December 25, 1920.
LESSONS FROM A
YULETIDE FROLIC
11
PRESTO
A SALT LAKE CITY WINDOW
Preparations for the New Year's Celebration
by Employes of the Rudolph Wurlitzer
Company Afford Opportunity for In-
structive Review of Program Book.
Unique in the annals of the music trade is the
program of a forthcoming event in Cincinnati. It
is the plan and list of participants in the "Informal
New Year's Eve Frolic to all Wurlitzer Employes,"
Friday evening, December 31, in Alms Hotel Grand
Ball Room in the Ohio city. The program is "copy-
right 1920 in trust for the employes of the Rudolph
Wurlitzer Company," and in that, too, there is the
mark of originality and the unusual by which the
Cincinnati house has been distinguished through the
years of its career.
But, the copyright notwithstanding, there can be
no breach in reproducing extracts from the pro-
gram by which to convey to members of the trade
everywhere an idea of the range of activities and
remarkable evidence of versatility displayed in pre-
paring for the New Year's Frolic. Still more, it
may afford an outline of the magnitude of the Wur-
litzer organization and the degree of ingenuity and
intelligence by which its activities are reinforced by
its musically endless departments.
Evidence of Growth.
It is no small matter that a representative music
house can present this kind of evidence of growth
and power. It is an item of interest to every man
who takes pride in the business. And it presents
an object-lesson which may prove an inspiration to
other and younger houses in the same line of ac-
tivity.
There is no description of the Wurlitzer house, or
of the possibilities of the music business, that could
give a better impression of development than the
program book of the New Year celebration without a
word of explanatory matter. It begins with a page
of the "Entertainment Committee," consisting of 24
workers in the Cincinnati house, with Thos. P.
Clancy as chairman. The next page gives the text
of addresses to be delivered by executive officers,
and is as follows:
"Coming to the point is one of our laws of
achievement"—Howard E. Wurlitzer, president.
"The power of a good business purpose in our
behalf cannot be over-estimated, it takes hold of the
heart of our business life and spans throughout for
the good of Wurlitzer organization."—Rudolph H.
Wurlitzer, vice-president.
"Every W 7 urlitzer employe has in himself a con-
tinent of undiscovered character."—Edward H. Uhl,
vice-president. -
"We step aside to let any man in Wurlitzer or-
ganization pass whose ideas are helpful."—Farny
Wurlitzer, treasurer.
"If your counsels suggest reflection you have
taught wisdom"—"William S. Little, secretary.
"Not as little as we dare for the Wurlitzer organ-
ization, but as much as we can do, is our motto."—
Thomas P. Clancy, assistant secretary.
The program proper catalogues the entertain-
ments, which include dancing and the presentation
of prizes to the best exemplars of the terpsichorean
art. The careful stipulation is that "Wurlitzer in-
struments are used exclusively." The judges of the
prize winners are headed by President Howard E.
Wurlitzer, who was elected for the task by popular
vote of the employes. Hundreds of dollars worth of
prizes will be distributed.
But from a more general and permanent point of
view, the five pages of the program book which are
devoted to "Characteristic Expressions from the Sev-
eral Department Managers" constitute the best part
of it. And, as showing the extensive ramifications
of the house and, to some degree, the high order
of intelligence that directs the various departments
of the Wurlitzer house, a selection of the "charac-
teristic expressions" are given as follows:
Characteristic Expressions.
Not with boasting or self-laudation we clear the
Wurlitzer avenues and aisles by our prompt co-oper-
ation with Uncle Sam.—Gertrude Brueggman, Office
Mailing Dept.
The sands in the hour glass will soon pass the
three-quarter century of business work of The Ru-
dolph Wurlitzer Company. It has been a business
of deeds.—Carl Schulz, General Musical Instrument
Dept.
The United States of America was never healthier
and sounder financially or commercially than she is
today.—Thurse Sigman, Victor Wholesale Depart-
ment.
The Play's the thing (Shakespeare)—Our displays
are the scenery set for an audience of customers
The above beautiful window display, which ap-
peared in the Daynes-Beebe Music Company's store
at Salt Lake City, Utah, was designed by G. Todd
Taylor, manager erf the player roll department,
whose talent in that direction has been commented
upon by Presto before. Mr. Todd not only designed
the window but also did the work of arranging the
details.
The girl at the left, seated outside her tent, is a
real gypsy, and the singer is making an appeal to
her to tell him or her what the future holds in store
personally. To reveal the future—the problem that
has baffled the sages and the reverends of all ages;
and the appeal is made to a plain little gypsy sitting
in the forest outside her tent. What a theme for a
song and for a Q R S roll! A peep into the future—
the most interesting, the most dreaded peep in the
world; a peep that sensible persons would not shrink
from, that the superstitious would fear to take but
at the same time would be the first to step up and
take it.
