Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
With such employers as Knabe & Co. labor
troubles are impossible.
need hardly be said that our disgruntled
contemporary is not satisfied. The Lum-
tidograph must now be retired. Of course it
sharply criticises the qualifications of Dr.
Clarke and Mr. Carpenter. According to the
" sour grapes " divinity, Dr. Clarke, not being
"acquainted with the construction of pianos or
organs, would do well for a Chester County Fair
or some local exhibition in Philadelphia, his
home.'' That wonderful satire must certainly
hurt Dr. Clarke and Philadelphia severely. Mr.
, Carpenter knows nothing of piano construction
according to the disgruntled one, but then it is the
inventor of the Lumtidograph who writes, and
of course Mr. Carpenter's knowledge cannot be
estimated by the profoundity of the supremely
endowed Marc. Dr. Ziegfeld, Dr. Clarke, Mr.
Steck or Mr. Carpenter have not enjoyed the
opportunities of the " sour grapes " oracle, who
is known as a practical piano maker, inventor
and general expert. Additionally, he is a mor-
alist and teacher of ethics. Yet the cold hearted
Mr. Thacher gave him a recent cold and cruel
thrust, regardless of his divine qualifications.
GEO. STECK ACCEPTS.
§
EFORE going to press we are pleased to
learn authoritatively that Mr. George
Steck has accepted the position of judge of
awards. All speculation as to Mr. Steck's
decision is therefore ended. We heartily con-
gratulate him on the appointment, and on his
action, and we heartily congratulate Mr. John
Boyd Thacher on selecting a gentleman so quali-
fied by practical experience, by achievement in
invention, and by business experience, as one
of his judiciary. Mr. Steck has been for nearly
forty years a respected figure in the American
music trade. As a piano manufacturer he
started out with artistic and high aims in
manufacture, and in the traditions of the busi-
ness he founded he left an unblemished record,
while his social and private life to a still greater
extent indicate his unostentatious and excel-
lent qualities. To a man of such characteris-
tics the criticism of some of our contemporaries
is very undesirable, but we believe Mr. Steck
will have sufficient faith in his own imparti-
ality and soundness of judgment, and in his
own honor in all matters pertaining to awards,
to be hurt in no way by uncomplimentary
or insinuating paragraphs appearing in the trade
press regarding his decisions.
?O emergency—be it ever so grave—is
capable of affecting the business methods
of Freeborn G. Smith. This week a case in
point reaches us. It bears upon the alleged
lack of gold currency and Mr. Smith. The
genius of the "Old Reliable Bradbury" has
never been known to be behind time on pay day
under any circumstances. Last week an unex-
pected difficulty threatened to temporarily dis-
concert Mr. Smith, but he was equal to the
emergency. Having received a telephone call
from Leominster, Mass., on the morning of
pay day, Mr. Smith learned from his factory
superintendent that, owing to the scarcity of
currency, it was impossible to procure sufficient
money from the local bank to meet the pay roll.
Mr. Smith simply said, " all right! " through
the acoustic communicator, and in a few minutes
was on his way to the Fulton Bank, of which
he is a director, and one of the largest stock-
holders. He carried a grip in his hand which
he requested to be filled with shining gold
pieces of different denominations. This done,
with his clerk, Mr. Smith was soon on the
Boston Limited Express bound for Leominster.
Did he get there on time ? Of course he
did, and the employees, who number about
two hundred, were duly made happy. Mr.
Smith has been in business twenty-five
years, and is a marvel of business methodism.
We heartily congratulate our millionaire manu-
facturer of the '' Old Reliable Bradbury '' on his
punctuality. May he live long! Such men
are the backbone of our commercial institutions
and country.
National Association of Piano Tuners
has received a decided stimulus from the
Chicago Convention. Besides the fraternal
meeting of a large body of tuners from various
parts of the country with a consolidation of
purpose and general organization, there were
lots of other things accomplished. For instance,
on Thursday evening, August ioth, the session
was addressed by a number of well-known
members of the trade. '' Key making '' was the
subject of an interesting discourse delivered by
Mr. Augustus Newell, and Mr. Albert Strauch
spoke on " action making." Both branches are
related and interesting, and the speakers were
listened to attentively. Mr. J. H. Phelps, in-
ventor of the "Phelps' Harmony Attachment,"
also described his successful specialty, and Mr.
