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APRIL 27,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
1918
B^gi^itt^iiytiMiMM
Being the Plain Thoughts of a Plain Thinker on Men, Things and Affairs in
the Musical Industry and in Others, Written in an Optimistic Vein, and
Intended to Be of Helpfulness to All Those Who Think While They Read
wealth which is giving up the flower of its
youth and manhood in the cause of liberty, to
hold no parley with unmanly fears? In his
There is not an official in Washington who
famous history of the Peninsula War, Napier
really believes that music is non-essential or
has described the British soldier's spirit in the
that the music industries ought to be treated
words of Marshal Soult, one of Napoleon's
badly in any way. The Government is not mak-
most skilful generals. "I had beaten them at
ing a set at us; or for that matter at any one
Salamanca," said Soult in substance, "out-
else. George W. Pound is on the job and our
manoeuvred and beaten them. They were sur-
interests are being looked after. The fact is
rounded on three sides. They were hopelessly
that the Government is facing a genuine prob-
outnumbered. But they did not know they were
lem of the utmost complexity, a problem which
beaten, and I could not make them understand
looks awfully simple until you begin to unravel
it." History tells, too, that these men who
its complexities. Then it appears horrifyingly
did not know they were beaten won that battle
tangled. That problem is concerned with the
from Soult. "It is warm work, hard pounding,
production and movement along the railways
gentlemen," said Wellington during the after-
of (1) material for shipbuilding, (2) coal for the
noon of Waterloo; "let us see who can pound
shipping which is carrying troops and supplies
the longest." We know the answer.
to Europe, (3) wheat and grain for shipment
"The Old Guard," said Ney, "dies, but it
to Europe, (4) oil, steel, lumber and other
supplies by the millions of tons destined also never surrenders." "I have only just begun
for the other side. Along with the extraordi- to fight," said Paul Jones when he was sum-
nary strain thus put on the transportation sys- moned to surrender. "Don't give up the ship"
tem is the further complication of the greatly were the last words of the gallant Lawrence.
This is the spirit of the nations that now fight
expended and expanding demand for labor in
the war-factories, for materials for use in those for civilization. Think you that spirit can ever
factories and for men for the army. It is not be beaten?- Take courage, friends. The win-
surprising that the Government finds it neces- ning fight is the last fight of the war. The
sary to cut down our supplies of raw materials money that wins is not the first hundred mil-
to a certain extent. It is far better for us to lion, but the last hundred million. The spirit
take what we must take quietly and cheerfully that wins is not the spirit that exults in victory,
than to grumble and imagine we are the ob- but that pities in victory and smiles in defeat.
jects of discrimination. On the contrary, the That is our spirit; and it is not the Hun spirit.
Government knows that we are just as much
DOING A BIT OF CLEANING=UP!
needed as any other industry; but every indus-
try is suffering from some sort of discomfort
It may seem uncharitable to say so, but there
and we are much better off than some others. are dealers who would really be better off if
The curtailment is annoying, no doubt; but they did not sell another piano or player-piano
that is part of the price we pay for being par- this summer, but simply devoted themselves
ties to a world-system that has allowed each to the task of collecting the money due them,
nation to pursue its way unguided by any in- digging up and realizing on the past due ac-
ternational public opinion. We and the other counts and generally giving themselves a finan-
democracies ask no more than to be allowed cial house-cleaning. In these prosperous times,
to go on in our own private greed, each citizen of course, it is much easier to sell pianos and
taking all he could for himself. Prussia only player-pianos than to get them. Therefore, the
asked to be allowed to go on in her way, train- curtailment for two months won't really be mak-
ing herself to let hell loose on a defenseless ing the situation particularly worse as regards
world that her hegemony might be consum- supply, while it will help the manufacturers and
mated. Well, we have waked up now!
the dealers to take breath, clean house and
emerge fresher than ever.
Besides, the factories will be running, and
THE SPIRIT QF VICTORY
if you can only get seven players out of every
Last Christmas a brother who lives and plants
ten you order, why then the answer is to order
tea in far-away India, in a great compound nes-
better ones and sell fewer at higher prices.
tling among the foothills of the Northeastern
Himalayas, sent the writer a card bearing no
DEMONSTRATORS
ornament save two Union Jacks crossed and
the title "The United Empire." Beneath were
The day of the demon demonstrator seems
these words, culled from one of our poets:
to have passed forever. The time existed when
the writer had ambitions to sit upon a platform
"He holds no parley with unmanly fears,
with enormous audiences of the most beautiful
Where Duty calls he confidently steers;
ladies and most intelligent men hanging upon
Faces a thousand dangers at her call,
every touch of his—er—feet, whilst he dragged
And trusting in his God surmounts them all." out from the very depths of the sound board the
More than once during the seeming darkness thundering chords of Liszt's Fourteenth Rhap-
of the past few weeks when newspapers and sody. Those ambitions have been in part ful-
the public mind appeared for the moment para- filled; quite enough to prove that demonstration
lyzed with fright, these words occurred to me. which is a sort of imitation of a piano recital
Is it not indeed our paramount duty just now, is not the thing wanted at all. But it has also
as Americans, as allies of the great common- taught that intelligent demonstration in public—
AN ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY
meaning thereby demonstration adapted to bring
before people in large numbers simultaneously a
real glimpse of the idea that a player-piano is
something worth buying and learning to play
well—is the finest sort of advertising, the finest
stimulator and producer of sales. But it has
also taught, to make a third lesson of it, that
this sort of advertising is about the rarest known.
30 PER CENT. MINUS
"Oh! lor, that's the limit now," said a friend
of mine when he had read Mr. Pound's com-
munication on the Government's curtailment
order. But, after all, is it the limit? Is it not
rather a blessing in disguise?
Sure enough, some dealers are going to get
left; and left badly. We have all been begging
the dealers to get in their orders for player-
pianos early. Is it at all remarkable that those
who refused to listen when the time was still
open should now complain? Not at all; such
is the contrary nature of the human animal.
But those who do get left have only themselves
to blame.
But there is another side to it. Many manu-
facturers have strained themselves during the
past winter to pile up large stocks. Most of
them have done so in the face of great diffi-
culties about supplies and of steadily mounting
costs, not to mention shortage of labor. Well,
these manufacturers will now be able to reap
their reward. The dealers will be fighting for
player-pianos before the summer is over, mark
my words!
GRAND PLAYERS
They are coming, sure as fate. By which I
should not mean to imply that many of them
have not come already. No; but I mean that
they are coming now in really large numbers.
During 1918 we shall see them assuming a
really important position. The player and the
small grand piano will come very close to
monopolizing the piano market during the next
few years; but all the players will not be up-
rights, nor will all the grands be straight pianos.
The player grand piano is a player that will
sell to those who have the money and would
not buy any other kind of music-roll instrument
under any consideration whatever. Think it
over! You are going to need a thoroughly high-
grade player proposition, one that is different.
You will need, in the words of the vaudeville
artists on their letter-heads, "a somewhat dif-
ferent act." The player grand is that act!
GEO. W. POUND TAKES NEEDED REST
George W. Pound, general counsel of the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, left on
Tuesday night of this week for his old home in
Buffalo, N. Y., for a brief rest, and will be hack
in his office on Monday next. Mr. Pound has
been working very hard in the interests of the
industry and for some time felt the necessity of
getting away from his office for a complete
change and rest.
A NATURAL PAST OF EVEfiY PIANO DEALERS TOADE
OPGANS
JLEJ\J>EJ3 IN THE AUTOPWTJC
J. P. 5 E E H U H G
PIANO COMPANY . . .CHICAGO ILLINOIS —