Music Trade Review

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THE: MUSIC TRADE
represented, then the demand must slacken, because advertising will
not bolster up an article which does not possess merit. A great
many advertisers fail to appreciate this fundamental truth and some
have been disappointed in advertising results simply because they
themselves have not supported their advertising honestly. Every-
thing must be in harmony—the advertising and the product which
is advertised—and then the results will be more satisfactory to all
interested.
O
N August 14 and 15 a Prosperity Convention will be held in
this city known as the Commercial Travelers' Inter-State
Congress. This convention will take place under the auspices of the
two largest traveling men's associations of this country, viz., the
Travelers' Protective Association and the United Commercial Trav-
elers. The combined membership of these two organizations is
86,000. It will be seen at a glance that with this number of active,
energetic, hustling men covering every line erf trade in this country
talking optimism, it will do a great deal to help business, and it
should be emphasized that the travelers are doing their part in
promoting the business confidence in this country, and it is believed
that this convention will have a far-reaching beneficial effect.
FEW years ago it was a common sight when scanning the
advertising pages of daily papers or magazines to see the
stars and stripes used in advertisements. We have gradually un-
dergone a change of heart in this respect and now two-thirds of the
states have passed laws protecting the flag from what is termed
desecration. It seems to us in a matter of this kind that if any law
is needed at all, it should be a national law covering all territory
over which Congress has legislative jurisdiction. The state laws
may be all right, but unless every state had such laws, the flag
might still be desecrated with impunity in all the territory which
we control and even at the fountain of national government, the
city of Washington itself. Recognizing this fact, the United States
Senate some time before its adjournment passed a bill for the pro-
tection of the flag and sent it to the House of Representatives. The
bill is now in charge of the Judiciary Committee of that body. This
bill, which now awaits the action of the House, provides for the
punishment,of any person who puts on the flag any picture, symbol
or inscription, or who publicly mutilates any flag, whether public or
private property, but it allows flags owned by the nation or by the
states to carry inscriptions authorized by law and, of course, does
not interfere with the practice of different organizations, particu-
larly the Grand Army, of carrying on their parade flags marked
with their post name or the names of famous battles in which they
participated. It seems more than passing strange that it should
be necessary to pass State and National laws to protect the flag
from insult, and it certainly is an insult to cover our national ban-
ner with all kinds of lettering. If we do not hold the flag sacred,
how can we respect our government for which it stands. This law
is not intended to prevent the graceful draping of the colors around
objects which the advertiser may desire to put forth, but it proposes
to put a stop to the disfigurement of the national banner, and to
our minds it is a mighty good law and it is strange indeed that it
should be necessary to pass state and national laws in order to pre-
vent Americans from desecrating "Old Glory." It is rather a
harsh commentary upon our people and perhaps this widespread
desecration of the national colors has led foreigners to believe that
we are so commercial that all sentiment was destroyed, and it is
some satisfaction to those of us who love the flag to know that the
glorious colors, the emblem "of the free heart's hope and home," is
henceforth to be protected from desecration by American hands.
A
" \ T EWSPAPER publishers cannot give space in their publica-
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tions in exchange for transportation on railroads. For
years this practice has been carried on and there are some publish-
ers who have had a desire to test the legality of the recent ruling.
We quote the following on a decision handed down recently by Judge
Kohlsaat in the United States Circuit Court in Chicago. The
Judge says: "If it be lawful to make the exchange of railroad
transportation for advertising, then it would be lawful to do the
same in every transaction and the railroad business might lawfully
become one of barter and sale, limited only by the demand." The
decision was rendered in a test case in which the Federal authori-
ties tried to prevent the carrying out of a contract entered into in
January, 1907, between the Railroad Company and The Frank A.
REVIEW
Munsey Co., for the issuance of trip tickets or mileage to the value
of $500, in consideration of certain advertising space in the Munsey
publications. After the Court had enjoined the issuance of trans-
portation by the railroad companies notice of carrying the case to
the United States Supreme Court was given by the attorneys for
the railroad company, so it seems that this matter will still be fought
out in the highest tribunal in the land.
EQUALLY DEAR.—"I hear you are engaged to one of the Richboy
twins. How do you distinguish one from the other?"
"I don't try!"
IMMORTALIZED.—Him—My name shall live forever.
Her—Why do you think so?
Him—Because it's Smith.
FULLY EXPLAINED.—"Why do you patronize that drunken grocer,
anyhow?"
"He always gives full weight."
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SHE HADKf'S'r-^-Mrs. Van Travel—Did you ever see the Sierra
Madre range?
Mrs. Newflush—Law, no; I always used a gas stove.
IMPROVING THE PLACE.—He—I would like to do something to
improve our neighborhood.
She—Well, haven't you got money enough to move out of it?
SUITED.—Auctioneer—Going! Going! Gone! Here, sir, it's yours.
Great bargain, sir. The frame alone is worth the price.
Connoisseur (ripping out the picture)—The frame was what I wanted.
Mrs. Brown (who has been reading of bridges being swept away by
floods)—These bridge disasters are terrible.
MR. SMITH—I should say so; my wife lost all her year's pin money
at it last night.
THE TANNERY.—"What building is that?" asked a stranger of
Willie Billfuzz, pointing to the school house.
"That?" said the boy, "Why, that's the tannery." And he feelingly
rubbed his back as he passed on.
AN OUTRAGE.—He—Do you remember the night 1 proposed to you?
She—Yes, dear.
He—We sat for one hour, and you never opened your mouth.
She—Yes, I remember.
He—Ah, that was the happiest hour of my life.
TOO MANY ADVERBS.—"I love you," exclaimed Lady Gwendolen
Maltravers, twitteringly.
"You love me?" echoed Lord Chuckaluck, ruminatively.
"I love you," said she, asseveratingly.
At this point we threw aside the book disgustedly.
WANTED TO BE THERE.—An expert golfer had the misfortune to
play a particularly vigorous stroke at the moment that a seedy wayfarer
wandered across the edge of the course. The hall struck the trespasser
and rendered him briefly insensible. When he recovered a $5 bill was
pressed into his hand by the golfer. "Tanky, sir," said the injured man
after a glance at the money. "An' when will you be playin' again, sir?"
FATAL ADMISSION.—"See here, mister," said the poor man, des-
perately, "give me any sort of job and I'll take it. I'm simply tired out
looking for work."
"Well," replied the hard business man, "there is an opening here,
but I guess you won't do."
"If you get tired out simply looking for work," the business man
continued, "you wouldn't be much good when you came to do any."
CORRECTED.—A little girl, the daughter of a clergyman, once sat
at the table with a bishop who was visiting her father.
When they had finished she observed that he did not fold his napkin.
Distressed, she said: "We always fold our napkins here."
"Yes, my dear," said the bishop. "But that is because you use them
again. In the case of a visitor you don't do that."
"Oh, yes, we do!" said, the little girl.
THE HAPPY HOUR.—"You say the officer arrested you while you
were quietly minding your own business?"
"Yes, your honor. He caught me suddenly by the coat collar and
threatened to strike me with his club unless I accompanied him to the
station house."
"You were quietly attending to your own business, making no noise
or disturbance of any kind?"
"None whatever, sir."
"It seems very strange. What is your business?"
"I'm a burglar."
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