Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MUSIC "TRADE
OuTTECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
a nature that he may make it as dignified and as
well paid as that of any professional man; if,
Is the piano tuner a professional man or a so be it, he wills.
What, then, is the advantage, if any, in as-
workman? The question, to my mind, has a good
deal more than a mere academic interest, it is my suming what I may term the professional point of
purpose to answer it at some length, and therehy view? Mainly, this, I think: that it gives him a
draw certain deductions that the nature of the larger view of life. If the piano tuner starts out
with the idea that he is a mere workman, of little
case seems to warrant.
The idea which we have of ourselves at any account to himself and of less account with the
given time is the most important determining in- world, then inevitably he will assume the work-
fluence in our lives. That which I think myself to man point of view, think workman thoughts, act in
be I am; for all practical purposes. If I think I workman ways and generally be of small use to
am down and out, then down and out I am. And anyone. I have no quarrel with this attitude, for,
certainly I am not down and out until I think indeed, it is necessary. The world must have its
myself so to be. A high purpose, combined with humble workers. But it wou'd be a wretched
a reasonable self-love, together forming an ideal world in which there was no desire anywhere to
of one's self somewhat higher than immediate pos- think higher thoughts or do higher things.
The piano tuner who will assume the profes-
sibilities imply, is the right purpose. We must
ever stand a little higher in our own estimation sional point of view will begin to think of him-
than the place which a world would assign to us. self as a professional man, as one whose work- is
Thus and thus only shall be come to our own in of use and importance to the world. He will have
greater respect for himself and so inevitably will
the fullness of time.
I should say, after considerable experience, that come to demand that others respect him. He will
piano tuners need, more than anything else, a have greater dignity and so will be treated as one
higher sense of their own importance in the world. of some importance. He will be a better work-
I do not mean by this a mere conceit or vanity, man and also a better man.
But this is not all. Along with a change in
but rather a sense of high purpose, a conviction
that one's place in tlffe wor'd is indeed important viewpoint must ever come a change in ways and
and significant. For from such a conviction must methods. Very few of us in this day and age
also arise a larger sense of responsibility, a deeper need to preserve a look of seediness or cheapness.
feeling that one's place in life is to realize one's There is no necessity for going unwashed, or
bigness and justify a personal sense of it by without clean linen, or with a bag of tools that
doing, a good work. A true self-love, it seems to looks like something dug up from the floor of a
me, is a mainspring of fine action, just as vanity junk shop. The telephone man, or the rat trap
peddler may assume that sort of guise if he
is a clog on the wheels of personal progress.
With this pre'iminary consideration we approach wishes. But the piano tuner is a man whose busi-
the subject of our present argument by a direct ness takes him among artists, among those to
line of thought. As a body of men it Is probable whom life means more than mere bread. He
rhaf piano tuners compare well with a;iy other needs the respect of these "people for his income's
citizens of similar income capacity. But it is not sake, if for no other reason. And to gain that
as individuals that I want now to consider piano respect his appearance is the first thing to be re-
tuners. I desire rather to discuss them collective- formed. Let us have fewer seedy looking piano
ly, as a body. And I think that it will be gen- tuners.
And, indeed, there is another consequence to
erally acknowledged that as such a body piano
tuners are not sufficiently respectful of themselves. the assumption of this desirable point of view.
They are altogether too prone to talk of them- For with the taking on of the feeling that he is
selves as "just piano tuners." They lack a sense something comes to every normal man the desire
of dignity. They fail to comprehend the import- to justify the belief; to justify it in his own mind
ance and entire necessity of their work. In a as well as in the minds of those with whom he is
thrown in contact. Greater respect for one's self
word, they do not sense their own significance.
Now it seems to me that this is an entirely leads ever to better work, to a higher holding up
wrong attitude. Whatever one may say to the of the head, to more care, more neatness, more
despatch. And all these things mean money.
contrary, it is entirely true in fact that most, if
not all, of the talk one hears about the sacredness Such are some of the advantages ever associated
and dignity of manual labor is very nonsensical. with the frank and consistent assumption of the
Ruskin' has" put the matter well in his lecture on professional point of view.
Are we then professional men? We are, I have
work. The man who has shoveled coal into the
furnaces of a steamship during a long watch is answered, just so long as we choose to call our-
not the same man at the end of his toil as be who selves so, to- think ourselves so, and to adopt the
sat in a study all day reading books or writing an viewpoint and attitude towards ourselves and our
article. The workman type is a type which cannot work that this implies. As for the advantages, it
is hardly necessary for me to discuss this ques-
be avoided in modern life. But the important
point is that to assume this type, with all that it tion at any length, for already I have pointed out
does for the degradation of the human personality, considerations which completely cover the whole
:
is, in the case of the piano tuner, not in the least matter of advantage, k is enough to say that the
piano tuner is a man whose work, whether he wills
necessary or inevitable.
