Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
known gentlemen in the establishment of the
Wilcox & White Organ Co. In all these years, up
The Founder of the Wilcox & White Co. Passed
to his retirement some seven years ago, the
Away Sunday Last in His 85th Year—Close
mechanical department of this business had been
of a Life Well Spent—Witnessed the Growth
under the personal supervision of Mr. White, and
of the Great Business Which He Established.
he always manifested the liveliest interest in the
development of the business. The standing, both
Henry Kirke White, founder of the Wilcox & in the financial and musical world, of this great
White Co., died suddenly last Sunday, afternoon concern is a monument to the industry, intelli-
at his residence, 13 Griswold street, Meriden, gence and uprightness of its founder, Henry
Conn. Although he had been in ill-health for the Kirke White, and his sons, who have developed
past few weeks his death came as a great shock this great institution, until to-day it ranks fore-
to his family and friends. On Sunday morning most among the great musical instrument fac-
Mr. White was apparently as well as he had been tories of the world.
for the preceding two days, but about 2 o'clock
Mr. White was called by his fellow-citizens to
in the afternoon, when the family were at dinner,
many public positions, and always discharged
he fell asleep, but it was the sleep of death, and
the duties conscientiously and well. He was also
his passing was instantaneous and painless.
connected with a number of fraternal organiza-
Mr. White was born in Bolton, Conn., Feb. 7, tions, and was a Mason, an Odd Fellow and Red
1822, and came from an ancestry which dates Man. In fact he was one of the organizers of
back on both sides to the early Colonial period the great Council of Connecticut of the latter or-
of Connecticut. One of his ancestors was a mem- ganization, and by virtue of his service became
a Past Grand Sachem and a member of the Na-
tional Council of the United States.
Mr. White is survived by a widow, one son,
James H. White, who has long been in active
charge of the great Wilcox & White business, and
one daughter, Mrs. Silas S. Donovan. The funeral
services were held at Mr. White's late residence,
Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock, the interment
being in the family plot at Walnut Grove.
* * * *
To those who had the privilege of knowing Mr.
White he will ever be esteemed for his broad-
mindedness, his honesty and square dealing and
his kindly, loving consideration of others. He
was a gentleman of the old school and an honor
to the music trade industry, to which he con-
tributed much.
To him must be credited no small share of the
development and improvement of the reed organ,
as well as the early application of automatic
means of playing reed and pipe organs by means
of perforated music rolls, which the company
have since applied to the pianoforte so success-
fully by means of the Angelus.
The death of Henry Kirke White marks the
passing of another of the old guard of practical
men who did so much to make musical instru-
ment manufacturing in America distinctly in-
dividual, and whose contributions will ever be ac-
knowledged and appreciated. He had rounded
out more than the Biblical span of life, and saw
the modest business which he had founded de-
velop into one of the greatest in the land, and
T1IK LAT10 HENRY KIUKK WHITE.
which will be continued to even greater accom-
ber of the party led by the Rev. John Warham, plishments under the able direction of its present
who came from England in the ship "Mary and head, James H. White.
John" in 1630, and landed in Nantasket, Mass.
Prom his very earliest days he was a lover of PIANO WORKERS CHANGE CONSTITUTION.
music, and when a mere youth was popular as
(Special to The Review.)
a teacher of the old-fashioned singing schools
Toronto, Ont., Jan. 14, 1907.
and later became widely known as an instructor
The Toronto unions of the Piano, Organ and
and musical director throughout the State.
In 1841 Mr. White mastered the art of tuning Musical Workers' International Union were ap-
musical instruments, and was engaged for the prised on Saturday of their new constitution,
next four years in that capacity in the West and which has been recently revised. The principal
Northwest. Returning to Connecticut he began changes are made in the benefit department.
the manufacture of musical instruments at Col- The assessment on each member has been in-
chester for Dennison Smith. Two years later he creased 5 cents per week, and the sick benefit
started in business for himself, making melodeons has been increased to ten weeks instead of eight
in New London, Conn., and in 1853 moved his weeks. This benefit is at the rate of $5 a week
business to Washington, N. J., where he con- for this period for members of one year's stand-
tinued until the great panic of 1857 and the ing or over. The death benefit for members of
breaking out of the Civil War in 1861, which 15 years' standing has been increased $100, and
made it advisable for him to discontinue. Mr. this benefit now is $50 for members of one year's
White was among the very first to recognize the standing, $100 for those of five years' continuous
merits of the tube board for reeds and the ex- standing and $300 for those of 15 years' standing.
haust bellows which he adopted in his instru- Another new feature is the payment of a benefit
ments. Some of the old melodeons constructed of $50 to each member whose wife dies.
by Mr. White w;th these improvements are still
HART SUMMERS WITHDRAWS.
extant.
During the Civil War period Mr. White was oc-
(Special to The Review.)
cupied principally in piano tuning in Philadel-
Elyria, O., Jan. 14, 1907.
phia, and in 1865 he went to Brattleboro, Vt.,
Hart Summers has withdrawn from the music
where he spent thirteen years in the Estey organ firm of R. M. Summers & Son, and the business
factory as foreman of the action and tuning will be known in future as R. M. Summers' Music
departments, and here his sons also occupied high Store. A few changes are being made now in
positions. From Brattleboro Mr. White and his the store, so that it will be more convenient to
sons went to Meridian in 1876, where they inter- attend to customers. Hart Summers has not yet
ested the late Horace C. Wilcox and other well- made up his mind what he will do.
DEATH OF HENRY K. WHITE.
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
Why don't you
handle the
Victor ?
It sells with your pianos —
never against them.
We bring all the business
you can handle right to your
store, by our magazine adver-
tising reaching 56,000,000 peo-
ple every month.
We interest all the purchas-
ing people in your town in the
Victor and the Victor Records,
and give you, our dealer, prom-
inence that also helps you sell
your pianos as you could never
sell them alone.
You often require an expert
pianist in your store to play
over for the public the new
sheet music as it comes in —
or it won't "go."
The Victor is its own "play-
er," and its Records " g o " as
fast as people hear them played
in your store.
Victor business means good
profits protected from price-
cutting ; it doesn't take a large
capital; and your money re-
turns quickly — plenty of it,
too. This is the experience of
every piano-man who has be-
come a Victor dealer as well.
Now, why don't you handle
the Victor?
Victor Talking
Machine
Company
Camden,
N. J.
<^V>^' *