Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
COLBY PIANO, manufactured by the
Colby Piano Co., Erie, Pa., is branching
out into popular favor day after day. A signi-
ficant move has been made by this concern dur-
ing the past week by placing the agency for
their piano in the State of Michigan in the
hands of S. C. Clark & Co., of Detroit, a firm
well known for their enterprising methods.
Their first order to the Colby Piano Company
amounted, we believe, to some twenty of their
different style instruments. The excellent con-
dition of business evident with the Colby Piano
Company is the best possible proof of the popu-
larity and musical excellence of their instru-
ments.
STATEMENT was made in a recently
resurrected music trade sheet to the effect
that Messrs. Strauch Bros.' new enterprise
in the way of key making "had been
such a success that some of the Connecticut
houses have taken to prayer and fasting." This
is a matter which should be corrected. Strauch
Bros, are entirely above making any such un-
kind and uncalled for criticism, and are natur-
ally indignant that their name should have
been used in connection with such a statement.
They have the highest respect and regard for
the Connecticut houses. This statement, how-
ever, is in line with other misleading remarks
for which our resurrected friend is noted.
movement on foot to run cars on Fifth
avenue from 23d street to the Washington
Arch, connecting with the cross town lines, is
giving rise to considerable agitation pro and
con among the residents of that locality. As
might be expected, private residents are entirely
opposed to the scheme, but the majority of busi-
ness people seem to favor it. Among those who
signed the petition for the establishing of a line
of cars we notice the names of J. & C. Fischer,
Chickering & Sons, Hardman, Peck & Co.,
Weber Piano Co., Hamilton S. Gordon, Geo. C.
Crane Co., Emerson Piano Co., B. Shoninger
Co., Freeborn G. Smith, Behr Bros. & Co. and
the Tway Piano Co. In mercantile circles it is
felt that a line of cars in this locality would do
much to improve retail business. The only
piano firm opposing the scheme are the Mason
& Hamlin Organ & Piano Co.
:VER youthful and optimistic F. G. Smith
dropped in on us during the week. He
is of the opinion that the ship of commerce is
off the rocks and sailing in safe water to the
harbor of prosperity. The different interests in
which Mr. Smith plays such a prominent part
are busy—yes, very busy, so says Mr. Smith.
The Bradbury, the Ilenning, the Webster, and
the case factory at L,eorninster, Mass., are all
working full time, with a full force of men,
and " push " is the order of the day.
With the several new and attractive styles of
Bradbury, popular Henning and the new-scale
Webster pianos, Mr. Smith is looking for new
lands to conquer. During the past week he
has secured the services of Mr. Leonidas Fisher,
late with F. A. North & Co., Philadelphia, as
associate with J. M. Hawxhurst, his Chicago
manager, to assist in developing his growing
Northwestern trade. Mr. Fisher has the repu-
tation of being one of the wideawake salesmen
and business men of the trade, and Mr. Smith
has made a decided acquisition to his very
capable staff by securing his services
VA7S we were going to press last week a
Cg^ specially convened meeting of the Piano
Manufacturers' Association of this city was held
for the purpose of taking action on the death of
the late Mr. Ernest Knabe. The resolutions and
minute adopted on the occasion appear in an-
other portion of this paper. In addition to the
resolutions passed by the Piano Manufacturers'
Association of this city, the music trade of Balti-
more, under the presidency of Mr. Otto Sutro,
the Journalists' Club of that city, of which or-
ganization Mr. Knabe was a member, the Mary-
land Institute, the Peabody Institute, the Ger-
mania Club, and many other commercial and
social bodies passed appropriate resolutions of
regret and sympathy.
In our obituary of last week we paid a humble
tribute to Mr. Knabe's memory ; to those who
knew the man, however, his high character, his
liberality, and moral worth, it can easily be seen
how impossible it is to properly estimate what
his family, his business associates and his nu-
merous friends have sustained in his death. The
innumerable letters and telegrams received by
the firm ofWm. Knabe & Co. from all over the
country attest the popularity of the man and the
high esteem in which he was held.
titutes his honor and his calling should he do
the arrogant and asinine bidding of another.
He must also know that wenever have condemn-
ed the Shaw piano.
"^*v
L,ike others, we have queried the relative
value of the Shaw piano of to-day and the
Shaw piano made under the supervision of
the expert who first created it. There are
others who would be glad of information
upon the subject. This is a matter which the
dealers have a right to know. We would
not hesitate to question the business judgment
of a man who, by a series of well planned arti-
fices, would render the holding of a position un-
pleasant to an undubitable genius. We would
not hesitate to question the motives of a man
who would deliberately enter, under the guise
of friendship, another factory and engage a
valued employee surreptitiously. We would
not hesitate to criticise a man who would openly
boast of doing this. We would not hesitate to
question the sincerity of a man who, while eat-
ing the bread of others, would utter remarks
which would cast reflections upon the ability of
his supporters. We would not hesitate to con-
demn as a hypocrite a man who would indirectly
slur those from whom he asked favors, neither
would we hesitate to criticise a man who was
false to his friend and to his word. No ; we
would not hesitate to do this even though the
man possessed blatant egotism and all the per-
suasive loquacity of youth.
very interesting statistics which we
had specially prepared concerning the im-
ports and exports of musical instruments, and
which appeared in our issue of March 24th, have
WE DO NOT HESITATE.
been made the basis of a lengthy editorial in the
an article which is luminous in its sitn- last issue of the London and Provincial Music
pliclty, The Presto attempts to give its Trades Review. After quoting the comparative
readers a false imputation as to our motives in summary of exports and imports, it says : " I t
criticising " Mr. Raymore and the Shaw piano." would, therefore, seem that for some years past
The article was apparently of inspired origin, there has been a decrease of imported goods',
and just how much perhaps was the price paid, while down to 1893 there was a very consider-
if any, the would-be champion of Mr. Raymore able increase in the exports. We may say
did not state.
frankly that these figures do not in any way
The editor of Presto has been engaged in trade bear out the English contention of the value of
journalism for a period sufficient to have enabled Free Trade. The Americans are a highly Pro-
him to become familiar with the policy of this tective nation, and when it appears that imports
paper, and he must surely know that we never year by year decrease, thereby showing that the
have stooped to questionable methods. He must native-made article is more and more holding
also know that the matter of patronage has never the market, and that at the same time exports
kept us from uttering what we believe to be considerably increase, it is pretty certain that
the truth regarding an individual or a corpora- Protection pays."
In another part of the paper it says : " No-
tion. He must also know that we never have
thing is more striking in the American statistics
hesitated to openly criticise men or methods,
which we give elsewhere, than the evidence
even at a loss of patronage. He must also know which they afford of the benefits of close pro-
that our opinions are not bought and sold for a tection upon an industry such as musical instru-
few guineas. He must also know that we have ment manufacture. For years past the imports
championed the right and have condemned the have greatly decreased, thus showing that Ame-
wrong. He must also know, if he is acquainted ricans are more and more using home-made in-
struments. Except during last year, when bad
with the ethics of journalism, that we have held trade upset everything, there has been a steady
to that line which marks independent journal- increase of the exports of American-made instru-
ism. He must also know that we have been ments."
We are pleased to see that our English con-
neither fawning nor sycophantic. He must also
temporary
has been converted to the opinion
know, if he possesses the degree of knowledge
that the protective tariff is, after all, the basis
to which his position entitles him, that there is
of, or to a large extent, has considerable influ-
a wide divergement between the independent ence in, the development of the trade of this
journalist and the alleged journalist who pros- country and its prosperity.