Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
224
ALFRED DOLGE DELIVERS AN ELOQUENT
ORATION TO HIS EMPLOYES.
HE REVIEWS THE HISTORY OF HIS GIGANTIC
BUSINESS, AND DISCOURSES EFFECTIVELY
UPON MATTERS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL.
Hovr Dolgeville Grew and How the Citizens Thereof
Became a Happy and Contented People.
A COMPLETE AND ABIDING HARMONY
BETWEEN MASTER AND MEN.
Fervent Utterances on the All-important Subject
of Education.
A STORY OF SMALL BEGINNINGS, CONQUERED OBSTACLES
AND TRIUMPHANT SUCCESS.
pression which our factory had made upon hiol and we
had the good fortune to secure his custom, which was in
those days of such momentous importance that I shall
never forget the debt of gratitude, although I gave good
value in the shape of the very best Hammerfelt for the
money received. However, no one, unless he has passed
through the same experience, can imagine the feelings
of a young manufacturer, struggling for his very exist-
ence, because of the lack of confidence of those to whom
he appeals, when all at once some one comes along and
says, " Go on, young man, manufacture goods for me
and I will buy of you. I have confidence in your ability."
THE TURNING POINT.
If any one of you could imagine what a hard struggle
it was, you would better understand why I dwell on this
apparently trivial episode so long, but, like a good many
other " apparently trival" things in this life, it was in
reality, the turning point in my career as a felt manu-
facturer.
I had secured the custom and good-will of the largest
piano manufacturing firm in the country. The felt I
made was acknowledged superior to the imported felt
and shortly after I received an official recognition—the
first prize of the Vienna Exhibition, 1873, and you may
believe me, that to this day, I do not value this prize
medal near as much—I do not take as much pride in it
as I do in the recollection of that first visit to the Brook-
lyn factory. As a direct consequence of this success I
had to look for larger quarters and in the fall of 1874
the Herkimer tannery was purchased. When the old
tannery was closed Mr. James Brockett said that the
last nail into the coffin of Brockett's Bridge had been
driven. He little thought how correctly he had proph-
esied. The last nail was driven and the coffin decently
buried, but upon the grave of Brockett's Bridge, Dolge-
ville—that young Hercules—was built.
Then, with a lively recollection of the obstacles that
encompassed his enterprise of a score of years ago, the
orator exclaims,
But how hard it was to lay those corner stones of
Dolgeville!
Those old friends of mine among you, who came up
here from Brooklyn, will remember how the
N the 26th ultimo Mr. Alfred Dolge, the distin-
guished felt-manufacturer, delivered a speech in
the Club House at Dolgeville, N. Y., which is
worthy of reproduction in every newspaper throughout
the civilized world. The occasion of this remarkable
deliverance was the twentieth annual re-union of Mr.
Dolge's employes. We take especial pleasure in repro-
ducing copious extracts from the oration, which for
simple, manly eloquence and a self-evident sincerity and
good will has very rarely been equaled in any assem-
blage of working men. Our views in regard to the
DIFFICULTIES AND TRIBULATIONS
topics discoursed upon by Mr. Dolge are editorially ex-
commenced
on that cold, dreary, April day when our
pressed elsewhere in this issue of THE MUSIC TRADE neighbor Dunckel
almost killed his horses while drag-
REVIEW, but we cannot refrain from presenting to our ging the heavy machines over the muddy roads, and yet
readers the actual utterances of one who, in addition to how when the machines came they seemed completely
carving out for himself a splendid reputation as a man lost in that big tannery building.
It was then remarked by some that they had grave
of business, has with noble results applied himself to doubts
as to my sanity, as it was certainly the height of
the solution of that problem in which capital and labor folly to buy such a large building for the few machines
have been the chief factors wherever important indus- that I had. I had no time to tell anybody what 1 in-
tended to do.
tries have been carried on.