John W. Reed, of Reed & Sons, delivered an ex-
ceedingly pleasant and lively address. Gov.
Levi K. Fuller was unable to be present, as
originally intended. Much is due Mr. E. E.
Todd by the National Association. His efforts
on behalf of the organization have been untir-
ing. We must also add to Mr. Todd's services
those of Mr. John Fea and Mr. Hallquist, of New
York, and the other members associated with
them in pushing the interests of the Associa-
tion in the various parts of the country. Mr.
John Fea was the permanent chairman of the
Convention, an office he filled with ability, and
Mr. Todd was the secretary. The committee on
procedure, rules, finance, etc., was composed of
B. F. Carr, C. C. Chickering, E. G. Becht, W.
W. Burns, of Illinois, and C. M. Hallquist, of
New York ; and the reception committee of Gus
Maurer, Frank Stenbeck, W. Davis, B. F. Carr,
E. M. Payson and H. H. Northrup, of Illinois.
we entertain very friendly feelings
for Mr. Charles Kunkel, and have noth-
ing to say regarding his candidacy for the
position of judge of musical instrument awards,
we would like to direct a few words to Mr.
Parker, his principal supporter among the
Commissioners. Mr. Parker's logic is evidently
governed by the temperature of his blood, rather
than by his brains. In opposing Mr. Steck's
appointment, he is reported to have charged
Mr. Thacher with sectionalism in this way :
"Why, gentlemen, do you know that the
honorable commissioner from New York, who
happens to be chairman of the awards com-
mittee, has filled the juries with men from his
own State ? One of the juries is composed en-
tirely of New York men, and here we have him
filling another the same way. I say it is time
for the Western and Southern members of this
board to stand firm and demand proper repre-
sentation on these juries. If we do not we will
be held to account for our neglect after the
awards have been made."
What utter balderdash ! How suggestive of
the " bloody bridle " bunkum ! Mr. Parker has
clearly never given any thought to what he
talked about so ridiculously. The manufacture
of musical instruments is largely centred in
New York, Boston, Chicago and Baltimore.
Chicago is given a representation in the person
or Dr. Zeigfeld, but this will not satisfy Parker's
sectional craving and jealousy. He it was who
raised the sectional question. Considered on
that ground New York and the East deserve
Mr. Steck. Parker writes himself down a
demagogue, a ranter. There is little unionism
or nationalism in such men. We are confident
that, although well meaning, his support of
Mr. Kunkel on these narrow lines has not been
pleasant reading for the latter.
MR. BENJ. W. HITCHCOCK, the music pub-
lisher and real estate dealer of this city who re-
cently made an assignment to A. Fred. Silver-
stone, has been accused by two customers of
obtaining money under false pretenses. Mrs.
Rose Keller, of Union Course Park, Long Is-
land, claims she purchased two lots from Mr.
Hitchcock which were claimed to be free from
encumbrances, but afterwards discovered there
was a blanket mortgage on the property. Mr.
John J. Gantzer states that he was promised
that the Title Guarantee & Trust Co. would in-
sure his title, but numerous requests have failed
to secure it.
F. W. BAUMER & Co., of Wheeling, W. Va.,
will remodel his music store. He reports busi-
ness to be in a flourishing condition.
MR. L. WORCESTER, dealer in music and sta-
tionary, Leadville, Colo., has assigned to Geo.
P. Brown and J. B. Parks.
WILLIAM J. SCUTXY, whose affable demeanor
causes many visitors to the Chicago warerooms
of John P. Tinchell to become purchasers, is
taking the interesting sights of Gotham this
week, under the careful guidance of George N.
Grass.
MR. GEO. W. THAYER, piano salesman of
Boston, Mass., died August 9th, in Manchester,
N. H., of heart disease. He was 42 years old
and entered the war at 11 years of age, being
the youngest man who enlisted in the late war.
Mr. Thayer was agent for the Everett Piano
Co., of Boston.