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THE: MUSIC TRADE: REIVIEIW
Such an utterance is an insult to the intelligence and reasoning
powers of the music trade men of this country.
The danger is not over.
It is with us right now and it is growing daily, and because
other methods have been adopted which do not reflect credit upon
piano merchants it does not necessarily follow that we should en-
graft one infinitely more vicious into our selling system.
The Review suggested last week that President Droop, of The
Piano Dealers' National Association, appoint a special day which
should be designated A NATIONAL ANTI-PIANO GUESSING
CONTEST DAY and that all dealers on a specific date should call
upon the papers in their respective cities and themselves should
present arguments why coupon guessing advertising schemes should
be refused by these publications.
Evidently the suggestion has met with favor, because we have
received a good many communications endorsing the plan as out-
lined.
It would seem as if the Dealers' Association could at a single
stroke deal a killing blow at the coupon schemes.
The advertising value which would come through thousands
of notices being placed simultaneously in publications all over the
land would be beyond power of estimate.
Notices should be placed in publications read by all classes, and
thus at a single stroke millions of people would be acquainted with
the true inwardness of the coupon schemes.
According to our opinion, there is no other single move which
could be so effective, and it would show the world that the members
of the industry stand shoulder to shoulder to repudiate attacks made
upon its honesty and its future.
We believe that such a plan could be fittingly worked out so
that the result of concerted action would be tremendous.
THE COMING EIGHT AT RICHMOND.
S the time draws near for the music trade clans to gather at
Richmond it becomes more and more certain that there will
be some interesting, if not exciting, arguments presented there.
While the coupon contest scheme was sidetracked last year at
Detroit because the comments were getting too warm to be carried
on between friends, as one man remarked, it is certain that the in-
terest will be intensified at Richmond and we do not believe that
any opinions can be presented which will be successful in squelching
heated discussions.
In the first place, a very large majority oppose these methods.
They realize that the Dealers' Association can be a tremendous
factor in the elimination of these schemes from the trade, and they
realize that it is time that the association declared itself upon this
vital topic.
According to our views, the Dealers' National Association will
clearly define its position this year on the coupon scheme adver-
tising.
A
LET T H E R E BE NO CLOUDING OE ISSUES.
LREADY it can be seen that certain influences are at work to
bring about dissension and the members of the Dealers' Asso-
ciation should not be misled in the slightest by statements which
may be made to cloud the issues directly at stake.
It has been stated that Lewis H. Clement, first vice-president of
the Piano Dealers' Association, is not eligible to the presidency of
the.association because he is only manager of a corporation.
Now, that is not the true motive of the attack upon Mr. Clement.
The real feeling towards Mr. Clement which has been manifest
in certain quarters is on account of his attitude as opposing mis-
leading advertising of every kind and nature, particularly the coupon
form of advertising, and the dealers should thoroughly understand
his attitude and why he is attacked, and the statement that he is not
eligible to the presidency because he is only a manager is the merest
tommyrot.
The Dealers' Association in its constitution says in relation to
eligibility:
"Any individual member of a firm, director of a corporation, or
manager for 'or with a firm or corporation engaged in the selling
of pianos, organs and self-players for same, with established retail
warcrooms shall be eligible to active membership, and anyone en-
gaged in any branch of the musical industry not otherwise eligible,
shall be eligible to non-voting or associate membership."
A
The present officers of the association, including the secretary,
treasurer, first vice-president, second vice-president, chairman of
the Executive Board, the second and third members of the Execu-
tiv Board, two members of the Press Committee, are all officers or
managers of corporations.
Two ex-presidents have been officers of corporations, and when
Mr. Clement first became a member of the Dealers' Association he
was manager of a corporation in which there were three stockhold-
ers, of whom he was one.
He is to-day manager of the New York branch of Mason &
Hamlin, and the owner of considerable stock in the Ann Arbor
Organ Co., manufacturers and dealers in pianos and organs, so
to state that he is not eligible to the presidency because he is only
manager is to befog the situation with mist so that the members
cannot see the real issue at stake.
According to the by-laws and according to the precedent estab-
lished, Mr. Clement is eligible to succeed President Droop.
The attacks made upon him are made because he has been a
bitter opponent to certain forms of advertising.
IN LIGHTER VEIN
FAME.—We never expect to obtain that summit of greatness where
the newspaper correspondents would announce that we had gone into a
conference every time we dropped in to see somebody.
A QUESTION IN MATHEMATICS.—"Say, pa?"
"What is it?"
"Does it take sixty minute men to make one man of the hour?"
ICHTHYOLOGICAL ITEM.—Do fish remember? That is a question
seriously discussed in the Scientific American. We can't speak for the
fish, but we are dead certain that if a man eats too much lobster—he'll
remember it all right.
A MERGER.—Regular Customer—There used to be two or three little
bald spots on the crown of my head, away back. Are they there yet?
Barber—Ko, sir; it ain't so bad as all that. Where those spots used
to be, sir, there's only one now.
COULDN'T EVEN GUESS—Top (who has dined off hashed mut-
ton)—Bill, waiter.
Waiter—What did you have, sir?
Top (sarcastically)—I haven't the faintest idea.—Tit-Bits.
EASILY EXPLAINED.—Doyle—Pfwat's th' rayson O'Toole do be
afther havin' a tin weddin', Oi wonder?
Boyle—Faith, an' it's because he's been married tin years, Oi'm
thinkin'.
HER SUPPLY.—Stepping into a large bookshop one morning, I in-
quired of the saleswoman, "Have you a copy of Pepys' Diary?"
Instantly came the reply:
"Our supply of diaries has not yet been received."—Lippincott's.
HEARD AT THE HUB.—"And how old are you, little girl?"
"Six."
"And how is it you are out walking without your mamma?"
"Oh, mamma doesn't go in for exercise. Really, we have very little
in common."
RATHER DISCONCERTING.—"Mamma," said little Ethel, with a
discouraged look on her face, "I ain't going to school any more."
"Why, my dearie, what's the matter?" the mother gently inquired.
" 'Cause it ain't no use at all. I can never learn to spell. The
teacher keeps changing the words on me all the time."
TWO SOULS WITH DIFFERENT THOUGHTS.—She (reminiscing)
—Don't you remember, dear, that lovely gorge up in the White Moun-
tains?
He—At the Hawthorne? Say, that was about the swellest feed I ever
tucked in.—Boston Transcript.
A HOUSEHOLD INDUSTRY.—The advertisements were the most in-
teresting things in the paper, according to Mr. Hobart's ideas. He read
them to his wife as she sat at work on the stockings of their active son.
"No need to spend your time hunting for antiques now," said Mr.
Hobart, after skimming the cream from a long article, as was his wont.
"Here's a man that will undertake and guarantee to make your new fur-
niture look as if 'twas a hundred years old, by a process known only to
him."
"I don't see any need of processes for our furniture," remarked Mrs.
Hobart, as she cast a hopeless stocking to the flames of the Franklin
front, "Tommy's feet are all the process we need. Perhaps we could rent
him out by the day."