Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SALESMANSHIP CONGRESS INTERESTS DETROIT DEALERS
INVENTS KEY-LOCK1NQ DEVICE
Gathering of Salesmen from all Over the World Attended by Many Representatives of the
Piano Industry—Ling Returns from Vacation—W. L. Bush a Visitor—Other News
Patent Recently Granted on Apparatus Which
Prevents Wrong Keys From Being Struck
DETROIT, MICH., July 17.—The most important
event of the past week was, of course, the
World's Salesmanship Congress, which ended
on Thursday, after four days of activities. The
number of out-of-town newspaper men, rep-
resenting the various press associations and in-
dividual newspapers and magazines, is probably
the best barometer of the importance of this
Congress. The attendance as registered was
approximately 2,000, and while John Wana-
maker, Sir Thomas Lipton and H. Gordon Sel-
fridge did not show up, there were hundreds of
others of national prominence, among them
President Wilson.
The President was the
principal speaker at the Monday morning ses-
sion held at the Arcadia, Woodward and Stimp-
son place. At noon he was the guest at a
luncheon given at the Detroit Athletic Club
by 500 Detroit business men. Right here, we
must commend the Detroit piano dealers who
were present at fche Monday session in large
numbers, and who also attended other sessions
throughout the three days, selecting the speak-
ers which they felt would do them the most
good to hear. Grinnell Bros, had something
like ten admission tickets, and they were alter-
nated each day with the different salesmen so
that all would not be away from the store at
the same time. The subject of Salesmanship
was thoroughly gone into at the Monday after-
noon meeting when there were speeches by
such men as Hugh Chalmers, president of the
Chalmers Motor Car Co.; Norval A. Hawkins,
sales manager Ford Motor Co.; Arthur Bris-
bane, editor New York Evening Journal; Hon.
W. C. Redfield, secretary of commerce, and
Senator Lafe Young, of Des Moines, la. At
Tuesday's meetings, the following subjects were
discussed: "Following Your Card Up to the
Big Man," "The Salesman's Wife," "Selling
Self," "Sales Bulletins," "Selling Schools,"
"Choosing Men," "Integrity" and "Training
Salesmen Through Books and Special Courses."
On Wednesday, the salesmen divided themselves
into groups; there was an insurance session,
one for lumber salesmen, real estate salesmen,
automobile salesmen, sales managers, traveling
salesmen and counter sales people. Some of
the most important topics of the day were:
"Training Retail Sales People," "Women and
Salesmanship," "Salesmanship from the stand-
point of the Employer," "The Price-Cutting
Manufacturer," "The Correct Attitude Toward
Advertising," "Contests," "Co-operation," "Mak-
ing the Sale Produce a Profit," "Price Mainte-
nance," "The Quota," "Selling Schools for
Manufacturers," and "Sales Accomplished Under
Difficulties."
The final session was held on
Thursday morning, and it was decided to make
the Congress a permanent organization, more
than $100,000 being subscribed for that purpose.
Artrmpn
Record Rolls
"Music as Actually Played"
r
p H E S E record rolls repre-
•*• sent a true, scientific re-
production of piano playing
as performed by e m i n e n t
artists. Made with a respect to
the ideals of past and present
composers. Artempo rolls sell
on a merit basis only.
Your proof is in our sample
box at $2.00. Ask for it today.
BENNETT & WHITE, Inc.
67-71 Gobel St., NEWARK, N. J.
Norval A. Hawkins, of the Ford Motor Co.,
was elected president, and it was practically
decided that the 1917 convention shall be held
in Philadelphia. The motto of the first conven-
tion was "Business betterment through better-
ment in salesmanship."
Columns upon col-
umns could be written about this Congress, the
speeches made and the interest manifested in
the art of salesmanship, but suffice it to say
that all who attended the meetings came away
with new selling ideas. And as for the Con-
gress itself it was far more successful than
was anticipated.
When the American Guild of Piano Tuners
holds its convention in Detroit on August 7th,
there will also be in Detroit on that date Charles
E. Hughes, Republican candidate for president.
Mr. Hughes on his initial campaign will make
his first stop at Detroit.
Grand Rapids, according to the very latest
figures, has a population of 130,000, or 155,000,
including its suburbs. It is the second largest
city in Michigan. The oldest music house in
that city is the Friedrich Co.
According to Manager Weiss, of the sheet
music department at Grinnell Bros., some of
the most popular sellers at the present time
are "You're a Dangerous Girl," "Are You from
Dixie," "Oh, Joe, With Your Fiddle and Bow,"
"Pretty Baby," "My Mother's Rosary," "Under-
neath the Stars" and "Yaaka Hula."
