Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
practically the same, being made in one
factory.
The gentleman listened attentively to all
the arguments brought against the Weber
piano. He returned to the Weber ware-
rooms where he was again met by Mr.
Pfafflin to whom he remarked, that he had
noted that severe criticism had been
brought by certain salesmen in the ware-
rooms which he had visited against the
Weber piano, and at the same time he
remarked to Mr. Pfafflin, that he had noted
that Mr. Pfafflin had nothing but com-
plimentary words to say of the other
makes.
He concluded by asking Mr.
Pfafflin if it was really a fact that the
Weber piano was made in the Wheelock
factory.
Mr. Pfafflin said: "Do you know where
the Wheelock factory is? "
He replied, "Yes, I have seen it, it is in
Harlem."
"Have you a few moments to spare? 1 '
Mr. Pfafflin asked. "If so, I should like
to have you accompany me to the Weber
factory, on 17 th Street and Seventh
Avenue."
This the gentleman did, and upon enter-
ing he was confronted by a row of veteran
piano makers. Walking up to one work-
man whose white hair showed the effect of
time he said: "Do I understand that the
pianos here are not up to the standard of
years ago? How is this? "
The man, who did not know Mr. Pfafflin,
replied: " I have worked in the Weber
factory since the first piano was made by
old Albert Weber and we never turned out
such work as we are producing now."
So on through the entire factory the same
sentiment was expressed by numbers of
workmen who had been for years in the
Weber employ. Then a run over the lum-
ber department was taken, for it should be
understood that the competing salesmen
had said among other things that the lum-
ber used in the composition of the Weber
piano was green and poor as well.
After noting the excellence of the ma-
terial, for he was an expert, being a lum-
berman, he complimented the firm highly
upon the superb quality of the material, and
before he had reached the factory door
he remarked to Mr. Pfafflin, " I am simply
amazed at what I have seen here to-day,
and I doubt if such bare-faced misrepre-
sentation could be found in any other
industry. What has been told me is an
exact opposite of what I find by personal
inspection. I shall now go immediately
back with you and write a check for the
grand. I am more than satisfied, and then
you were so truthful and so fair to others
in this matter."
It would seem as if the same rules which
are operative in other lines would apply
with special significance to this. This is
only one instance of many where gross
misrepresentation made by salesmen has
been brought to our notice. Why not be
fair with others and just with our competi-
tors?
Every expert knows that the Weber
piano to-day is better, both musically and
architecturally, than any time in its history.
Why not admit it, and why not adopt a lit-
tle broader and fairer means in following
out business lines?
Perhaps too straight - laced methods
would not apply to the selling of pianos,
but at the same time it does not seem
necessary to violate the laws of decency by
attributing to a competitor certain attri-
butes which are notoriously false. Some of
the over zealous salesmen seem to think
that their employers will indorse all sorts
of malicious and misleading statements
which they may utter. Such is not the
case, manufacturers and heads of business
establishments have a high regard for trade
ethics and will look with disfavor upon an
attempt on the part of their employers to
willfully distort the truth. We have notic-
ed that the salesman who is fair and can-
did in his statements usually wins more
than the one who speaks abusively of his
neighbor. People are quite apt, particu-
larly when they are interested, to investi-
gate certain allegations made by compet-
itors, and they usually figure that there are
reasons why these statements are made,
reasons which at all times are not based up-
on the foundation of truth and sincerity.
It were better far to adopt higher lines of
morality, extending a finer courtesy to
competitors and thereby raising the morale
of the trade to a higher point than it en-
joys to-day.
FLIGHT UNDER FIRE.
IT is am.izing to witness the acrobatic
gyrations of our once formidable con-
temporary. He seems to have lost his head
quite completely in his recent contact with
the Association, as he did when Morris
Steinert's lance thrust first unhorsed him.
A few weeks ago he was blustering, bully-
ing and insinuating. To-day all the blus-
tering seems to have evaporated through
the puncture made by the Association
lance, and now there goes up a plaintive
appeal for pity and sympathy, and a whin-
ing statement that some of the great firms
in the trade will stand by him any-
way.
He evidently forgets that the men at the
head of some of these great institutions
possess among other things, retentive
memories. They have not forgotten the
time when he held the whip, and they were
forced to settle at his price.
If we scan the list of names of men
whom this man has abused in times past
we find that it includes some of the great-
est men East and West, and have they
memories? We incline to the belief that
they possess that necessary adjunct to hu-
man happiness, and his little flank move-
ment of fleeing to Chicago and being
interviewed in order to have the Western
manufacturers believe that there still is a
little life left in his frame seems almost too
humorous to consider seriously. His flight
to our inland city after his defeat in New
York gives rise to the belief that he treas-
ures the sentiment
"That he who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day."
A TRADE OF SEASONS.
Y\ 7ITH the tropical heat which has been
our lot to share in such generous
quantities during the past week, it could
hardly be expected that business would
evidence great activity. Electric fans and
all other necessary concomitants to the re-
duction of temperature have been more
largely in demand than have musical in-
struments. Cool verandas have a greater
charm for the average individual than the
hot parlors of our metropolitan district.
In the smaller towns it is different, and
trade is not so seriously hampered by tor-
rid conditions. For that reason the dealers
in the smaller towns and cities have a
greater advantage over those in the metro-
politan districts during the heated term.
The fact is the New York retail trade
may be truthfully said to have condensed
more and more during a few months of
the year. Time was when there was not
such a dearth of retail trade during the
summer months as at present, but well-to-
do New Yorkers manage to escape from
the city from June until September in
greater numbers than formerly. This,
together with a general relaxation on the
part of the average merchant, means that
the summer months are destined to be
quiet ones as far as retail business is con-
cerned. The retailing of pianos is becom-
ing more and more a trade of seasons than
formerly.
A LITTLE trade gathering in Chicago
this week would seem to indicate that
hidden from public gazo there is still a
desire on the part of some manufacturers to
come together in some sort of a consolida-
tion of interests — trust or otherwise.
Will it go through to a final union? We
shall see.