Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1908 Vol. 46 N. 20

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE:
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILL ANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Staff:
GKO. It. KELLER,
L. E. BOWEUS,
W. H. DYKES,
F. H. THOMPSON,
J. HAYDEN CLARENDON,
B. BRITTAIN WILSON,
L». J. CHAMBERLIN,
A. J. NICKLIN.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE
ERNEST L. WAITT, 100 Bo.vlston St. K. 1". VAN HARLINGEN, Koom 80G, 156 Wabash Ave.
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
K. W. KAUFFMAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
ST. LOUIS:
CHAS. N. VAN BUKEN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. II. GRAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
CINCINNATI, O.: BERNARD C. BOWEN.
BALTIMORE, MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON, ENGLAND: GS) Kasinghall St., E. C.
W. LIONEL STURDX, Manager.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, .*p:i.r>U ; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2,00 per inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Jiill.
Music Publishers*
An interesting feature of this publication is a special depart-
Department v» v
ment devoted exclusively to the world of music publishing.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal. ...St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 4677 and 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting a l l Departments.
Cable a d d r e s s : "Elbill, N e w York."
NEW
YORK,
M A Y 16, 1 9 0 8
EDITORIAL
W
HILE the number of failures reported by mercantile agen-
cies during the month of April was extremely large, yet
an analysis of the causes leading up to the collapse of these con-
cerns shows that in the main they were over-capitalized and many
of them were not rated at all and but a small percentage as strong
commercial institutions. There will necessarily be a weeding out
of a good many concerns in every industry, some which have been
a menace to legitimate institutions. When corporations or indi-
viduals who are unworthy of credit, can through misrepresentation
secure merchandise to a considerable amount it follows as a
natural sequence that in order to tide over certain dangerous
periods that they will put out goods on all sorts of terms and prices,
thus demoralizing the trade which meets its obligations and pays
one hundred cents on the dollar. The fake concerns have neither
cash nor reputation at stake.
In the music trade some of the reputable, straightforward deal-
ers have had certain unfair and dishonest competition to meet, and
by no amount of argument can it be made clear that a man who
pays his bills can meet the kind of competition which does not. and
if many of the firms which have made it difficult for legitimate
trade to exist have been forced to surrender to the pressure which
has been brought to bear upon them, it is not and should not be
damaging to the sound business interests of the country. On the
whole the atmosphere is becoming clearer all the time, and it is a
fixed belief in the minds of the best business men of the country
that trade in all industries will be run on sounder, saner and safer
lines than heretofore. The sifting out process has been going on
for some time, and many of the weak concerns have been unable to
stand the tests which have been imposed upon them.
REVIEW
year ago were inclined to believe that there never would be a reduc-
tion in consumption or in the output of manufacturers East and
West. Some of them argued even that if one class of consumers
would not take their goods another would. The past six months,
however, have dissipated these beliefs and satisfactorily demon-
strated to all kinds of trades that it is impossible to disturb the
financial interests of the country or even the resources of the rich
without affecting the other classes.
T
HERE is no prospect of a boom in trade this year even with
good crops, but there is ample evidence of a good demand,
although somewhat irregular. There are many leading business
men in this country who take an optimistic view of the business
situation and believe that should Taft be nominated and the crop
report throughout the country turn out to be fully up to the present
indications there will not be enough goods in the hands of manu-
facturers and jobbers to supply the demands that will come for
them during the fall and winter. They base their theories on the
curtailment of production and the inability of manufacturers to turn
out goods on a few days notice. Also on the fact that manufac-
turers are not making up goods in advance of trade requirements.
There is no doubt as we view the general situation but that trade
is improving, but before we can have a general return of prosperity
there must be a reduction in the number of unemployed so that the
consumption can be increased. Wage earners are vast distributing
mediums and when they are unemployed there is necessarily a big
slowing up in demand.
T
HERE is a radical change in the matter of buying from the
conditions which have existed' during the past few years.
Few indeed are buying more than they absolutely require to meet
with immediate demands of their trade. Advance buying is light,
although it is somewhat better than it was a few weeks ago, and it
is now a case of the manufacturer being forced to carry a supply
in order to meet with the demands of the dealers as they come •
irregularly in upon them. Merchants are taking few chances on
the future. While this in some points is a sound position and is
in line with old time conservative methods of doing business, it puts
heavier expenses upon the manufacturer, as he is forced to carry a
stock to meet promptly the demands from the retailers.
