the part of Mr. Gilmore.)
Wednesday evening an informal dinner was
As you will notice, Mr. Gilmore, each leaf on the given at the Waldorf-Astoria, on returning from
cup bears the name of some jobber, a contribu- Orange, and later on the performance of "The
tion, and therefore a lasting testimony of his Governor's Son," on the roof of the New Amster-
high esteem for you and who honors the distin- dam Theatre, was witnessed. Thursday an ex-
guished president of the National Phonograph Co. cursion was made to West Point, the United
States Military Academy, on the Hudson River,
in a specially chartered steamboat, where the ob-
jects of historical interest were visited and the
dress parade of the cadets observed. Luncheon
and dinner were served en route, and Mr. Edi-
son surprised every one by being present. The
Edison concert band supplied the music during
the day. Automobile trips about the city were
taken the next day. The entertainment wound
up with a formal banquet last night in the Astor
Gallery of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was an
elaborate spread, speeches being exchanged, en-
tertainment furnished by the Edison Artists and
Symphony Orchestra being greatly enjoyed. Mr.
Edison was present, occupying the seat of honor,
receiving an ovation, his associates at the "head
table" being Messrs. Gilmore, Dolbeer, Weber and
Dyer. This closed what is believed will be the
most memorable week in the history of the talk-
ing machine trade when an exchange of social
amenities is considered. In the business world it
is unheard of on such a scale, and therefore all
the more credit is due the officers and general
management of the National Phonograph Co.
SOME OBSERVATIONS.
A jollier and more well-appearing bunch than
the Edison jobbers it is hard to find. Acquaint-
ances were quickly
made, and very little
was said about that
well-worn topic — un-
business-like competi-
tion.
Wherever Mr. Edi-
son happened to be he
was the cynosure of
all eyes, the observed
of all observers. In
the luncheon hall he
stood l e a n i n g up
against a w i n d o w
jamb, cigar in hand,
inhaling the smoke as
he enjoyed the aroma,
with an old straw hat
of great size on his
.IOHHEHS.
head, the inevitable
white tie, loose office coat and easy slippers, the
captain-general of industry, seemed to be having
the time of his life. No heartier laugh than his
was heard, and as Mr. Gilmore said: "When Mr.
Edison has a crowd about him like now, he for-
gets all about time, and will talk right along for
hours. He is enjoying himself thoroughly."
When asked about his early experience as a
telegraph operator, and how by fixing up his in-
strument to save watching, two trains collided.
Mr. Edison said: "That's true, and I lit out on
the first train that came along. No; I didn't go
to Kingston, Can., because I knew a penitentiary
was there, and I didn't care to take any chances."
Then came the infectious laugh. "How long since
has that been? Oh, about 1875." Some one—
the crowd stood five deep—mentioned the won-
ders of the phonograph and wherefor of its which-
ness, so to speak. That the sound was repro-
duced, but how, and the sage slowly answered:
"No one knows. It is marvelous, but as yet un-
explained."
Cigars abounded. At the Waldorf boxes were
always in evidence, and at the factory each squad
was accompanied by a bearer of "smokes."
General Sales Manager Wilson seemed to have a
box under his arm whenever caught sight of on
the train.
The always-smiling and agreeable Mr. Dolbeer,
chairman of entertainment, was at the beck and
call of any one at any old time. Not a want but
was supplied instantly, not a desire but what he
gratified immediately. As a host of unvarying
affable temperament it is hard to match him.
Latest news of the Edison gathering appears
on page 24 of this issue.