Music Trade Review

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THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
THE CHASTENING ROD
HPHEEE are three ways adopted by the average man of inflicting chastise-
X. ment upon-erring and obstreperous newspapers. In the case of an ad-
vertiser the method adopted is, to withdraw the advertisment ; in the case of a
subscriber, it is a notification to stop his subscription; in 'the case of a manager
of a place of public entertainment, it consists of a withdrawl of those courtesies
which are generally extended to the press.
It must be admitted that the MUSICAL CBITIC AND TRADE REVIEW has fre-
quently been chastened in all three ways ; but, so far as heard from, it has
never yet been known to kiss the rod.
We make these remarks because we recently received a letter which we
print below. It is from a Mr. A. S. Mills (we think his initials should be
A. S. S. Mills), press agent of the American Institute Prize Package and Cheap
Soap Exhibition of this city:
November 20th, 1880.
trinsic value can be but infinitesimal, as each exhibitor obtained one. Very
few competitions offer all prizes and no blanks."
Passing over the remarks made in these articles upon the " Department
of the Dwelling," the " Department of Dress and Handicraft," the " Depart-
ment of Chemistry and Mineralogy," the " Department of Engines and Ma-
chinery," the "Department of Intercommunication," and the "Department
of Agriculture and Horticulture," all ve.y high sounding titles for an insti-
tution which devotes itself to the distribution of street pedlar's cheap wares,
we come to the
SUMMARY.
" In the seven departments, so far as can be gathered from the only per-
tinent official documents published, there were 1,103 exhibits made by (about)
680 exhibitors, who were awarded 871 'premiums.' After toilsome labor
the information can be gleaned from the official lists that about 80 exhibitors
in all were 'sent hungry away,' which leaves 871 awards among 600 exhib-
The Musical Critic and Trade Review : ,
itors, nearly one and one-haif each; or, averaging the whole number, over
one and one-third 'premiums,' 'rewards and other benefits'for each and
YOURS received. I have looked over your numbers carefully and find Oct.
exhibitor taking something to the ' show.' Of these awards 411 were
22 which seems to tell whole story in thirteen lines. " There is a very slim every
'diplomas,' the value of which may be said to be regulated by the junk-
representation of pianos and organ manufactures at the American Institute dealer
; 192 were copper or bronze medals, 61 silver (presumably ; it is not
Fair this year " and then you gently suggest the reason to the visitors to the so stated)
and 6 other medals (probably gold).
fair "Why is this." It is possible that a suspicion has entered the minds
" It will be seen from the above statistics, which have been carefully ar-
of the manufactures, that the medals, diplomas, etc., are distributed too much
after," etc., etc., and then devote the rest of the paragraph (thirteenlines) to rived at, that nearly every exhibitor may rely upon a ' premium' for his
show how the space offered to music is very cramped and insignificant, and exhibit, and probably, as the whole thing bears the stamp of ' trade,' there
then assume the funny role and tell how these goods are cramped when com- are ways and means of easily reducing the possibility to a certainty. It is as
pared with the space devoted to such important industries as shoe blacking well that the music trades, which rely more or less upon the value of im-
and preserved food." October 5th you made mention, the fact, in three lines, provements and inventions, and what experts say of them, should be able to
that Arbuckle's music was a success—all the daily and weekly papers had discriminate between the value of bogus and genuine exhibition awards—to
published that fact in notices from one quarter to one third of a column, over be able to ascertain what difference exists between a ' premium' and a
' prize.' As it is, it is very certain that an award from the American Insti-
a month before.
of the City of New York would be no special recommendation to a mu-
I have honored your orders on two or three occasions but I am sorry to tute
sical instrument; though, of course, at the same time it could not detract
say that to night my ticket supply is exhausted.
from its merit. The value of an award for merit is not in what the prize
Yours, &c,
cost or how much it will bring on sale : one paper diploma resulting from a
A. S. MILLS, Press Agt- genuine competition is of more value than all the ' premiums' given by the
American Institute together, because they are not in any sense indications of
As Mr. Mills sees fit in the above letter to indulge in sarcasm, we will merit or desert, but simply payment for the use of the exhibit and receipts
reprint from a series of articles published in our issues of July 5th, July 20th, for the price of so many square feet of space in the ' exhibition.'
