Music Trade Review

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MAY
4, 1918
THE
15
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
OuTTECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE
THE PRACTICAL OPTIMIST
For a thoroughly original but wholly sound
way of looking at things, commend me to out
old friend Maitland. It was, shall 1 confess,
largely because I hoped to draw out original
comment that I printed three weeks ago the
rather gloomy story by the gentleman who
signed himself "Old Hand," and who spoke with
such candor of the seamy side of the tuner's life
But it was to be expected, of course, that his
statements would not go unchallenged. Indeed,
positive assertion always provokes contradiction,
simply because positive assertion is always a lit-
tle too cock-sure. Still, since, in Macaulay's
words, the experience of mankind proves that
the best method for obtaining the truth of any
question is found in getting two able men to
argue as unfairly as possible on opposite sides
of it, the reader will not be sorry to see our
pessimistic Old Hand contradicted, especially
when his opponent is no less a warrior than
our doughty Maitland. Not that I mean to
accuse either of these gentlemen of unfairness;
save as every advocate is necessarily partial.
I shall have to give Mr. Maitland's reply in
the form of extracts, for it is not desirable to
spin out the matter too far:
"Dear Mr. White—Old Hand has certainly
given a very sad picture of conditions in the
tuning trade; but the saddest thing about it is
that he can offer no remedy save not to blame
young men for keeping out of the game. . . .
"It is self-evident that Old Hand has per-
mitted the beam of cowardice to enter his eye
of success, thereby obscuring his successful
vision. . . . Old Hand makes a mistake by
picking out the successful doctor, plumber,
dentist, etc:, and putting up the bright side of
these professions against the dark side of tuning.
Does not Old Hand know that not more than
one man in ten that start out in these profes-
sions is successful? If he had looked among
the tuners he would have found at least one in
ten does not have to live in that third story
back room, but owns his own home and is held
in as high respect by the community as any
gentleman in the other professions he mentions.
"I feel that if a tuner is a real man and has
the honesty to stand up to his convictions, the
world is bound to respect and honor him.
. . . While it is not the business of the good
tuner to hunt defects in a piano and make the
owner dissatisfied, still if the case comes to the
point where the tuner has to misrepresent
things in order to shield a crooked salesman or
firm would it not be the manly thing for him to
stand up and say to the manager or head of the
firm, 'your salesman has misrepresented that
piano to your customer, and the thing for you
to do is to take the piano back and give the
customer one as good as he was led to expect?'
This sort of conduct would certainly win the
respect of that firm even though the tuner lost
his job temporarily. Such a man could get an-
other job with a house where shady methods
are not tolerated.
"You, Mr. Editor, put a climax on Old Hand's
letter by telling us that the remedy is organ-
ization. But what good is organization unless
we have real honest, fearless men in it? Was it
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
PUBO, Player-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Tuning and Re-
pairing, ilao Regulating, Voicing, Varnishing and Polishing
This formerly was the tuning department of the New
England Conservatory of Music, and Oliver C. Faust was
head of the department for 20 years previous to its dis-
continuance.
Courses in mathematical piano scale construction and
drafting of same have been added.
Pupils have daily practise in Chickering & Sons' factory.
Year Book sent free upon request.
27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON. MASS.
of the man and not of the profession. Further-
more, if an organization of tuners has failed to
correct certain evils in the tuning trade, the
fault is with the men who compose the organ-
isation and not with the trade. George L.
Maitland."
Of course, as I said before, positive asser-
tions on either side of a disputed question are
always to be taken with a grain of salt. Brother
Maitland has the outlook of a successful man.
Still, it is by no means to be supposed that his
experiences are necessarily exceptional.
1 personally have the honor of acquaintance
with several men in the profession who have
made a very considerable material success. 1
also know several who have had rather a re-
versed experience. But, after all, the important
A STORY OF SUCCESS
point is that the average tuner who does noi
' In the year 1875 1 knew a tuner, aged twen-
tie
himself down to employed positions all his
ty, who had learned the piano trade but had no
life
need not go without making a good liv-
outside experience. He had no money either,
and in fact was in debt $300. To add to his ing. Mr. Maitland, I am sure, is quite right
troubles he was partially deficient in one of the in insisting upon the great fact that a man
five senses and was dead in love with a girl. creates his own circumstances. When that fact
He thought that if only he could get people to is grasped thoroughly and one molds one's con-
send their orders direct to him instead of to the duct upon it, the aspect of everything changes
music houses he would be much better off. But at once for the better.
