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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
THE PROFESSION OF BUSINESS
(Continued from page 3)
Business is becoming" a profession. The business man who is nothing else must soon be a thing" of the
past. Already he is an anachronism.
Business men who fail to study the facts of business advance, business organization, business sys-
tematization are simply digging graves for themselves. Business men who think that their business is their
individual affair and no one else's are due for a rapid and unpleasant awakening.
New times are here, new thoughts, new public opinion, new standards of conduct.
Business is becoming a profession. Let there be no mistake about that. The old haphazard ways are
already out of date. Co-operation, study, system are the w r atchwords of the new age.
Whatever the world of to-morrow may be externally it will need the trained business man, the professor
of business. There is the goal to which the young men of this age may look forward with confidence and
pride.
whether the Bureau for the Advancement of Music was in exist-
ence or not. There is the thought, however, that all this adver-
tising would be just that much more effective if a uniform slogan
was adopted to be placed in each piece of copy in connection with
anything else that the advertiser might want to say. "A Piano
in Every Home" for such a slogan would seem to fill the bill
nicely, and Mr. Tremaine's idea for co-operation in advertising-
is worth prompt and serious thought.
facturers are willing to gamble on long credit while the Ameri-
can wanted to do business as he did it at home. At the present
time, in certain lines of commodities, short credit terms can be
enforced but when Europe is again at peace American exporters
will find a credit situation developed that will make twelve-
month notes look like cash payments. The situation will have
to be faced by those who intend to stay in the trade, and the
proper time to prepare to face it is right now when competition
is at low ebb.
HETHER the present prosperity in the United States is
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of the mushroom variety and will cease to exist after the
EMBERS of the local retail piano trade have sent The
M
close of the war or whether the American exporters will have
Review expressions of appreciation regarding the sugges-
won a permanent foothold in foreign markets remains to be
seen. Every government official and every private business man
who travels in the belligerent or neutral countries comes back
with his own opinion regarding the standing of American manu-
facturers and American products in different localities, and pic-
tures the difficulties we must fight against in establishing foreign
trade.
According to one consular officer who came home a fort-
night ago this country is in for an export boom regardless of the
attitude of the European nations, for the foreigners will buy
American goods, not because they actually want to buy them,
but because they must have them.
The chief drawback to the development of this trade, de-
clares the consul, is the inclination of American manufactur-
ers to be somewhat close on credit terms, many of them demand-
ing the deposit of cash in an American bank to cover the goods
before making deliveries. It is the credit side of the export
question that must receive most attention from Americans. Even
in the peaceful years before 1914 much Latin American trade
went to Europe, for instance, simply because European manu-
tion made in this publication last week as to the need of an
association of retail piano men in New York, for the discussion
and promotion of subjects of mutual interest.
There are so many vital questions bearing on trade better-
ment that could be handled satisfactorily through the interchange
of views on the part of local piano men, that the value of such
an organization goes without saying.
The operation of "dead beats" and commission fiends can
be combatted successfully by such an organization, which will
also give the retail piano men a powerful weapon for offensive
or defensive purposes in connection with State or city legisla-
tion calculated to affect the piano trade in some way or another.
Besides there is always to be considered the development of
friendly relations between the piano men themselves to their
general advantage.
The idea has been strongly endorsed by leading managers,
and it only needs immediate and concerted action on the part
of those interested to bring about an organization that should be
most effective in results for the benefit of the retail piano trade
of the city.
GETTING DOWN TO PLAIN PLAYER FACTS
The education of the public along player lines is a necessity for the expansion of the player business.
There is no doubt of that; and education of the piano merchants and salesmen is also a vital necessity,
because through them will come a powerful force in the education of the public; and right here we wish to
remark that we have produced a line of books upon the player-piano which comprehensively covers the
entire player situation.
In this respect this trade newspaper stands alone, for it has been the principal source from which player
information has been available for piano merchants and salesmen for a period of years. Our latest book,
"The Player-Piano Up to Date"
is the best of the series. It contains upwards of 220 pages of matter bearing directly upon the player.
Every piano merchant and piano salesman should have a copy of this book within easy reach. It
gives to readers a fund of information not obtainable elsewhere.
It contains a series of original drawings and a vast amount of instructive and educational matter, as
well as a detailed description of some of the principal player mechanisms.
It costs $1.50 to have this book delivered to any address in the United States, and your money will be
refunded if you are not satisfied with the book after examination. No one yet has availed himself of this
opportunity. Foreign countries, 15c. to cover extra postage, should be added.
Estate of EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Publisher
373 Fourth Ave., New York