Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
most reliable and authoritative reports, are
shaping themselves toward a decided im-
provement in business the coming fall.
Much of the present activity is due to the
desire of
manufacturers
to have a fair
amount of stock ready for the fall.
they are acting wisely.
In this
The increase in
the volume of trade this fall will be decid-
edl} T marked, but—observe the qualification
—not sufficient
exertions.
and
to compel extraordinary
The betterment will be steady
healthy, and
manufacturers should
Visitors to Chickering Hall these days
are amazed at the wonderful transforma-
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tion effected in the appearance of that noted
The populist and free silverite will soon musical landmark. The entire building,
from roof to cellar, has been renovated and
lack employment!
Crops all over the
a number of repairs, alterations and im-
country are bountiful, and prices, owing to provements made in the hall and other
a shortage in Europe, are steadily advanc- parts of the building looking to the com-
ing.
fort of visitors.
It is a long term of
The outlook for the agricultural element years since the building presented such a
never was brighter, and good times with spick and span appearance as it does now,
and Mr. Brown is entitled to congratula-
the farmer means good times all around.
tions for his work in this connection.
The populists and free silver men who have Through his thoughtfulness and enterprise,
asserted that wheat and silver move togeth- and by the aid of painters, decorators, etc.,
er had their theories exploded in the recent he has virtually prepared a new hall for the
rise in wheat and decline in silver. Thurs- public.
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day silver touched the lowest price ever
The prosperity of the farmer means the
recorded for the white metal in this city,
prosperity of the dealer and manufacturer;
while wheat is steadily advancing. One hence the careful crop reports made to the
year ago wheat sold in New York at 6 3 ^ railroad companies whose iron steeds trav-
cents a bushel: Thursday it closed at erse the great grain growing regions of the
85^ cents. Silver on July 22d, 1896, sold West are highly significant. These reports,
at 69.25 cents an ounce; on July 22d, 1897, as the harvest draws near, tell this week of
unusual crops everywhere. They indicate
its price was 59.45 cents an ounce.
beyond question that the country's yield
Such a condition of affairs must show of wheat, corn and oats is to be greater
even to prejudiced minds that there is this season than for many years past.
With this good news comes also tidings
something in the law of supply and demand
of a great foreign demand, so great that
after all. All crank theories must be swept
the price of wheat is now 19 cents a bushel
aside by the returning wave of prosperity higher than it was a year ago. This ad-
as a wreath of mist disappears before the vance in price, even without a greater crop,
morning sun.
would pour money by millions into the
laps of the farmers.
H
\
The reports show that these conditions
In our list of summer resorts for mem- are producing their legitimate results—a
bers of the music trade we have failed to general revival of confidence and a great
discover one of our craft who has sought the increase in the consumption'of general mer-
cooling regions of the Klondike fields. chandise. The merchants all over the
West are stocking up. Their purchases
Alaska temperature would be very satis-
have so increased that many of the rail-
fying in these humid July days, but from roads are running 100 to 150 more cars a
reports all over the country which indicate day than they did last year.
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good crops and prices as well, it means that
The
outlook
at
the.
South
seems equally
the music trade will have a pretty good
encouraging. The cotton crop is generally
gold mine to work in its own field without
in good condition, and the price of cotton
going to Alaska to find the yellow metal. is quite one cent a pound higher than it
was a year ago. On an average crop of
7,000,000 bales this advance means no less
Steinway Sails.
than $35,000,000 added to the incomes of
Chas. H. Steinway accompanied by his the cotton-growers.
These things lie at the basis of prosper-
wife sailed for Europe last Thursday on
the steamer " Fuerst Bismarck." It is ity. All wealth is ultimately dug out of
some forty odd times that Mr. Steinway the ground, and when the yield of the earth
has journeyed across the Atlantic, and he is so greatly increased as it promises to be
thinks no more of taking a trip to the other this year, both in amount and in value,
side than the rest of us do to journey out to very little else is needed to restore pros-
perity throughout the land.
• Chicago.
work along these lines.
If the promise of the harvest fields is
fulfilled it will be hard for theorists to per-
suade a thriving people that they need
monetary panaceas to keep them out of the
poorhouse.
The.case of the farmers has certainly
been hard for several years yast. It has
been a principal cause of discontent and
the fruitful
mother of wild financial
schemes. With that betterment which is
now so surely approaching, the occupation
of the demagogue and the Utopian dreamer
will be gone. At its best this country is
itseLf about as good a Utopia as has ever
been known.
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Everybody—that is, the prominent mem-
bers of the trade with whom The Review
has talked recently—expects a good, rous-
ing speech, chock full of "meat," from
"Fighting Bob" Widenmann, of Strich &
Zeidler, at the forthcoming Manufactur-
ers' Dinner. One thing sure, if he decides
to speak—and there is no reason why he
shouldn't—there will be few ambiguous
phrases, but big nuggets of common sense
can be looked for. " B o b " Widenmann
has a national reputation as a speaker, and
is a man of warm impulses, which always
lean to the right side.
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In an Omaha, Neb., paper bearing date
of July 17, I notice a conspicuous ad.
from the Mueller Piano and Organ Co.
of Council Bluffs, Western branch of
Hardman, Peck & Co. of this city, in con-
nection with which there appears an im-
posing illustration representing Queen
Victoria presiding at a Hardman grand
piano,above which is the following caption:
"Her gracious majesty the Queen of Eng-
land playing on her Hardman piano at
Balmoral Castle." This enterprising West-
ern house also inform the public that they
sell the "Royal Hardman," Harrington
and other pianos. The "Royal Hardman"
is something new. The announcement is
unique.
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An Italian genius has invented a mechan-
ical orchestral conductor which is said to fill
a long-felt need in Italy, and would doubt-
less be as much appreciated here. The di-
rectors of the bands in Italian cafes chan-
tants are called upon to play the violin or
the piano besides conducting, so the most
that they can do is to start the music and
then every member of the orchestra con-
tinues it in accordance with his own idea
df what it ought to be. Two mechanics of
Turin have invented a remedy for this
lamentable state of affairs which ought to
be useful in some of the east side cafes and
concert halls here.
This invention puts an automaton in the
director's seat, and in his hand is a baton
which is operated by the pedals of the pi-
ano on which the conductor is playing; or
if he happens to be a violinist the pedals
are placed near his feet in such a way that
he can move the arms of the automaton as
freely as if they were his own. The me-
chanism has already been tried in Turin
with success, and the amusement it created