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(Chicago Section)
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE GREAT WEST.
(Continued from page 3.)
The man who would have predicted such a condition would probably have been considered
somewhat erratic in his views to say the least, but nevertheless the whirligig of time brings about
strange things, and what we little expect sometimes proves to be true. The visionary conception of
to-day becomes the accepted policy of to-morrow. Chicago to-day stands out as a piano producing
and distributing center—the marvel of the century—and all this has been accomplished within such
a short time, for its most rapid growth in the music trade manufacturing line has been practically
within the last decade.
The musical atmosphere of Chicago has steadily grown with its industrial expansion, and it is
said upon excellent authority that more piano students can be found in Chicago than in any other
American city. It contains not merely a large number of musical institutions of note, but it pos-
sesses one which has the largest individual membership of any musical college in the world.
The musical taste of Chicago is again reflected in its maintenance of Grand Opera. Chicago,
musically, has undergone many changes since those days when Theodore Thomas was struggling
to found his symphony orchestra.
So Chicago is not only doing her share in supplying instruments for all parts of the United
States, but she is doing her share towards giving a musical education to the young, which I contend
is the surest and safest way to build the piano business of the future.
The time to learn music is in youth, and Chicago has caught the right spirit—a spirit which,
if adopted by piano men broadly throughout the country, would tend towards creating in the end
a greater demand for musical instruments, because everyone who possesses the elementary knowl-
edge of music is bound to be a purchaser of a piano later on.
The West has produced great men and vast industries, and no one who studies the trend of
the trade can deny the greatness of Chicago as a piano center.
The pioneers of the music trade industry in this Western field had no easy time, and their bed
was not rose strewn by any means.
In all of the earlier years there was much difficulty experienced in securing the right kind of
help. Labor such as was desirable was extremely scarce. It had to be created and moulded. Every-
thing in the way of supplies had to come from the East—in fact, it was a slow, building-up process,
and in my opinion a tribute of respect is due to the pioneers of the music trade industry, who
have labored long and hard to establish an industry which has since grown to a commanding posi-
tion. Then, again, for a long time they had to fight prejudices which existed against Western made
instruments. Of course, this prejudice was encouraged in various ways, and they had to overcome
it by producing instruments of admitted worth and strength. There is where the determination
and fixity of purpose of the West came in. The pioneers were not to be swerved from the accom-
plishment of what they desired, and what they knew to be their rights, by prejudice of any kind.
They worked on, creating instruments of value, having faith in their future, and what has been
the result? Instruments of technical and scientific worth have grad-
ually forced the admiration of purchasers, until, little by little, the early
prejudices have been entirely swept away, and Chicago has stepped
grandly into her own, as a city typifying in a remarkable degree what
American skill, energy and stick-to-itiveness can accomplish!