T
HERE are, however, many elements steadily at work endeavor-
ing to better the present conditions, and the united force of
these is considerable. And there is nothing like a campaign of
cheerfulness to start things up. In St. Louis they have inaugurated
a National Prosperity Association. This association has for its ob-
ject the cultivation of optimism and sentiment, and plays a very
important part in material affairs. It will, however, require some-
thing more than a mere crusade of optimism to remove the pessimist
from the land and to again establish a complete reign of prosperity,
but the proper way to start recovery upon its course is laid down on
lines of cheerfulness. Given rest from the ceaseless disturbances
which have so unsettled the commercial and industrial community,
and given sunlight for the maturing harvests and confidence will
surely return and with the return of confidence comes prosperity.
There is lessened business activity everywhere, but it is certainly
relative. Upon any other occasion except that encompassed in the
last two years the measure of activity even now prevailing would
have been accounted most abundant. The country feels blue, prin-
cipally because we are making comparisons with last year or the
one immediately preceding. When we feel blue over present con-
ditions compare the volume of trade this year with three or four
years ago for instance.
W
HAT motives inspire a trade newspaper to devote columns
weekly for eight or ten consecutive issues to a dissection
of the internal affairs and business policies of certain non-adver-
tisers? What are the logical conclusions arrived at by the readers
as to motives who have had sufficient patience and interest to fol-
low the drift of the argument? Surely no one can be so blind as
T must be admitted that the music trade has stood up wonder-
fully well when compared with other industries, and one of to overlook the mercenary inspirations behind continuous insolent
criticism of methods adopted by business concerns. Then again
the most surprising features of the business situation is that some
of the factories are enjoying a spring trade which is quite up to when men are thus cowardly attacked other manufacturers are
not likely to stand calmly by while their confreres are held up to
normal times. There is an evident growth of a more hopeful senti-
ment everywhere. Of course, consumption has fallen off in all ridicule and abuse in the columns of an alleged music trade publica-
tion. Blackguardly trade journalism can only exist through ad-
lines and this change in trade conditions has been an educator, for
it has opened the eyes of many manufacturers and jobbers who a vertising support, and why should the men in any industry be
I
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
coerced into a support of a trade journal which maligns and abuses
brother .manufacturers? There are few, indeed, who have not at
some time or other felt the sting of cowardly journalism and some
of them have been weak enough to call off the dogs of war by
entering into a business arrangement with the journalistic black-
guard. It is really surprising that abusive methods should be
tolerated in any industry at the present time. Every intelligent
man knows that a trade newspaper with an unsavory record has no
power to injure a reputable business man, but some of the men
who have vivid imaginations believed that abusive articles would
have an effect to injure their trade, particularly when the coercive
ebullitions from the pen of the defamer were placed in the hands of
dealers who sell competing pianos. This may have been true years
ago when there was a class of dealers who would use abusive
articles in order to injure a competitor, but happily the class of men
who would seek to win trade by adopting such methods has been
reduced in numbers until they are eliminated from the music trade
industry. There are no men so low, so contemptible, and so utterly
devoid of honor as to use cowardly articles against a firm manu-
facturing a piano which they might meet in competition.
I
T would indeed be a sad commentary upon the morality of
this trade if it could be truthfully said that we have in it a
number of men so devoid of business morality as to use abusive
utterances of a decadent trade journalist to forward their own in-
terests. This accusation has been made, however, and amounts to
libel to allege that piano dealers of to-day would resort to such
methods to injure competing instruments? This libel has had its
origin in the brain of the newspaper defamer. It is simply one
of his plans to exaggerate his evil influence in the minds of readers
so that through fear he would hope to compel the men whom he
attacks to yield. What an insult—what an infamous libel upon the
men of this industry? Is it not a disgrace that any man adopting
such methods be permitted to trade under a journalistic banner?
Next month we are to have a meeting of the Dealers' Associa-
tion in this city and it would be well if the dealers, in order that
their true position may be known to the world, pass resolutions
denouncing the action of any member of the retail music trade in
this country who uses defamatory articles in order to win a point
against a competitor. Simply the passing of such resolutions would
show the way they regard such false accusations. And this charge
has been laid at their doors. The time will be fitting next month
to show how they regard such reflections upon their character.
The abusive sheet once fattened through fear, but every busi-
ness man in this trade understands that to-day only a paper with a
fair policy appeals to people of character and substance, and the
mouthing of a decadent amounts to naught.
