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THE
MUSIC TRADE
many hard and trying obstacles. Technical schools, however, are
doing good work in helping the young and ambitious young men
to gain a useful knowledge of the crafts.
The New York Mechanics' and Tradesmen's Society has done
a great deal of good in shaping the lives of young men along
technical lines and a great many prominent piano men have been
members of this society. William E. Strauch, of Strauch Bros.,
has been president of this organization, and under his direction
splendid results have been reached in all departments. There has
been in the piano trade a lack of opportunity to gain practical
knowledge of advanced piano building. Some farsighted piano
men have seen the advantage of training young men to be practical
piano builders and to treat the building of pianos as a profession.
I
T will be of interest to know that a series of lectures will be de-
livered in the Union Branch of the Y. M. C. A. in the early
fall along lines of piano scale drawing and acoustics. These lec-
tures will be commenced the first week of October and will include
the entire series numbering twenty lectures covering some of the
following topics:
History of the Pianoforte; Elements of Practical Acoustics,
Sound, Laws of Stretched Strings, Musical Intonation; Outlines
of Modern Piano Construction, The Grand, The Upright; Prin-
ciples of String Design; Principles of Soundboard Design; Prin-
ciples of Plate Design; Principles of Case Design; Principles of
Scale Design, Hammer Lines, Striking Points, Bridge Lines, Re-
sistance Bars, Bearing Bars, Shrinkage, Drafting the Plan;
Principles of Action Design; Outline of Principles of Tuning and
Voicing; Case Architecture Artistically Considered; Recapitula-
tion and Summary.
It is intended in the lectures above listed, to devote the time
to the exposition of principles rather than to mechanical directions
for performing mechanical details. The latter requires, of course,
a trade school equipment, but the purpose of this course is to fur-
nish a working knowledge of the underlying principles of piano-
forte building, and to make these principles familiar to the piano-
forte mechanic.
We might say that the lecturer will be William B. White, editor
of the Technical Department, which appears in every issue of The
Review. Mr. White is already recognized as an advanced writer
on the topics named above, and it is interesting to know that he
will impart some of his knowlege to many of the young men who
are working in the New York piano factories who have evinced a
desire to gain additional knowledge of the art of piano building.
I
T was Richard, Duke of Gloster, according to the veracious
Shakespeare, who, after sheathing his sword in that most
unfortunate of monarchs, Henry VI., exclaimed (in the soliloquy
in which murderers always indulge after an especially satisfactory
job), "Down, down to hell, and say—I sent thee thither." Now,
"Buckie" may, or may not, have used that energetic expression—
the veracity of a chronicler who wrecks a ship on the shore of
Bohemia, as the well-known William S. does in his "Winter's
Tale," being open to question—but it seems reasonable to suppose
that if the weather, on the day of that regicidal sword-play, had
been as sheolistic as that which prevailed in this city for several
days last week, the economic if too sanguinary defender of the
"white rose" would have reserved his own "hot air" and been satis-
fied with existing conditions so far as the victim was concerned.
MONG the late and interesting developments in the more tech-
nical side of the piano trade, none is of greater moment to
dealers throughout the country than the very evident advance of
the small grand. This modern type of piano is most evidently
becoming very popular, for the makers of these instruments report
an increasing demand, that has apparently been little affected by
the hot weather. It may be said with certainty that the small
grand piano is to be more of a feature this fall than it has ever
been before, and no one who has given any thought to the under-
lying causes for this popularity can be in any doubt as to its perma-
nence and positiveness. There are the best reasons in the world
for the increasing demand for the small grand, and these will con-
tinue to exist in the future more strongly than ever, because of the
growing appreciation of the higher forms of music and art in this
country.
A
REVIEW
CUSTOM HOUSE CHAT.—"Did Knowitall declare anything special
when he returned from his European trip?"
"I believe he declared war with Japan."—Baltimore American.
HE MIGHT HAVE KNOWN.—"They say Grimson's wife had her
bathing suit on when he fell in love with her."
"Well, he might have known that she couldn't go through life wear-
ing that kind of a costume. What lawyer has she engaged?"—Chicago
Record-Herald.
TEMPTATION.—"You should not give way when tempted, young
man," said the rich man.
"Why, were you ever tempted to give anything away?" asked the
young man.—Yonkers Statesman.
WHEN THE VICTORY IS WON.—There was one other thing which
I wished to ask the man of the remote future about.
"Tell me," quoth I, "do women vote in your day?"
"No," replied he, "they don't."
"Do they still seek the right of suffrage?"
"Oh, bless you, they've had that these hundred years."—Puck.
ANXIOUS TO RECOVER.—"So Gailey really had to pay Miss Yerner
$10,000 for breach of promise, eh?"
"Yes, and now he wants to marry her for her money."—Philadelphia
Press.
BAD ADVICE.—"Dr. Wiley advises 'sleep, the sleep of innocence.'"
"Well, a baby is usually called an innocent, and if I didn't sleep more
than the average baby I'd have brain storm."—Houston Post.
TOOK NO CHANCES.—A Billville citizen found the following notice
posted on his door:
"You an' your'n must leave here this mornin'—an' durned quick, too!"
"John," said his wife, "I wouldn't go ef I wuz you, kaze you hain't
done nuthin' to go fer."
"I know it, Molly," he replied, "but I reckon I'll go. I've been keepin'
too still lately, an' I'm needin' exercise, an' lots of it. Gimme a clean
shirt, and git on yer bonnet!"—Atlanta Constitution.
DISAPPOINTING.—"You say that the third son did not turn out so
well. What did he become?"
"A magazine poet."—Cleveland Plain Dealer.
ALWAYS THE SAME.—Professor (coming from his club holding up
triumphantly his umbrella to his wife)—"You see, my dear Alma, how
stupid are all the anecdotes about our absentmindedness; you see, I
haven't forgotten my umbrella."
Mrs. Professor—"But, my dear, you didn't take your umbrella with
you; you left it at home."—Frankfort Witzblatt.
GETTING OVER IT.—Redd—"Out in my car with a party, yesterday."
Greene—"Yes."
"Came to a wide, deep stream which we could not ford."
"No bridge you could run the machine over?"
"No."
"What in the world did you do?"
"Just sat there and thought it over."
FEMININE INCONSISTENCY.—"There is one thing," said the Con-
firmed Old Bachelor, "which more than anything else is convincing of the
inconsistency of womankind."
"What is that?"
"That they should have such a deadly fear of mice in their hearts,
and yet take so kindly to rats in their heads."
PRESCRIPTION DIDN'T WORK.—An old, white-haired darky, living
on a plantation, not feeling well, had the doctor pay him a visit. The
doctor told him, as he was getting old, he must eat plenty of chicken
and stay out of damp night air.
j
"But, sah," said the old darky, "how can you spect me to stay in de
house at night and still get my chickens?"
NOT NORAH'S FAULT.—"Norah, I don't want to see you kissing
that 'cousin' of yours in the kitchen any more."
"If ye'll kindly cough befure ye open th' dure, mum, ye won't see me
kissing 'im, aither."
He—For goodness' sake what are you sighing about?
She (behind the paper)—Oh, there are such lovely bargains here in
Jones & Jones' advertisement, and I can't take advantage of them.
He—Bonnets, I suppose.
She—No, a complete line of patent medicines reduced one-half, and
there's not a blessed thing the matter with any of us.—Philadelphia (Pa.)
Press.