It's a wonderful roll, with a wonderful sale—a
great number. Mr. Taylor also had every dance or-
chestra in town featuring this number a whole week.
The American Theater also played this number on
the organ the entire week and featured the chorus
on the screen. This combined advertising produced
remarkable results.
The girl at the right, beside the Q R S wagon, is
the "Q R S girl," as the company calls her. She ap-
pears in much of the Q R S Music Company's liter-
ature. And by the way, she is one of the cleverest
saleswomen in the service of that manufacturing cor-
poration.
throughout the world.—J. Frank Mahret, Window
Display Department;
The old days of conscientious and careful con-
struction were good days. They will never come
again, and it is well, for they would get in the way
of the new days, whose duty it is to turn to good
account what we have made ready.—W. W. Wolf,
Branch Audit Department.
A right sometimes sleeps, but never dies.—Thos.
Murphy, City Delivery Department.
Nothing can come of nothing.—Manuel Cabral,
Cable Code Department.
How to Forgive.
You should forgive many things in others, but
nothing in yourself.—Marie Byrnes, Librarian.
Avoid the dangers of idleness.—Richard Mathers,
Retail Store.
Power is easily retained by those means which
acquired it.—Adolph Loeb, Rare Violin Department.
That load becomes light which is cheerfully borne.
—John Weiss, Tax Department.
True merit depends not on the time nor on the
fashion.—Wm. Tegeler, Warehouse.
We live more by example than by reason.—Bertha
Klein, Filing Department.
Every Wurlitzer branch manager is a leader, each
leadership is individual; we are here to give you
all the co-operation you need.—Verna Geers, News-
paper Advertising Dept.
The power of audits cannot be overestimated—
they take hold of the heart of our Wurlitzer organi-
zation, and span it on to correct business principles.
—W. D. Lewis, Audit Department.
The slow penny is surer than the quick dollar.—
Hilda Meineke, Collection Department.
Genius darts, flutters and tires, but efficiency
wears and wins.—Louise Erni, Efficiency Depart-
ment.
A Signature's Power.
The Notarial Seal and Signature is a vital principle
to business documents.—Marie Umberg, Notarial
Department.
Work is the master key to all the doors and op-
portunities.—Walter Boehmer, Billing Department.
The waste which comes from doing poor things in
poor ways keeps half of humanity poor.—R. H. New-
man, Finance Department.
Application cannot be divided or parted, for then
it ceases to be application.—Raimund B. Wurlitzer,
Real Estate Department.
Play the business game clearly and squarely.—
Chas. Daganbach, Receiving Department.
Win the prize fn the business in which you earn
your livelihood, because your whole future depends
upon the efforts you put forth.—John Janser, Instru-
mental Stock Department.
Do not expect anyone to ferry you over any swift
river without pulling on an oar yourself.—E. J Mc-
Conncll, Freight Tariffs Department.
Grateful to the Founder.
Good as are all of these mottoes, or maxims, it
adds strength to the program exhibit to say that
the expressions above repeated are chosen from 68,
of similar kind, contributed by that number of em-
ployes in the various departments of the Wurlitzer
house in Cincinnati. There are also 27 more of
the "expressions" from managers of the branch
houses throughout the country, from New York to
St. Louis, and from Milwaukee to San Francisco.
The list alone gives a good idea of the great reaches
of the old house of Wurlitzer in its present-day de-
velopment.
But perhaps the best page in the program book
because it shows the spirit which should prompt
the beating hearts of all modern enterprise whose
roots run back through the years, is the page devot-
ed to the memory of the late founder of the house
Rudolph H. Wurlitzer. "A Thought of Apprecia-
tion," is the head-line, which is followed by this
quotation.
"Our gratitude for his high example of salesman-
ship and thrift which for over half a century marked
his relations and friendship. His life the best paint-
ter cannot epitomize in words."
The tribute is signed by the 34 "oldest employes"
of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company.
A copy of the Wurlitzer New Year Frolic pro-
gram would do good in the hands of any aspiring
member of the music trade. It suggests, as few
similar publications have ever done, the possibilities
of the business when conducted on principles of ac-
tion sustained by ambition and the far-seeing genius
of modern industry.
A voluntary petition in bankruptcy was filed by
Charles J. H. Diehl, of Milledgeville, 111., owner of a
chain of piano stores in northern Illinois.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/