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THE
MUJIC TRADE
VOL LXVII. No. 26 Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman BUI, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York. Dec. 28, 1918
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Substantial Reasons
N
EVER in the history of the United States has there been more real reason for the joyous observance
of the holiday season than is afforded this year, for the season comes just as we are about to appreciate
the full benefits of a return to peace, and the fact that not only has the war, which has disrupted the
world for four years, come to an end, but that this country in a large measure is responsible for
bringing victory just so much faster, at the same time fulfilling our moral obligations to the civilized world as
set forth by our President, gives us added cause for rejoicing.
Americans have for years had more or less of a reputation for being mere money grabbers, disorganized
in industrial and Governmental spheres, and moving along serenely without any thought of disruption of their
peaceful pursuits. As a military factor we were looked upon as something of a joke, and yet when history is
written there will be no finer record on its pages than that of this peace-loving nation, aroused by the crimes
against civilization, throwing its millions of men and vast resources into the fray for the freedom of the world.
Almost over night the machinery that made us pre-eminent as an industrial nation was directed into the work
of war. The Government became the big business head; everything was put under its control for the purpose
of gaining the common end. The cost was heavy, but the end was attained.
The business man, no matter how intensely interested he may be in business, cannot be so callous as to forget
or overlook the broader aspect of the peace declaration. He perhaps has seen his young son march away with
the pick of the nation's youth and brave the perils of the submarine-infested waters to uphold the cause of
democracy in a land over 3,000 miles away. He has seen his boy, or perhaps some boy dear to him, swallowed
up behind that barrier of censorship "somewhere in France." He has seen the casualty lists appear in the
newspapers, and has realized that the manhood of the nation was being maimed, or even destroyed, in the name
of the nation of which he is a citizen. And seeing all this, he had cause to ponder.
Closer to him in a material way, perhaps, was the effect of war upon business, and he was face to face
with the problem of carrying on without any definite idea of when new restrictions would be placed upon his
particular industry; when the call of the Government for support would become persistent and when he might
perhaps have to sacrifice all in the general cause. In short, whether personally interested in the firing line in
France or in the firing line of business at home, he had it brought home to him daily that the greatest war in
the world's history was being fought to a finish.
Now, however, has come the armistice—has come the surrender of the enemy, his fleet, his war equipment,
and his territory. The President of this Republic is now abroad to take his part in the final negotiations for
the world peace. There is nothing but sunshine ahead, and the sunshine breaks through the clouds of war just
as the season of holiday joy comes upon us. If there ever was a time when the words "Peace on earth, good
will to men" should be appreciated by Americans whatever their rank or whatever their station, the holiday
season of 1918 should certainly be marked as the proper occasion.
The music trade industry has particular reason to be joyous. It has weathered the storm successfully, it
has progressed in spite of restricted supplies and great scarcity of labor, and the present demand for musical
instruments of all kinds is the forerunner of a new year of great prosperity in the music trade.
We see before us the opportunity to develop and expand along natural lines without let or hindrance.
But as the excitement of war gradually wears away, as we take stock of what has happened and what might
have happened, then will come the consciousness that this holiday season should see us offering thanksgiving
for the lessons of the past year and for the fact that we as a nation have come out of it strong, united and
confident. What the future holds will come to us. What the past held for us is now history. What the present
has for us is sufficient to keep this holiday period fresh in our memory for all time.