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THE: MUSIC TRADE
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and
Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada, $8.50; all other coun-
tries, $4.00.
Telephones-Numbers 5982 and 5983 Madison Sq.
Connecting all Departments
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 28, 1912
v
We have been hearing a great deal lately about
what has come to be called "Progressivism."
The term has had hitherto in this country a sig-
nificance almost entirely political, but no greater
error could be made than to suppose it so limited.
•Progressivism" is a state of mind, larger than
any individual, more important than any political
party, wider in scope than any politcal platform.
It is a way of looking at life, at all the business
of life, and especially at the relations between
each man and his fellow-beings. As such, the
term "Progressivism" indicates an important and
highly significant, cast of thought, of which the
business, as well as the political world must take
careful account. It can neither be sneered out of
existence nor reasoned into something else. It is
part and parcel of a movement now going on
throughout the world, of which we have in this
country seen only one side, but which is in truth
universal. Progressivism, in short, presents to us
a phenomenon of worldwide significance and enor-
mous potentiality.
Progressivism is a possession only of the pro-
gressive mind. The characteristics of this mind
are a refreshing freedom from cant, an earnest
search after truth, regardless of consequence, a
belief in the eternality of progress and a recog-
nition of the fact that antiquity is no measure
of sanctity. The fact that the Progressive move-
ment in this country has been almost entirely po-
litical in its public manifestations is attributable
to the further fact that the American people ex-
press themselves politically before they incorpor-
ate their expression into their social economic life.
This is doubtless somewhat silly, but it is an
American characteristic and must be reckoned
with accordingly. At the same time, however, the
political aspect of Progressivism is an incident
and measure of its actually universal character. "
The Progressive, then, is he who hath the pro-
gressive mind. While his political allegiance may,
and will, be colored by his mental attitude, and
while therefore the possession of a Progressive
mind will make most men Progressives in politics,
the two elements do not necessarily depend one on
the other. No! The Progressive is just a man
who looks facts in the face, who earnestly seeks
truth and honestly wishes to find it, who is open
to impression, careful of his relations with his
fellow-men, joyous, imaginative and ever ready to
advance. That is the Progressive. And that also
is the ideal man of business. We live in a world
of intense competitive activity, where thousands
of brilliant brains struggle against one another for
the leadership in this, that and the other depart-
ment of endeavor. The winner is he who can
REVIEW
think straightly and consistently and can have the ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROLLS
courage to act on his mental deductions. And the
man who can do that has in himself the makings The Subject of a Patent Granted This Week
to Oscar Nelson and Assigned to the J. P.
of a first-class Progressive nature. The Progres-
Seeburg Piano Co., the Chicago Manufac-
sive mind is the ideal business mind.
turers of Automatic and Electric Pianos.
Even within the limits of our own compara-
(Special to The Review.)
tively narrow business we see the continual tri-
Washington, D. C, Sept. 23, 1912.
umph of Progressivism. Who can look back ten
An adjusting mechanism for rolls, or spools for
years without remembering—let us hope to his perforated music sheets, is the subject of patent
own shame—how little faith he had in the triumph
No. 1,039,066 granted this week to Oscar Nelson,
of the player mechanism? All but a very few of of Chicago, 111., and assigned to the J. P. See-
us must plead guilty to that lack of faith. To burg Piano Co., of the same place.
have little faith, to be timid, uncertain, half afraid
This invention relates to means or a mechanism
—these be the marks of the non-progressive mind. employed for adjusting rolls, particularly the take-
And how few of us, alas! can say that we have up rolls, and when desired the trackers of me-
been of greater faith than our weakest brethren! chanical musical instruments, and it consists in
And the more shameful this attitude seems, when
certain peculiarities of the construction, novel ar-
we reason, as we must, that this player business
rangement and operation of the various parts.
of ours pre-eminently demands a continual, grow-
The principal object of the invention is to pro-
ing and powerful faith, a continual' struggle vide simple, inexpensive, durable and efficient
means for longitudinally adjusting or moving one
against the forces of ignorance, prejudice and
superstition. . Has that not been the whole his- of the rolls, preferably the take-up roll, of the
tory of those who have pulled to the front in the perforated music sheet carrying apparatus of a
mechanical musical instrument, so that its head
great player game? And is not this very attitude
of theirs only a practical illustration of the Pro- flanges which guide the sheet will be brought into
and maintained in true alignment with the flanges
gressive temperament?
of the other roll, to the end that the sheet will be
accurately guided as it is wound on one of the
Our one big asset in this player business is
rolls and unwound from the other roll.
