Presto

PRESTO
October 13, 1923
PIANO CLUB MEMBERS
EAT, DRINK AND LISTEN
Physical and Mental Sustenance Provided,
with Mark P. Campbell and W. L. Bush
as Dispensers of Latter.
RECEPTION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Occasion Also Made One of Congratulation for Win-
ning Teams in Recent Membership Drive.
At the meeting of the Piano Club of Chicago on
Monday of this week Taylor Holmes, star in "A Bit
of Dust," playing at the Cort Theater, who was to
have been a guest of honor and to have given the
club a talk in his inimitable manner of after dinner
entertainment, was unable to lie there, but an over-
flow of good speakers was on hand to make up the
hour.
Elias Day, Mark P. Campbell, New York, presi-
dent of the National Piano Manufacturers' Associa-
tion; C. L. Smith, manager of the same body, and
William L. Bush, president of the Bush & Gerts
Piano Co., talked in the characteristically lively man-
ner that has made them welcome everywhere as post-
prandial speakers.
Mr. Campbell gave a clean-cut business talk on
conditions present and prospective as he saw them;
encouraging for the worker, but discouraging and
disheartening for the laggard. Mr. Campbell is on
his way to the Pacific coast, where he believes he is
going to carry back some good contracts for 1924
trade.
"Piano men who may be inclined to draw invidious
comparisons between the dimensions of the piano
trade and the automobile trade should credit the latter
with its big job of opportunity making," said Mr.
Campbell.
"The automobile business didn't 'jest
grow' like Topsy, but was made to grow when given
the means.
"Without good roads everywhere the opportunity
for automobile sales would be small. But the auto-
mobile folk didn't stop at wishing for good roads.
They set about creating the good roads spirit and
prompting action for good road making through
clubs and other organizations. Local, county, state
and national aid was evoked by strong and constant
propaganda.
The automobile business got its
opportunity.
"The music business should continue to show equal
vigilance in creating the desire for pianos and the
other aids to culture and joy. We have the machin-
ery for activity and it is our duty to keep it working
in an efficient way. The smooth paved road to piano
prosperity is something of our own making."
Mr. Bush cited his adopted state of Texas as an
admirable example of self-help in creating piano
prospects.
"In Texas we begin at the cradle, so to speak, in
transforming ordinary folk into fortunate piano and
playerpiano owners," said Mr. Bush. "Music is made
a part in the life of the child from the beginning.
The kindergarten is an important music course even
if the processes are simple. The plan of music edu-
cation in Texas is to create the music habit. The
natural thing is for the grown person to become a
piano owner. The registering of every birth is really
an addition to the state's futurity piano prospect list."
The meeting was in the nature of a special recep-
tion for new members, and an opportunity to con-
gratulate the winners of the membership drive. Here
are the winners in the order of merit;
Team No, 14—Jas. T. Bristol, Capt.; Adam
Schneider, Gene Whelan, Jas. V. Sill, B. J. Hening.
Team No. 10—R. E. Davis, Capt.; Matt J. Ken-
nedy, John McKenna, Gordon Laughead, Eugene F.
Carey.
Team No. 18— E. V. Galloway, Capt.; Ed. Wall-
dren, Frank M. Hood, Chas. Klauber, Walter Kiehn.
DEALER AT FRESNO, CAL,
WRITES ABOUT THE "POOLE"
An Expression from J. J. Falkenstein, an Enthusiastic
Representative for Nearly Thirty Years.
It is not often that the Poole Piano Company
authorizes the reprint of complimentary letters re-
ceived from the dealers who handle the Poole. The
letters that reach the Boston industry unsolicited,
testifying to the good qualities and satisfaction that
instruments of their make have and are giving, pre-
sent a tribute to the Poole that is very gratifying to
the makers.
The letter reprinted herewith is illustrative of the
high regard that both the dealer and his customer
have for the Poole.
Mr. Falkenstein is a dealer of the old school—a
practical piano man who has for over forty years
been in the piano business in the State of California.
The customer is one who has been the owner of a
Poole upright for many years, and finding it so pleas-
ing in every respect during that long period of time,
decided in favor of a grand of the same make. The
letter follows:
Fresno, Cal., September 20, 1923.
Poole Piano Company,
Boston, Mass.
Gentlemen: The Style S grand arrived September
18th. I delivered it yesterday, and my customer was
very much pleased with it. You certainly have a
marvelous small grand. The tone is superior to any
small grand I have tried, and the evenness through-
out the entire scale is particularly noticeable.