and August 5th, 1880, and entitled "The Commercial Status of Exhibition
"If any reliance is to be placed upon its prospectus, its object is to bestow
Premiums." We have not space to reprint the articles in question, but they 'rewards
and other benefits on those who shall make .such improvements or
will amply repay perusal.
excel in any of the said branches.' In which case, from the facts and
In these articles it was said:
figures published by the institute, we can only conclude that 680 exhibitors
" The American Institute bases its claims to public favor upon the fact made so many ' improvements' and so ' excelled' that it was necessary to
that it offers distinctions and rewards for the promotion of advancement in distinguish them one from the other with one and one-third 'reward or other
agriculture,
invention, manufactures, and the arts. To assure this object its benefit' each. Ridiculous ! The whole gist of the matter is in the words
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rewards and benefits' must be worthy of competition and of noteworthy 'other benefits,' which may be read as an excellent opportunity to display,
advantage to the possessor. But what if its ' rewards and benefits ' are of advertise and sell certain commodities. There, the American Institute is
no intrinsic or extrinsic value ; are, in fact, of such insignificance and easy doing a good, a commercial work ; as an institution to promote—by distinc-
bestowal as to bring them into contempt ? Then, it may be asserted, it en- tions conferred—the arts and sciences, it is an unmitigated failure.
tirely fails in carrying out the intentions of its founders, and becomes, instead
American Institute of the City of New York will be expected to
of an institution devoted to progress and advancement, a mere commercial offer " a The
showing than the investment of $687 annually for the promo-
concern, a money-making corporation sailing under the banner of benignity tion of better
domestic science, invention and manufactiire, to entitle it to an ap-
to catch the breezes of popular approval—and profit. Such would appear to propriation
the State of New York of $2,315.62, as it received last year.
be the case ; and its claims to merit or consideration as an institution seek- At least the from
of the show, if to keep up appearances only, should
ing the promotion of anything but its own particular interests are quite surely invest managers
in their avowed object something more, than one-quarter the
groundless. It is, in fact, looked upon as a commercial corporation by those amount set apart
for ' refreshments.'
who avail themselves of its annual bazaar—it does not rise to the dignity of
" NOTE,—Since the above was in type the last balance-sheet issued by the
an 'exhibition'—to merely advertise and sell their wares and inventions.
Its ' premiums ' and ' rewards ' and other ' benefits ' are distributed in such institute is to hand, and, besides supplying the figures wanting in the fore-
manner only as will attract a sufficient number of exhibitors of novelties and going, affords emphatic confirmation of the assertions therein contained.
specialties together to constitute a ' show ' that will draw a crowd who will The admissions to the last fair amounted to $33,179.41, the entry fees for ex-
pay so much per capita gate-money. Thousands upon thousands flock to hibits to $4,604, and the sale of privileges to $4,401.34; total, $42,184.75.
these bazaars and pay their gate-money, yielding an enormous result in The ' premiums, medals and diplomas ' footed up the colossal figure of
dollars, which, added to the large amount realized in letting the spaces to $687! This, too, with such an item in the accouut as $2,432.03 for edibles
exhibitors, constitute a fund of such dimensions as to dwarf the sum be- consumed by officers and subordinates during the show—'refreshments'
stowed in ' rewards and other benefits ' into utter insignificance. For ob- costing nearly four times as much as ' premiums, medals and diplomas'
vious reasons it is impossible to give the figures. On the whole, then, the at an exhibition for the advancement of science and for the encouragement
American Institute of the City of New York fails in the intention of its founders, of excellence and improvement in manufacture. The income for the last
and instead runs a profitable annual ' show.' This assertion is made with fiscal year amounted to $69,016.56, leaving a clear balance in hand of
due deliberation, after a searching investigation and analysis of the only $52,605.58. The greater portion of this large sum is the profit on the in-
official documents publicly issued by the corporation, which are its cata- vestment of the beggarly $687 in 'premiums, medals and diplomas.' The
logue, issued at the time of the exhibition, and its ' List of Premiums ' issued $900 odd given in prizes in the horticultural department is not worthy con-
some eight or nine months later, and only quite recently to hand. From the sideration in the shape of awards—it is simply payment for the exhibition
statistics obtained from these documents no other inference is possible than of perishable goods which form an attractive feature in the show."