Or, in other words, the piano tuner may be a it or not, should entitle him to the respect and at-
workman if he wishes, but he need not be. He tention which inevitably accompany the profes-
may consider himse'f as a mere mechanic, alto- sional man. If he is willing to do without this, to
gether unfit to rise in the world, altogether bound remain in fact as well as in name a mere work-
•down to a life of small restrictions, altogether man, then let it be so. He himself will suffer most.
a person of small account. But he need not do Yet it ought not to be so, for as he suffers so does
this. And the reason is that this work is of such also the whole body of his colleagues suffer with
him. So long as any individual among us mis-
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING behaves, so -long do all of us suffer by indirection.
ARE WE PROFESSIONALS?
Piano, Flayer-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Tuning and Re-
pairing, alto Regulating, Voicing, Varnishing and Peliihing.
This formerly was the tuning department of the New
England Conservatory of Music, and Oliver C. Faust was
head of that department for 20 years previous to its dis-
continuance.
Courses in mathematical piano scale construction and
drafting of same hare been added.
Pupils have daily practice in Chickering & Sons' factory.
Year Book sent free upon request.
17-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST.. BOSTON, MASS.
And to place one's self in the wor'd lower than
one should is, in fact, to misbehave.
Let us lie up and doing. Let us remember the
good old days when men in our profession were
respected men, gentemen in fact and in name,
men of respect and consideration. Let us by ex-
ample teach the younger men who enter into our
profession the right way to think and act and feel.
Let us be worth something to ourselves, to our
colleagues and to the world in which we find our-
selves. Thus shall we fulfill the supreme dictate
of existence, for thus shall we live a full, rich and
significant life.
A Puzzle and a Prize.
I know not whether it be a matter ot any spe-
cial importance, but the fact is that the day on
which these words appear marks the passing of
another milestone n the technical editor's life-
way. So many readers at one time or another
have suggested that the immense stores of wisdom
massed in the editorial mind can only be the prod-
uct of immense age, that I hereby offer a prize, in
the shape of a copy of any one of my books, to be
chosen by the winner, to the reader who first
guesses the exact age of the oracle who weekly
conducts this pinnacle of profundity. The only
condition is that said reader be a bona fide sub-
scriber to The Review. Address your guesses,
before September 1, to the Technical Editor, as
be 1 ow.
Communications for this department should be
addressed to the Editor Technical Department,
The Music Trade Review.—W. B. W.
TO EXHIBIT PEASE PIANOS
At House Furnishings Trade Show at Grand
Central Palace—Pease Piano Co. Believes in
That Form of Publicity.
The Pease Piano Co. has made arrangements to
exhibit its grand, upright and player-pianos at-the
House Furnishings Trade Show, which opened at
the Grand Central Palace on Thursday. A num-
ber of new style Pease pianos will be shown in
public for the first time at this exhibit. One of
the instruments shown was a new mission style
Pease player-piano, which is- particularly striking
and handsome in appearance.
Geo. A. Scofield, manager of the Pease ware-
rooms on West 42d street, believes that this form
of publicity is most productive of actual results
and that prospects gained in this way are most
profitable to the retail end of the business.
NEW PIANO CLEANING DEVICE.
An unique invention, which is claimed to take
the dirt and lint from the inside of a piano with-
out kicking up a dust, has just been introduced
by the Reeves Music Co., Helena, Mont. The
concert states that with the use of the new de-
vice the piano "becomes as pure and harm'ess as
the lillies of the field."
A CONFLICT OF CLAIMS.
A portion of the stock of W. S. Bayless, a piano
dealer of Elgin, 111., consisting of sheet music and
several pianos, was sold to Ackerman Bros, by
Referee in Bankruptcy Abbott for $500. The sale
of several other pianos was held up by conflicting
claims of ownership filed by different manufac-
turers and which will have to be carefully investi-
gated by the referee.
YELLOW IVORY KEYS MADE WHITE AS SNOW
BUYS AUTOMATIC_MUSIC CO. STOCK.
with Caplan's Patent Piano Key polishing
powder. 500 manufacturers, dealers and
tuners wanted to test it. Samples 50c. and
$1.
(The dollar size will whiten four sets
keys). H. Caplan, 49 Sherman Avenue,
Jersey City, N. J. (iVo free samples.')
The Guaranty Bank & Trust Co., which held a
mortgage on the stock of the Automatic Music
Co., purchased the stock of that concern at auction
by a bid of $16,000. The Guaranty Bank & Trust
Co. was the highest bidder, the only other bidder
being H. P. Mayer, of Paris, Tex.