My only criticism is that you did not have Style S
thirty years ago, that I could have had the pleasure
of selling many of them.
Yours very truly,
" J. J. FALKENSTEIN.
A FIRE-WEEK REMINDER.
Piano factories as well as factories of other indus-
tries in Chicago have received copies of a circular
with practical suggestions for preventions of fire,
prepared by Chicago's civic and welfare organiza-
tions in connection with the annual observance of
Fire Prevention Week from October 6 to 13. "The
best way to. cut down the fire hazard in factories,
not only on the occasion of the fire prevention anni-
versary, but all year round, is to see that plants are
clean and in order and that the dangers in connec-
tion w T ith the heating, lighting and electrical equip-
ment are taken care of by careful inspectors," the
circular warns.
NEW PASADENA HOUSE.
The Rust Music Co., which recently opened a store
at 424 East Colorado street, Pasadena, Cal., has been
incorporated. Edward O. Schroeder, former secre-
tary of Richardson's, Inc., is associated with Russell
L. Rust in the new company. Pianos, players, phono-
graphs and everything that constitutes a general
music goods line will be handled.
RAIN STIMULATES
PORTLAND, ORE., TRADE
Notable Display of Duo-Art by Sherman,
Clay & Co. Proves Great Window At-
traction Leading to Sales.
Sherman, Clay & Co., Portland, Ore., had a win-
dow display of the Duo-Art last week which attracted
a great deal of attention. The interior of the instru-
ment was shown and ribbons attached to the various
parts led to cards which explained the working de-
tail. It was noticeable that the display attracted
many men who stood for a long time studying it
and many personal inquiries were made concerning it.
J. J. Collins has opened up a piano department in
conjunction with the Hyatt Talking Machine Co.,
Portland, Ore. The new store is known as the J. J.
Collins Piano Co. Mr. Collins was for fourteen years
vice-president of the Reed, French Piano Co., retiring
from the firm about a year ago. He has a large
circle of friends both in and out of the trade. At
present Mr. Collins will handle the Bradbury and the
National Piano Company's line. On the opening day
the front of the store and thereon was a handsome
floral offering and congratulations from H. G. Reed,
president of the Reed, French Piano Co.
Rain has brought out the Oregon buyers and the
Portland music merchants are getting their share of
the business. At the G. F. Johnson Company the
week started in with the sale of a $4,000 Chickering
Ampico grand to a prominent Portlander, and Jess
Major, a salesman, who returned from a vacation
trip in eastern Oregon, tells wonderful fish stories, but
he also brought back with him orders for ten pianos,
among them a Chickering Ampico grand.
At the McCormick Music Company, Portland, the
first rain of the season brought customers, among
them buyers for a Period model Strand phonograph,
a Kimball grand and two Victrolas to the Dominican
Sisters' High School, with sets of Walter Camp's
"Daily Dozen" and Victor exercise records.
NEW BRANCH MUSIC STORE
OPENED IN CAMBRIDGE, 0 .
Davis, Burkham & Tyler Co. Adds to Long Chain
of Stores in Two States.
The Davis, Burkham & Tyler Co. added another
link to its chain of stores in West Virginia and Ohio
when a branch was opened in Cambridge, O., last
week. The new store, at 843 Wheeling avenue, is
spacious and well equipped, and the fine lines that
distinguish the business of the company elsewhere
are shown in a suitable manner.
The piano department is on the main floor and its
extent shows the purposes of the managemnt to
make the department of the new branch a leading
one. The Hardman, Knabe, Krakauer, M. Schulz,
Milton and Price & Teeple pianos are carried.
The manager of the new branch in Cambridge is
E. M. Bonnell who is ably assisted by a force of
salesmen and saleswomen selected by himself. The
officers of the Davis, Burkham & Tyler Co. are: W.
F. Frederick, president; E. B. Heyser, vice-president;
.\. E. Davis, vice-president; C. G. Hugus, secretary;
and F. Snvder, treasurer.
THE LOADER A GREAT HELP TO SALESMEN
"Normalcy" in the piano business will return when prices are reduced, when we have good crops or prospects of good crops, and
when Salesmen, (The men who actually sell the piano to the user), get to work.
The Bovven Loader will greatly aid any energetic salesman. For Country work there's nothing like it,—for City work it's a help.
$110.00 for the Loader complete, including springs and cover. >
Shipped on approval to responsible dealers.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston-Salem, N. C.
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