J. Henry Ling, of Ling's Music House, is
back from his extended vacation. After at-
tending the commencement exercises at Welles-
ley College, from which institution his daugh-
ter graduated, Mr. Ling toured to Boston and
spent a day along Piano Row, renewing ac-
quaintances with many of his old friends in
the various stores. He then toured through
New Hampshire and New England States, the
White Mountains, Green Mountains, Adiron-
dacks and Berkshire Mountains
He said it
was the best trip he ever made, and that the
roads in the East are wonderful. As to busi-
ness, he said: "Things are not very active,
to be sure. You wouldn't expect it in July,
and especially when it is so hot. Yet we are
ahead of last year, so why complain. We all
know how desperately dull it was last summer."
Mr. Ling thoroughly agrees with the recent
article in The Review that something should
be done towards the advancement of music as
an art, and that anything done to further the
musical art will mean more piano sales. He
recalls the day when the large retail stores
throughout the country had conservatories in
connection therewith. He contends to-day that
there is too much commercialism in the piano
industry and not enough art. Most salesmen
talk about the piano as a piece of furniture and
not as a musical instrument.
W. L. Bush, of the Bush & Gerts Co., Chi-
cago, was in Detroit on Saturday enroute to the
Windy City, after attending the Shrine conven-
tion at Buffalo.
Maher Bros., Jackson, Mich., have taken over
the T. C. Smoke stock of pianos, players and
sheet music and transferred it to the Maher
store at 120 East Main street.
Detroit has just experienced the hottest
weather of the season, and while it was not
good for the piano business, it had its good
features—for instance, it has been timely and
beneficial in promoting the growth of backward
crops.
Traveling salesmen in Detroit have been few
and far between during the past thirty days,
due no doubt to the fact that most of them are
taking their annual vacations.
District Manager Nichols, of the Columbia
Graphophone Co., was a visitor this week.
C. A. Grinnell and family departed early in
the week for an extended motor trip through
the East.
A "Cupid" Sohmer grand was shown in the
store of Grinnell Bros, this week.
WASHINGTON, D. C , July 17.—Joseph Gorst,
Northwick, Eng., was last week granted Patent
No. 1,190,994 for a key-holding device for key-
board musical instruments, which consists es-
sentially in providing such instruments or ap-
paratus with a single device either above or be-
low the keyboard, the movement of which de-
vice into different positions is adapted simul-
taneously to lock or restrict in movement any
predetermined required number of keys on the
keyboard, only leaving those keys unlocked or
unrestricted in movement which are necessary
for a required exercise or sequence of notes
and any note struck in error will not be de-
pressed. The locking or restricting device may
be so arranged that on a locked key being
struck a particular sound is produced and the
false note detected.
GREER A CANDIDATE FOR SENATOR
MANCHESTER, N. H., July 17.—Adam L. Greer,
of 120 Bridge street, who conducts a piano store
on Elm street, has announced his candidacy for
the Republican nomination for Senator from the
Seventeenth district, comprising wards three,
four and ten in this city. Mr. Greer repre-
sented ward three in the assembly last year,
serving on the railroad committee.
The Triumph
of the
American Tone
AWARDED
The position won by the
American Steel & Wire Co.
demonstrates clearly how
right, in the end, must tri-
umph over prejudice.
The high tension cry of
years ago has entirely sub-
sided, and America's great
wire manufacturing com-
pany, by continuing its
campaign of education, has
finally won the piano trade
to see the correctness of its
position.
Gradually America's lead-
ing piano manufacturing concerns
have accepted the American standard
and artists and amateurs are now
thinking less of the high tension idea
and more of beauty of tone than ever
before.
The special brands of the Ameri-
can Steel & Wire Co.—the "PER-
FECTED" and "CROWN"—were the
outcome of an ever alert anticipation
—anticipation backed by the ability to
know—the ability to fight undeviat-
ingly for the maintenance of correct
principles. For years it clung relig-
iously to an ideal, in the face of the
most discouraging opposition, and
now the whole world recognizes its
triumph, which has resulted in giving
a purer musical tone than ever before,
and in showing that art is oftentimes
concealed by art.
American Steel & Wire Company
Chicago, New York, Worcester, Cleveland, Pitts-
burgh, Denver. Export representative: U. S. Steel
Products Co., New York. Pacific Coast representa-
tive: U. S. Steel Products Co., San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Portland, Seattle.