Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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From the Editor's Note Book.
I recollect some months ago I was talk-
with Chas. H. Steinway upon this same
subject. He said: "Mr. Bill, I had rather
do business with a man worth nothing, but
who had good character as a ground work,
than to do business with a man worth a
million and whom I distrusted. In other
A business concern to be successful to- words it is confidence in each other, the
day must attack the stronghold of indif- confidence which one business man has in
ference and overthrow the bastile of fogy- another that is the real basis of credit."
ism.
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Again the successful business man does
Speaking of strikes I learn that Smith
not wear his heart upon his sleeve, neither
does he cackle over the eggs he is about to & Barnes have adjusted the recent strike
in their factory satisfactorily. It seems
lay.
peculiar that men do not consider the
We hear a great deal in the papers nowa- slackness of times, and the hard work which
days reminding us that it is the strike sea- business men have to engineer their crafts
son. In other words that we may expect on these days without adding to their discom-
top of the business depression to which we fort by bringing about a strike,
have been subjected for the past three or
Take a cool, level-headed business man
four years that we have the usual diversion likeC. A. Smith and he doesn't fool around
afforded by strikes during the coming sum- a great while in an uncertain way. I knew
mer of our discontent.
Mr. Smith years ago in the Northwest, long
There are no doubt grievances on the before he thought of drifting into the piano
part of the workmen, but the sober, indus- business. He was then a man of force and
trious, faithful, prudent workingman has as energy and those same early characteristics
good a chance for his faculties as the sober, have become accentuated with the years.
industrious, faithful, prudent employer, A man, broad and generous in his instincts
be he capitalist or lawyer. He cannot ob- and having all the necessary essentials in
tain as much personal comfort, but he ob- the way of business acumen and energy,
tains more in many ways. He has his he has forged ahead, and by his indomit-
work directly outlined for him, while his able merit and will power he has built up
employer may be racking his brain, day a tremendous business. Mr. Smith is a
and night, worrying over the possibilities tireless worker, and like that great man in
of raising sufficient funds here and there the supply trade, Alfred Dolge, he goes
to pay the workmen, who as a rule are dis- ahead undaunted, nothing stops him. He
satisfied.
saw years ago the wonderful possibilities
As long as the distribution of brains and in the piano trade and he has improved
energy is unequal there will exist a corres- every opportunity; not only improved but
ponding discrepancy regarding the distri- he has created opportunities. He is a man
bution of wealth.
who has not adhered to the old lines of
piano building. He realized that there
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After all, the man who succeeds, succeeds was a tremendous demand in this country
for the most part through character and for commercial pianos and that the firm
fixed results. Character is the keynote who built what the people desired could
to everything. Not only are all religions maintain a large and busy factory.
and philosophies really meant to build it
Well, just take a look at that huge fac-
up and sustain it, but so also are all our tory on Clybourne avenue and see if you
social arrangements in hiring, and con- think the man who built and operates it
tracting, and lending and crediting based lacked energy.
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upon character.
No matter how much wealth a man may
The old Roman Christians who buried
possess, unless there be character behind it their dead in the catacombs used to have
credit is refused him. How many men in an awful time looking for tombs because
this trade and in all other trades I may say, neither directory nor guide book was avail-
look first to the character of the man rather able for their purposes.
than to his pecuniary resources before as-
If those old fellows had only lived in our
signing him liberal credit.
day how they would have welcomed the
In nearly every transaction of life it is on
character rather than on law that we place guide books and directories which are so
our faith. Why we are not governed better rampant in this trade.
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is, that in politics we pay too little atten-
tion to character.
A distinguished linguist informs me that
POWERFUL FACTORS IN BUSINESS SUCCESS — A PADLOCKED PURSE DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO
COMMERCIAL TRIUMPHS WHAT DRY ROT MEANS—HOW TO PRONOUNCE THE WORD
ADVERTISE THE STRIKE SEASON IS HERE WORKMEN KAIL TO ACT
PRUDENTLY THE SMITH & BARNES STRIKE SETTLED
C. A. SMITH IS A MAN OK CHARACTER
AND DETERMINATION.
HE un pad locked purse of every
great business concern in this
trade, or any other trade for
that matter, is a most power-
ful factor in contributing to
its success.
Someof the firms in the music trade, how-
ever, have not learned the lesson yet, and
they think by maintaining the closest
guard upon their strong boxes that their
wares by sheer force of merit will forge
themselves to the front.
A fallacious belief, truly.
Every firm that bases its future upon the
belief that its past prestige alone will merit
for it continued success when times grow
better, is resting upon a very unstable
foundation.
There is no surer indication of dry rot
than for a firm to simply rest,relax and fancy
that the tide will once more carry them out
into the broad sea of prosperity.
The phenomenon of dry rot is peculiar.
It is a slow and insidious process of disin-
tegration by which the once vitalizing sap
of a vigorous tree becomes a destructive
agent in the seasoned timber—pulling to
pieces and destroying that which it once
built up and made strong, it proceeds un-
noticed and even unsuspected. Beams and
girders afflicted by it retain their outward
shape and form, and look as stout and sub-
stantial as when first put in place. But at
heart they are dust and ashes.
That is dry rot, and it has its exact
counterpart in business.
Old men cannot defend what as young
men they created.
The old motheaten methods must go, and
the longer a firm adheres to them just so
much harder it will be for them to get out
of the rut. And ruts are bad—and more's
the pity—so many people seem to find such
comfort in them that they follow them
throughout an entire career. If we are to
attain our end, make our task successful,
we must leave the ruts, not stick to them.
It is a weakness, however, of the average
man to get into ruts easily, and to hold to
them tenaciously.
It is one of the greatest reasons why the
average man is not more successful, for it
is proverbial that nine men out of every
ten fail. No capital is large enough to
carry a business along unless it keeps step
with progress.