Certainly not. More important schemes occupied the
The opening sentences of the address indicate in the
active mind of the plodding, persevering Dolge—schemes
clearest manner the
that were destined to make him the leading spirit of a
WISE AND PRACTICAL
glorious hive of industry, and the dispenser of untold
mind of the speaker :—
blessings to his fellow men.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :—We celebrate to-night
WREAKING THE NECK OF IT.
the 20th anniversary of our reunions, and it is proper
After somewhat of an exploring tour, however, we
to follow the practice we were taught when young on
New Year's day—to look back and forward—back to re- found our machinery in that "big tannery" and the
view our mistakes, omissions and failings, what we have good people of Brockett's Bridge had so much confi-
done and what we might or should have done—for- dence in us, that old Levi Youker went to Little Falls
ward with hope and resolutions for improvement, pro- especially to get as many groceries as his celebrated
fiting by past experiences.
mare could pull up the hills and he started a store. This
sign of enterprise, push and confidence in us encouraged
The succeeding passages, detailing the
me also, and after we had placed our machinery in one
EARLY STRUGGLES
corner of the tannery and found almost two-thirds of
of Mr. Dolge after his decision to start in business on the room unoccupied, I looked for some other business
his own account had been taken, are replete with inter- in order to utilize this spare room, and so started the
est and encouragement, and abound in forcible and manufacture of piano sounding boards.
The business kept growing steadily. When Mr. Hop-
characteristic humor :—
son built a 40 horse power water wheel in 1875, some
It was on the 6th day of July, 1S69, that I left the of my good friends again thought that I could not be
bench in the piano factory where I worked in New balanced right to build such a large wheel for those few
Haven, and hired a room in New York, ro x 25, which machine-;.
I proudly called a " store." During the spring of 1870,
I had no time then to tell any body of my intentions,
the first attempts at lelt manufacturing were made, and but as we added machine after machine it soon came
in January, 1871, a store, 2ox 50, in the house which is about that that large wheel was not large enough, and
now exclusively occupied for our business at 122 E. 13th in 1879 we had two wheels, and celebrated the loth an-
street, was rented. That was a bold venture and I was niversary with the opening of the new sounding board
completely lost with my small stock of merchandise in factory, which had become a necessity.
that big store. It was, however, a good move, and the
PESSIMISTS.
business increased so that in 1873 the Brooklyn felt
Even my good friends who had shown confidence in
factory was started. Quite a number of you remember
that " factory " and I shall never forget how my heart me up to that point began to shake their heads, and
beat when one of our largest piano manufacturers ex- troubled themselves so much about my welfare that one
fine day while I was inspecting the finished structure,
pressed a desire to visit our factory.
the bubble of neighborly curiosity burst and close mouth-
A HARROWING MOMENT.
ed Alphonzo tackled the mystery with the leading in-
He did come to see the factory and with a courage quiry: "This building must have cost you a pile of
which astonished me then, and which I have admired money;" to which 1 answered,to Alphonzo's disappoint-
ever since—I asked him, after showing him the card- ment, " Yes." But the village ha(Lto get its peace at all
ing, fulling and finishing rooms (which were all one, and hazards and Alphonzo was equal the occasion.
He attacked me once more. "Alfred," said he, " I
together not half as large as our present dye house)
whether he desired to see the " wool room." Fortun- think that must have cost almost $5,000." " No, Phonso,"
ately the gentleman said that he was satisfied, and had I answered, " it cost 5,327 dollars and 15 cents. Just go
no inclination to climb up a very shaky step ladder to there and count all those nails in that building and you
that wool room which was about 5x10, and where he will get an idea how much the clapboards cost." Where-
would have at the best found one or two bales of Ger- upon Phonso quietly disappeared behind the bushes and
man wool. How relieved I was when the dangerous asked me questions never more ! Never more !
I still had no time to tell people of my intentions.
moment had passed by ; for it was of the greatest im-
portance that this manufacturer, being a member of one
Again certainly not, as will be seen from the follow-
of the leading firms, should take away a favorable im- ing account of the further
pression, so that I would secure his confidence in my
PROGRESS
ability to furnish felt for his pianos. Would he really
have had that confidence if he had seen my " immense" of the great industrial edifice:—
stock of wool ? However, my audacity to talk about
The erection of the lumber factory was the proof that
the wool room undoubtedly increased the favorable im- we had come to stay. In 1880 we built the large dry
O
shed, 1881 the new saw mill, 1882 the big felt factory,
which once more produced an undivided public opinion
that I had better not show myself at Utica, because
whatever I meant to do with that colossus of a factory
building, built as if it would last for ages, nobody could
comprehend, even if they allowed their imagination to
take the wildest possible flight, and yet I had no time
to take council of my good neighbors.