he knew that, owing to lack of outside training,
PERSONALITY
he was not yet qualified to buck up against
music-store tuners who had been in city busi-
While I am on the subject of success, let me
ness for years.
say just a word of warning. A good deal too
'So, getting his girl to agree to wait till he much—not a little of which is nonsense, tends
got a start, he went through the country for to get talked about "personality" in business.
three years, tuning whatever permitted, and Patent methods of teaching salesmanship and
noting carefully the behavior of all pianos under the secret of success have made much of what is
all conditions.
called "dominating personality," "forceful con-
"Then he returned to the city, stuck out his versation," "gripping arguments," etc., etc. This
shingle, got two or three music teachers to sort of thing may be all very well, but it is
give him their work as a start, but paid no com- likely to be overdone. I am constantly run-
missions, getting work only be"cause he did it ning across young gentlemen who have appar-
well. He had rather a hard time at first, for ently soaked themselves in these notions, but
he did not make more than $9 per week some have been too pachydermatous for the mixture
times. Still he stuck to it for ten years, and at to get in very deep. At all events, they seem
the end of that time had paid his $300 debt and to think that positive assertions, noisy methods,
had $1,000 in cash besides. He put $600 of this and a general tendency to talk a blue streak
amount into a three-story brick building, giv- in an offensively dictatorial manner, are proofs
ing mortgage for the balance, bought furniture that one possesses the "dominating" manner.
and married the girl who had waited till he Now, I for one, do not especially care to be
dominated by another. When the would-be
had a start.
"This tuner had a nice three-story house fur- successful man finds himself told to learn how
nished for self and wife. And, as the story says, to dominate, he may think it sounds very nice,
and may even try to work it out; but in the end
they lived happily ever after.
"At the end of the seventh year after mar- he is bound to discover that he is simply set-
riage, this tuner had his home clear and owned ting up other minds in opposition to his own and
part of another property. He lived in that home giving himself an immense amount of trouble
for more than twenty years, rearing his little in shouldering the whole world out of his way.
family. About eleven years ago, however, the This may be all very well with the weaklings,
wife wished for a place where she could have but not everybody is a weakling. Why elab-
grass, fruit trees, and other growing things. orately learn a scheme for compelling yourself
The tuner bought another home, therefore, which to fight all the strong minds in your vicinity
cost him in all about $9,000. This is in the for the rest of your life?
third largest city of the United States, has fruit
The truth is that most of this nonsense is
trees, grape vines, lawn and kitchen garden. merely the crude undigested practice of raw
He likewise has three properties, some other hypnotism. Now, hypnotism is a dangerous
securities and has loaned Uncle Sam $1,300 as weapon to handle when you don't quite know
his bit. He has the respect of the community what it is you are handling. The safer plan by
in which he lives and is treated with as much far is to carry on one's own lifework on the
deference as the doctor, lawyer or plumber. He basis of doing the utmost right one's reason and
never tuned for $1, but adopted the schedule of light permit one to perceive. By doing this
prices prevailing in the music stores.
one has one's neighbor with one, not against
"Now, Mr. Editor, the above is related in or- one.
Why try to impose one's puny will-
der to show Old Hand and all others that it is power? If one is right, it will not be neces-
the man that makes the profession. If a man sary; and if one is wrong, one is wrong and
does not succeed in getting a decent livelihood that is all there is to it. Brute force cannot
and winning the respect of the world while
(Continued on page 16)
practicing the tuning profession, it is the fault
not for lack of fearless members that the Guild
utterly failed to deal with the short-term tuning
school questions? . . . Think of the good re-
sults that would have accrued to the tuning pro-
fession if the Guild had given the public to un-
derstand that the tuning profession cannot be
learned in five weeks.
"Again if the Guild had had singleness of
purpose and backbone, would it have shirked
the wage question? . . . I say, if the Guild
had been composed exclusively of fearless men
would it not have taken up every item that
would benefit the tuning profession regardless
of what was hit? George I. Maitland, Phila-
delphia, Pa."
The Big Hun Gun
Shoots 70 miles and hits the mark sometimes.
LESLEV'S PATCHING VABNI8H dries in 10 seconds
and makes a perfect patch every time. Your MONEY
BACK is our bet. No. 275 TTiiTshers' Outfit delivered
for $8.00. You're in trouble, order now. LESLEY'S
CHEMICAL, CO., 350 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis, Inri.
The Pioneer School
with 775 Successful
Graduates in the Field
Address, Box 414
VALPARAISO, IND.