Faith! Faith brings forth good works. With
Another object of the invention is to provide
Faith we have strength to fight, courage to en-
means whereby the roll may be longitudinally ad-
dure, persistency to win. These be the armor of
justed, so that the perforations in the music shset
our cause and these the weapons wherewith we
can battle to victory. For we have not yet won may be caused to accurately register with the ducts
in the tracker, or if desired the tracker may be
the battle. Still arrayed against us are the forces
longitudinally adjusted, so that the ducts therein
of Ignorance, of Superstition, of Stupidity. Still
may be caused to accurately register with the per-
against these we must work, and work mightily,
forations in the music sheet.
striving ever and with undiminished faith. And
we must do all this because victory lies that way
UNIRECORD ROLLS IN DEMAND.
only. We must be Progressives in thought, in
word, in deed. We must learn that the new of Latest Development of the Universal Music
yesterday is the commonplace of to-day, the old
Rolls Wins Favor—What the Universal
of to-morrow. We must learn that standing still
Music Co. Has to Say of Them.
is an impossibility, that we move ever, either in
The Universal Music Co. has an excellent report
progression or in retrogression. We must learn
that to have an abiding faith in our own product, to make regarding the general demand for its rolls
in the great commercial, musical and mechanical throughout the country and especially of the man-
proposition with the destinies of which we are ner in which the Uni-Record rolls have been re-
entrusted. We must learn, and learn well, that ceived by the trade and the player-pianists. The
a great work is in our hands, a work fraught with long step toward perfect naturalness in player
difficulty, with disappointment, and with distaste, music which is represented by the Uni-Record
but a great work and one eminently worth while. rolls has been recognized and fully appreciated ac-
It is a work, we must come to see, where the cording to those connected with the company. In
trials are great but the rewards greater. It is a a recent bulletin regarding the Uni-Record rolls
work which even now is but in its infancy, and the the company says:
"Uni-Record rolls represent the latest develop-
maturity whereof no man can now adequately
ment in the well-known Universal music rolls.
measure. We must be Progressives in the player
business, for the non-Progressive mind has no These rolls are hand recorded; that is instead of
being mathematically transcribed from the printed
place therein.
score they are faithful records of the hand per-
formances of eminent pianists.
These words, it will have been seen, bear no
"More than this Uni-Record rolls represent the
political significance. Contrariwise, it is only un- best efforts of each individual pianist. From a
fortunate that the term Progressivism should have large number of records which the pianist make**
become lately so distorted from its broad general
of each composition the one is selected in which
meaning of a state of mind, a way of looking at both technique and mood are at their highest pitch
all things. But the reader will understand and
of inspiration.
appreciate the truth. The present political situa-
"The extraordinary significance of these rolls is
tion has given rise to the thoughts which form
apparent. Perfunctory mechanical playing, when
the basis of these editorial remarks. But the facts they are used, is impossible. While entire free-
themselves are deeper and more profoundly true dom is allowed the performer in tone shading, ac-
than any system of political thought, than any
cent and pedal, and individuality thus preserved,
political program. And as such they are worthy
the tempo and phrasing is automatically imparted
the acceptance of all intelligent and thoughtful and an artistic performance assured under all
men.
conditions."
The Master Player-Piano
is now equipped with an
AUTOMATIC TRACKING DEVICE
Which guarantees absolutely correct tracking of even the most imperfect music rolls
W I N T E R & CO., 220 Southern Boulevard, New York City