January 1, 1927.
BUSH & LANE
FOR MUSIC SCHOOL
Conservatory of Music, Grand Rapids, Mich.,
Adds Fine Samples of Bush & Lane Piano
Co.'s Products to Its Class and
Studio Equipment.
11
PRESTO-TIMES
6, 1926, to the Bush & Lane Piano Co., in which
he says:
"I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate
you upon your splendid achievement—the production
COMBINES PIANO SALES
WITH MAGICIAN'S ARTS
Will L. Lindhorst, St. Louis, Has a Good Rec-
ord of Selling Pianos in Extraordinary
Numbers.
Will L. Lindhorst, St. Louis, formerly assistant
cashier for Stix, Baer & Fuller, and piano salesman in
turn for the Conroy Piano Co. and the Baldwin Piano
Co. is also a magician of note. He has been on the
stage with some of his illusory novelties and was as-
sistant to Thurston during several years of his public
career. He has amused luncheon clubs and public
Oscar C. Cress, Head of Widely Known School of
gatherings of many kinds in this city and often de-
Music, in Letter, Congratulates Makers on
lights school children with exhibitions of his strange
Pianos' Beauties of Tone.
and mystifying powers. But more than all that, he
has built up an ability, in the musical world, to dis-
Pianos made by the Bush & Lane Piano Co., Hol-
pose of more pianos in the course of a year than the
land, Mich., have been selected for the equipment of
average salesman deals in during twice that space of
the Grand Rapids Conservatory of Music, Grand
•time, according to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat,
Rapids, Mich., of which Oscar C. Cress is director.
which continues:
The conservatory is worthy of the progressive city
His magic stunts while with Stix, Baer & Fuller,
whose population is noted for its appreciation of fine
STYLE 50, BUSH & LANE GRAND.
led many customers to ask Charles A. Stix, then
music and musical instruments.
of the Bush & Lane piano. Both grands and up- president of the store, how he could keep the young
Director's Choice.
rights in use at the Grand Rapids Conservatory of man behind the Cashier's wicket, but Stix had con-
fidence in Lindhorst. When Lindhorst performed
In supplying the conservatory with new equipment
Music meet with my complete approval.
Mr. Cress chose one Bush & Lane Style "50" small
"The beautiful singing quality of tone, even scale his famous feat of taking 300 silk handkerchiefs from
palm of his hand, Stix offered to make him man-
grand, one Bush & Lane Victor Upright piano and and artistic design make these pianos a joy to play, the
ager of the handkerchief department.
one Bush & Lane Style
It was not so long afterwards that he became a
"32" Upright Grand.
piano salesman, at first for Conroy's. There he made
The Bush & Lane Baby
a record and was presented with an automobile for
Grand is unique for the
topping the firm's salesmen for two years. Since then
he has been connected with Baldwin's, and there, too,
volume and purity of its
he has established a record for sales—so much so, in
tone and the durable char-
fact, that he disposes of at least one piano every
acter of its construction is
other working day throughout the year. This suc-
also appreciated by heads
cess he attributes to combining magic with his sales
of music schools and con-
talks.
servatories. The tone of
By such means last year Lindhorst disposed of
the little grand has the
175 pianos. His best day of sales through magic was
three grand pianos worth $3,750 each, which were
w o n d e r f u l power and
disposed of in a single morning. The average sales-
s w e e t n e s s 'that distin-
man, he says, disposes of five or six in a month.
guishes the entire line of
Lindhorst expects to extend his ability, with the aid
the grands of the name.
of his magic, until he can sell one piano every work-
In thrs instrument, the
ing day in the year.
builders had to consider
Never has he found a customer who resented his
STYLE G, VICTOR.
STYLE 32, BUSH & LANE.
the vital element of dimen-
use of magic. Nearly all are delighted to be subjects
sions in making a piano combining the unquestioned w 7 hile the fine materials combined with splendid work- of the queer transformations that he causes to take
tone-values of the larger grand in a diminutive case. manship are proven by the manner in which they place. There is a fascination about the ability to
They have achieved, in this Style 50, a model adapt- stand up under the constant daily use in the busy confuse people as to how things are done that proves
irresistibly attractive to the victims. As Lindhorst
able for smaller space, an instrument perfect in work- studios of the Conservatory."
testifies, "When I work magic I make sales, but
manship and impressive in looks.