T
HERE is a manifest desire on the part of salesmen representing
the music trade industries to perfect their organization and
make it a stronger influence for the good than ever before. There
will be some changes in the association constitution, and it is under-
stood that this organization proposes to take no action which will
be opposed in sentiment to the positions assumed on trade matters
by the Piano Manufacturers and Piano Dealers' Associations. The
members of the Travelers' Association wish their position clearly
defined in this particular, and they are not antagonistic in the slight-
est particular to the older organizations. On the contrary, they
propose to work in harmony with them and use the influence of the
travelers for trade benefit wherever possible.
They propose to build the traveling fraternity into a strong
organization for trade weal. This organization has already gone
on record as opposing graft in any form in selling goods.
One leading salesman remarked to The Review this week that
one object of the organization would be to eliminate the last vestige
of graft to salesmen. That a position which should be applauded
for a salesman should be paid according to value received and
should work for his employer who pays him at all times, and if
there are any extra percentages the employer is entitled to them.
Those who can justify political graft can also justify the subsidizing
of retail salesmen, for that is graft pure and simple. It is certainly
a credit to directors of the Travelers' Association that they have
taken a decided stand in this particular. Retail piano merchants
are at all times desirous of surrounding themselves with employes
whose standard of honesty is above accepting bribes and this graft
element should be weeded out completely.
REVIEW
The man who starts out for nowhere gets nowhere.
No one ever drew any pay for complaining about hard times.
Don't waste valuable time worrying or complaining.
Get busy.
Protection against temptation has a money as well as moral value.
The philosopher's stone is the knowledge of how to spend less than
you get.
Good resolutions are easily made, but resolutions alone will not
bring you success.
Enthusiasm is contagious, but no man will ever catch it from a man
who doesn't have it.
The average brain and a good clear grit will do more for a man than
a backing of many thousands.
Listen to other people's hard luck stories, of course, if you have to,
when selling pianos, but do not tell yours.
You may lose some goad trade by bad breaks made if you are not
posted on the daily advertising of your establishment.
Keep studying in your own mind how you can improve and how
you can make yourself worth more money to your house.
It may be a good plan to explain the merits of certain pianos to
customers before the price is named. In that way you will often sell a
better grade of goods.
"DeRiter tells me that for a whole year he didn't write a thing that
was worth while."
"Yes, I believe he spent a year on that novel of his."
Scene—London restaurant. Hungry Customer—And—er—waiter, two
eggs, please. Boil them four minutes.
Waiter—Yes, sir; be ready in half a second, sir.
The girl had been three weeks in the employ of an artistic family,
but her time had been by no means wasted. Her mistress was giving
her instructions as to the dinner.
"Don't forget the potatoes," enjoined the lady.
"No, ma'am," was the reply; "will you 'ave 'em in their jackets or
in the nood?"
"I suppose Wall street is devoted altogether to offices, Hiram?" queried
Mrs. Hardapple.
"Well, I calculate thar must be a lot of barber shops thar, Mandy,"
drawled Mr. Hardapple, as he lit his yellow corncob.
"What makes you think so, Hiram?"
"Why, be gosh, don't the paper say people are trimmed in Wall street
every day?"
Two boys who managed to be rather unruly in school so exasperated
their teacher that she requested them to remain after hours and write
their names one thousand times. They plunged into the task. Some
fifteen minutes later one of them grew uneasy and began watching his
companion in disgrace. Suddenly the first one burst out with despair
between his sobs, and said to the teacher: "'Taint fair, mum! His
name's Dix and mine's Schluttermeyer."
During the Civil War the captain of a certain company of mountain-
eers was thoroughly disgusted with the laziness of the sixty men under
him. He determined to shame them. One morning after roll call he
tried it. "I have a nice easy job," he said, "for the laziest man in the
company. Will the laziest man step to the front?" Instantly fifty-nine
men stepped forward. "Why don't you step to the front, too?" demanded
the captain of the sixtieth. "I'm too lazy," replied the soldier.
Cobble was a careful coal dealer, popularly said to be "out for the oof."
One afternoon he arrested an employe who was driving out of
the yard.
"Hold on there, Tom!" he cried. "That coal can't have been weighed.
It looks a trifle large for a ton to me."
Tom shouted back: "This ain't a ton, guv-nor. It's two tons."
"Two tons, is it?" said the dealer, in a modified tone. "Beg your
pardon. Go ahead, Tom!"
"Yessum," said Sandy PikeB, as he devoured the wedge of pumpkin
pie, "I sternly object to the nefarious practice of clipping off de tails
of dogs."
"Ah, I am glad you are so tender-hearted, my poor man," sympathized
the good housewife.
"Well, it ain't exactly dat, mum, but when a dog hasn't any tail 1
can't tell by de wags if he is in a good humor or not, and it makes me,
skeery about approaching de house."

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