Only nobody asked me any questions as to how many
nails I had used and how much I had paid for them, and
undisturbed I could go on my ways, fill up that mam-
moth factory with machinery, until we found that we
could not possibly crowd any more into it, and that the
wheel of 130 horse power which had replaced that of 40
horse power, even with the help of the large engine and
the two wheels in the lumber factory and saw mill, could
not properly turn all the machinery, and we were com-
pelled to erect, in 1887. the large building in the rear of
the felt factory and the dye house and further get an
additional large engine, besides the new water wheel of
440 horse power.
Here we come to
A PHILOSOPHICAL PROPOSITION,
the truth of which is shown by further statements as to
the development of the enterprise which has made
Dolgeville the cynosure of countless mental eyes:—
It is strange that the world does and will move on, in
spite of all the croakers who always predict something
horrible, or shake their empty heads wisely, when some-
thing is undertaken which goes beyond their compre-
hension, or which excites their envy or jealousy.
While the work of progress went on up here, the New
York store underwent continual changes by way of in-
creasing and it has grown to a place of business with
12,500 feet floor space against 1,000 feet in 1871.
We added to the prize medals of Vienna those of the
World's Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876, and Paris,
1878, and have added to the original industry of piano
felt those of piano sounding boards, case work, &c, the
manufacture of all wool felts for every purpose, and
finally the felt shoe industry, which was for a number of
years our neglected child, only to become so much
stronger that during the past year it has, in volume of
business, taken the lead of the felt business proper, and
promises to outrun by far the possibilities of the latter.
Then
A PATHETIC REFERENCE
to the " shady side of forty," capped with a pleasantly
humorous reference to the croaker:—
In looking back and reviewing the work of these
twenty years, I have \10thing else to regret but that I
can not, in all probability, during the coming 20 years
command that indefatigable, almost inexhaustible
strength and force of mind and body which I have en-
joyed and which enables me to carry out what I have
planned, and I fear I shall have to find the time to call
on my good friend Phonso, for assistance, later on.
TOLITICS.
Coming now to much more recent days, Mr. Dolge
indulges in a disquisition upon the political character
and antagonisms of his army of artizans, every man
of whom without distinction of creed most justly reveres
him. His powers of observation in regard to the re-
lations of labor to politics are particularly noticeable.
I have now reached the point where I must, in ac-
cordance with our custom, review our last year's doings.
It seems that somehow or other that department
which made the proudest showing at the reunion in a
certain year, had not near as good a record to boast of
in the following year, and vice versa, the department
which had not been very successful showed immense
improvement the year following.
The notable distinction which can be noticed in re-
gard to the political belief predominating in our two
chief departments appear to have some relation to this.
As you know our rough and ready lumber men are un-
der democratic regime and swear more or less by the
democratic faith, while our high-toned felt artists are
faithful republican disciples under republican leaders.
You will remember that after the democratic victory,
in 1884, the lumbermen took the wind completely out
of the sails of the felt artist and for the first time showed
a decided gain over the felt department. I warned our
DEMOCRATIC LUMBERMEN
then not to get too jubilant and reckless', although they
did control the political offices, properly filled by inof-
fensive partisans. They did not heed the warning and
the republican felt makers, who smarted for the first
time under the bitterness of defeat and suffered under
the unjust tariff, went to work quietly and gained year
by year. Our enthusiastic lumbermen could not keep
up with them until the past year, when politics again
changed the position.
In the year 1884 the lumber department was way be-
hind the felt department, because Henry Bowers was
too busily engaged trying to elect Mr. Cleveland and
my old friend Bennett had to go to Little Falls to help
to elect Ben Butler, whilst the felt makers, as staunch
republicans, had no doubt whatsoever of their success,
and stuck to their business.
In 1888 it was reversed, with an important difference,
however. The democratic lumbermen at first felt quite
sure of the success of Mr. Cleveland, and did not pay
much attention to politics until the unusual activity of
the
REPUBLICAN FELT-MAKERS
roused them somewhat, and for a short while they at-
tended to politics—even went so far as to start a "Navy