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THE
MUSIC TRADE
accorded to all alike on the same day. There are some other things
which could be enumerated as constituting good merchandising, but
the essentials which we have indicated will be well worthy of special
attention.
c
CORRESPONDENCE is closely related to advertising for every
attractive, readable letter that goes out of a business house
is an advertisement because business letters are written either to get
business or to hold business, and there are some concerns who do
not fully appreciate the value of tactfully written letters.
Recently our attention was called by a well-known dealer to a
letter which he had received from a manufacturing establishment.
The dealer felt very much put out and expressed himself in the
strongest terms of condemnation against a concern that would
send forth such a communication. The whole trouble was that the
letter was not a tactfully written one. The question involved was
not an intricate one, but it required delicate treatment. If the same
words had been spoken to the dealer they would not have offended
him in the same way the cold chilly letter did. How many letters
are written in this vein and how many people in business fully
appreciate the value of a tactfully and cleverly managed corre-
spondence department.
A SUCCESSFUL merchant once remarked to The Review that
IX
he considered poor correspondence one of the chief things
responsible for the loss of customers. A poorly written letter may
offend and destroy trade, and then again if letters look sloppy they
have a bad effect. If they are written by some one who does not
know how .to write a good letter and if they come straggling along
a week or so later than they should, they lose their effect. If let-
ters do not cover the subject fully or if they are confusing, offensive
or inexplicit, they do more harm than good. There is an art in
letter writing, and not everyone is qualified to write a good letter.
L
ETTERS should be typewritten with the utmost neatness and
the stationery used should be as fine as the business can
afford. All of these things are of vital importance to every business,
whether wholesale or retail. In correspondence it is necessary to
use the most correct business English. No doubt some readers of
The Review have noticed in their mail occasionally a number of
letters grammatically incorrect. Careless English predominates in
business correspondence in all trades. There is really no excuse
for this, as the average business man knows the fundamental rules
of English. No man has a right to let letters go out of his place
which are ridiculous in construction and which obviously violate
all the rules of grammar.
We know of some concerns in the music trade whose corre-
spondence stands as a model and the directors of these concerns
have not hesitated to state to The Review on various occasions that
in their belief a large part of their success was due to attractive
letters and beautiful brochures which they have put forth.
j To-day more than ever clean, good, attractive work counts.
The day of the sloppy, indifferent style has gone. Every business
man knows that a pleasant letter always leaves a pleasing im-
pression on his mind. Then why not adopt the same policy towards
a customer, whether wholesale or retail?
T
H E R E is so much sweet restfulness out of doors and so many
plans for recreation in the air that employer and employee
become alike infected with a yearning to quietly seek repose in the
bosom of Dame Nature. But the chap with the responsibility and
a position to maintain feels that his powerful grasp is needed at
the helm in order to keep things in order. He is sure to die at some
time and then things will have to go on without him, therefore it
-may be well to slow up a little. The steam gauge may be set to a
little lower pressure, but enough coal should be kept on so that a
steady pressure may be reached to kindle the brighter blaze of the
coming season. That sort of plan should afford vacations for
everyone without hurting business in the slightest. In fact, it
ought to improve it materially by securing physically and mentally
refreshed workers who will enter upon their duties after a return
from a vacation with renewed zest. Fall with all its bustling busi-
ness life will be with us, and everybody should be in trim mentally,
physically and financially to make the most of it.
REVIEW
TANGLED.—Frederick of Prussia had a great mania for enlisting
gigantic soldiers into the Royal Guards and paid an enormous bounty to
hip recruiting officers for getting them. One day the recruiting sergeant
chanced to espy a Hibernian who was at least seven feet high. He ac-
costed him in English and proposed that he should enlist. The idea of
military life and a large bounty so delighted Pat that he immediately
consented.
"But unless you can speak German the King will not give you so
much."
"Oh, be jabers," said the Irishman, "sure I don't know a word of
German."
"But," said the sergeant, "you can learn in a short time. The King
knows every man in the Guards. As soon as he sees you he will ride up
and ask you how old you are; you will say '27' in German; next, how
long have you been in the service; you must reply, 'Three weeks'; finally,
as to whether you are provided with food and clothes, you answer, 'Both.' "
Pat soon learned his German answers, but never dreamed of getting
iamijiar with the questions. In three weeks he appeared before the King
in review. His Majesty rode up to him. Paddy stepped forward with
"present arms."
•
"How old are you?" said the King.
"Three weeks," said the Irishman.
"How long have you been in the service?" asked his Majesty.
"Twenty-seven years."
"Am I a fool or are you?" roared the King.
"Both," replied Patrick, who was immediately taken to the guard
room, but pardoned by the King when the latter understood the facts of
the case.—Ladies' Home Journal.
WIT' AND WIT'OUT — Ten bluffs don't equal one "make good."
We throw flowers at the dead; mud at the living.
The girl of matchless beauty is never matchless.
Girls with dimples do not always make the best laughter.
When a youth starts to sow his wild oats it's time for the father to
start threshing.
Honesty is the best policy—only when you pay promptly the pre-
miums of hard work.
There is no liar on earth equal to the man who pretends that he
doesn't mind being bow-legged or red-haired.
It is true that a good woman may lift a man from the gutter, but
it is usually better to ask a policeman to do so.
When a crowd of women have absolutely nothing to talk about, they
start in saying anything about everybody.
The millionaire tells us how to get rich, but it is a fake trail to lead
us away from his own private hunting grounds.
Down in our hearts we are all rather pleased to see the other fellow
get it in the neck—which explains the popularity of the comic supplement.
—Judge.
HIS DESCENT.—Gunner—One of the famous old-time pitchers is
now pushing a cart and buying up junk. He used to be called "The Iron
Man."
Guyer—Hm! I suppose now he is called the "Old Iron Man."—Chicago
News.
HOW SHE DID IT.—"Mrs. Chauffeurly is always running down peo-
ple when I go out with her in her auto."
"Doesn't she ever get arrested?"
"No; they can't arrest you for gossiping, can they?"—Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
The Girl—There is a cave in South America where the air is so
noxious that visitors have to keep their mouths shut.
The Bachelor—H'm! Very few women visit there.—Illustrated Bits.
PATIENTLY WAITING.—"Now," said Miss Verner, "you'd better go
up and speak to papa."
"Oh!" exclaimed Mr. Slokoche, who had finally proposed, "is he up
yet?"
"Yes; he's waiting for you in the sitting room, unless he's got tired
and gone to bed."—Philadelphia Press.
SUMMER OCCUPATION.—Most everybody in this land
Is makin' something pay,
Some of us makin' speeches and
Some of us makin' hay.—Washington Star.
HER ADVANTAGE.—"I don't know which is the greater g o s s i p -
Mrs. Lovenews or Miss Scandalmonger."
"They say Mrs. Lovenews has a circulation 25 per cent, greater than
Miss Scandalmonger."—Brooklyn Life.
SOME DARK CHAPTERS.-Father (impressively)—Consider our nu-
merous captains of industry and keep in mind that nearly all were the
architects of their own fortunes.
Son—Sure! But you don't see any of tkew ejAibJttag biije-pTtetfc of
the details of danstruc'tion.—Puck,
. . .