that the institute is a failure as such ; is a financial success in the ' show '
Let it not be thought that we repeat these strictures simply for the pur-
business, and that its awards, instead of being marks of distinction, convey porse of punishing Mr. A. S. S. Mills for his gratuitously impertinent let-
no distinction whatever, and as they have no intrinsic value to speak of, and ter. Such a course would be too much in the nature of firing a cannon to
are bestowed indiscriminately -and lavishly, they fail of proper effect in every crush a bolster case. Mr. Mills' letter simply acted as a reminder of the
essential particular.
fact, which we have been too busy to notice lately—tickets or no tickets—
that a great city like New York is unable to provide a decent industrial ex-
'' The catalogue issued by the corporation for its forty-eighth ' exhibi- hibition once a year.
tion ' is a very singular document, chiefly notable for the immense quantity
present exhibitions of the American Institute appear to be conducted
of advertisements—-(about one hundred pages to about forty of catalogue)— by a The
set
Q
,f old grannies who have come in from the country to attend to the
and the carelessness of its compilation and arrangement of exhibits. From matter, but
who have not yet shaken the hay-seed out of their hair.
it, however, after laborious and tedious searchings, the following statistics
They are shrewd enough, however, to make the exhibition profitable to
are obtained :
themselves, if to no one else.
" I . — DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS AND EDUCATION.
CHICKERING.—Thirty-two Chickering pianos were sold from S. Brain-
" In this department are included musical instruments ; and it is worthy
of note as an indication of the proper estimation in which the institute is ard's Sons, Cleveland warerooms, during September and October; 26 of them
held by the leading manufacturers and dealers in the music trades, that Uprights.
among nearly seven hundred exhibitors only five are to be found displaying
SOLOMONS. —Mr. N. E. Solomons, of Savannah, Ga., has recently pub-
musical instruments. These are—Messrs. Billings & Co. (upright and lished a new set of "Lancers," entitled "Anniversary."
square pianos), who receive a ' diploma'; Mr. Charles Dietz (upright
Los ANGELES, CAL. , FAIR.—At the fair, which closed on Saturday, Oct.
pianos), also ' diploma 'd ; the National Musical Instrument Manufacturing
at Los Angeles, Cal., the following-named persons in the music trade
Company (accordeons), medal of excellence ; Mr. G. W. Messier, who hails 30th,
awards : Grand Piano, T. M. Antisell & Co., San Francisco, first
from suggestively-named ' Moosic,' Pa. (cylinder musical cabinet), and re- received
silver medal ; Square Piano, Hyde & Co., San Francisco, first pre-
ceives a medal of excellence ; and Dr. Philipp Jung, of Steinway's (a table premium,
silver medal; Parlor Piano, Chas. E. Day, Los Angeles, first premium,
of latest instruction in harmony and thorough-bass), also obtaining a medal mium,
of excellence. Thus, the music trade, represented by five exhibitors, is silver medal; Parlor Organ, first premium, diploma.
honored with the rare distinction of five 'premiums'—two 'diplomas'
JOSEPH GEORGE.—The case of Mee vs. George, which has been pending
and three copper or bronze medals. Which of these five exhibitors feels the for over seven months, has at last resulted in a verdict for the defendant for
greatest dignity of distinction ? The value of metal in the medal may exceed $17,935 10, and Joseph George will carry on the musical instrument busi-
by a few cents the cost of printing and material in the diploma, Their in,- ness at the old stand in Gore street, Kingston, Canada.