The community interest in fine music is a pleas- when I don't display those powers, business gets
Style 32 is an upright with the coveted tone values ant fact in Grand Rapids. The Philharmonic Central kind of sluggish."
It is useful, too, in making people remember him.
of the grand. The name upright grand has been cor- Concert Course for this season offers the following
Even though they forget his name or misplace his
artists: Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Ossip Gabrilo- cards,
when they arrive at the salesroom later to ask
witsch, conductor; Tito Schipa, Ernestine Schumann- for him, they call for 'the magic salesman," "the
Heink, Midail Mordkin and Amelita Galli-Curci.
mind reader," or "the magician."
More Encouragement.
Besides being a piano salesman in good standing
is a member of the Society of American
Other effective agencies for furthering the course Lindhorst
Magicians, the National Conjurors' Association and
of high class music in Grand Rapids and incidentally the Sons of Mohammed, all organizations of those
increasing appreciation of such fine pianos as those interested in magic. He says he is likely to go out
made by the Bush & Lane Piano Co. are the St. next year at the head of one of Thurston's road
Cecilia Club, an exclusively musical society which companies. He has been asked by the master to
undertake this responsibility and, in as much as it
possesses a large club house and is composed of
ladies who are musicians or patrons of music; the appealed to him very strongly, it is likely that he will
Schubert Club, a male chorus organization of a very abandon even piano selling to return before the foot-
high standing, composed of professional singers and lights.
business men; the Grand Rapids Symphony orches-
BABY GRANDS AT LEIPZIG.
tra is a Grand Rapids organization of high musical
A general tendency among exhibkors at the recent
merit.
The church music in Grand Rapids is of a very autumn fair in Leipzig, Germany, was the featuring
baby grands by German makers. A notable ex-
high order with talented vocalists and trained choirs. of
hibit of the baby grands was that of the Schimmel
It is one of the most musical cities in the country and
company, one of the few German firms which are
offers an encouraging atmosphere for a conservatory still working full time with the full number of their
such as is under the directorship of Mr. Cress.
employees, with ever-increasing orders. The reason
for the big business done by this company seems to
to be their careful sales management and attention
SALT LAKE WINDOW DISPLAY.
to those little things which accommodate their goods
The Daynes Beebe Music Company, Salt Lake City, to the particular requirements of overseas customers.
has a very attractive and beautifully arranged window There is, for instance, the new Musophot Iamn added
display depicting the true holiday spirit this season. to their pianos, which is at the same time shining
The windoWj which is worked electrically, shows the upon .the keyboard and the music, without blinding
traveling of the three wise men upon their camels the playing person.
across the desert country toward the Star of Beth-
lehem, at 'the rear of the display, with the foreground
GULBRANSEN STOCK DIVIDEND.
arranged as an ancient portico under which is sitting
The Gulbransen Company, Chicago, declared a divi-
a maiden playing upon a harp. This window is
dend of two per cent on common stock, payable
attracting a great deal of attention here.
December 27th to stockholders of record. This is
the fourth dividend of two per cent paid on common
OSCAR C. CRESS.
stock during the year 1926. This action was taken
NEW YORK RADIO FAILURE.
rectly applied to this piano in which are incorporated
The Marwol Radio Corp., 546 Broadway, New at a meeting of directors held Friday, December 24,
genuine grand structural principles.
York, has filed schedules in bankruptcy showing lia- at the offices of the company.
The Victor Style G, selected by Mr. Cress, has a bilities, $81,751; assets, $16,500, main items being ma-
tone of great clarity with the Victor distinctiveness of
chinery and fixtures, $12,000; stock, $4,000. Princi-
A GALA CLUB DAY.
charm in appearance.
pal creditors are Eli Meyrich, $15,000, secured; Tawas
The festivities at the Chicago Piano Club Monday
An Appreciative Letter.
Co., $12,600, secured; Leo Wolins, $6,485, secured; last, "Christmas-Monday," resolved itself into a grand
Eagle Condenser, $8,116; Ford Radio Parts, $3,152; good 'time the entire day. Every one who was there
Mr. Cress is highly pleased with his acquisitions
and expresses the fact, in a letter, dated December Natural Voice Talking Machine, $2,266.
will vouch for this.
OPINION OF DIRECTOR
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