Presto

PRESTO
Presto
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY.
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT •
- Editors
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 2V>, 1896, at the
Post Office, Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4.
Payable in advance. No extra charge in United States
possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for advertising on
application.
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen
in the smaller cities are the best occasional corre-
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
Forms close at noon every Thursday. News mat-
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the
same day. Advertising copy should be in hand before
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon
preceding publication day. Want advs. for current
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
Wednesday noon.
• Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 1925.
AN OVERSIGHT
Strange how a chance remark or incidental
statement will sometimes suggest a missing
link in the chain of important events. For
instance, this paragraph from a facetious Chi-
cago Tribune editorial on the "Portrait of a
Business Man":
The intellectuals can find something to respect in
proletarian thought. They would have more use for
a convention of piano movers than piano makers. A
business man's gathering is rated as something which
enables the men to pin red ribbons on themselves,
laugh vacuously, call out "Come up to room 410, Bill.
We have everything," and try out new golf courses.
A NEW PROHIBITION
This is the age of prohibition. And the
promise seems to be that we may eventually
find it as necessary to watch our ears as our
lips. For we are told of another big "don't"
which may issue from headquarters some-
where. It is foretold in the newspapers, un-
der the head of "To Can Can-Can," where it
is stated that an effort may be made to pad-
lock "indecent music" and to put whatever it
is in jail along with what is known as "booze."
It has been pretty well agreed, by authori-
ties more competent than the traffic cops, that
music can not be "impure." Therefore it is
hard to understand where the League of Mu-
sic Purification can find any serious charge
against even "that hoochy-coochy class of in-
tonation," as someone has expressed it. But
it appears that some musty folly in the of-
ficial records has been dug up and the things
that were wont to trot along with the joys of
life are supposed to belong equally to the
things that should be suppressed in order that
the world may be made perfectly "good."
It is hard enough that the prohibition of
another kind has taken so much joy out of
life for some of us. It would be still worse
were the "intoxication" of music at its jazziest
to be taken from the few liberties remaining
and our meals be denied refreshment for the
ear as well as for the gastric juices.
But there's little danger. With the com-
bination of booze and auto, the police are
sufficiently occupied. And the terrors of the
tom-tom and hoochy-coochy jazz are not yet
sufficiently boisterous to demand any legisla-
tive tommyrot. There is still coffee drinking,
gum chewing and the sin of chocolate caramel
eating, before the censors can find time to
suppress "indecent music"—of which there
never could be any.
A trade paper in the interests of manufac-
turers in general has polled its advertisers on
the prohibition problem. A majority of the
replies points to faith in "decent regulation
of the liquor question." No music trade paper
Isn't there something peculiarly familiar would have the nerve to seek a vote on such
about that reference to a business man's gath- a subject. It is a foregone conclusion that
ering? And isn't it still more suggestive of a men engaged in the music business are in
possible oversight on the part of the organ- favor of everything that is decent and of noth-
izers of our music trade associations? For ing that is otherwise. Few intelligent Amer-
certainly the reference to piano movers draws icans deny the advisability of regulating
attention to a void in the list of divisions or everything that intoxicates—even music itself.
groups that go to make up the large aggrega-
* * *
tion of which all members of the music indus-
Radio still has a long way to go before it
try must be proud, and most of which were so can be much of a rival to the piano in the
liberally represented in Chicago last June.
music stores. While it is said that about sixty
While it may not be quite true that the "in- per cent of the music dealers handle receivers,
tellectuals" would so largely prefer the con- it can be more accurately said that a majority
vention of piano movers to the piano makers, of them are not wholly satisfied that the ad-
it is true that as now organized there is no dition is a good one for their business.
way by which to prove it. For we have as yet
* * *
had no convention of piano movers, nor has
As soon as the next sky-scraper goes up on
that large and, in a sense, very powerful Wabash avenue, Chicago, the first floor will
branch of the piano business been admitted to be occupied as the new and elaborately ap-
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce. pointed retail wareroom of one of the most
It is understood that there are many wealthy prosperous of the Western piano industries.
gentlemen manning the giant vans that play Another proof that the piano is still moving
so important a part in delivering the goods in forward.
the piano business. They are as well equipped
* * *
to help sustain an organization, to debate at
Bait advertising isn't so bad if the worm
conventions, and to do the other things that isn't there just to hide the hook. It is as
add to the annual events in the trade, as the necessary to use bait to draw trade as trout.
tuners, the travelers or even, as the Tribune The kind of bait is the chief consideration.
* * *
suggests, the piano makers themselves. What's
the matter, then, with the National Piano
When financial experts and business leaders
Movers' Association?
agree that the best period for business in
August 29, 1925.
years is just ahead, who can doubt that the
promise is in that direction? Who wants to
doubt it? Several articles in this issue of
Presto afford the glad tidings in unmistakable
terms.
* * *
Retailers say that collections are better this
year than usual in the summer season. That's
a sign also that times are suitable for the
activities of the outside salesmen.
* * *
It is said that notwithstanding the alleged poverty
of the German industries, scarcely a week passes that
fails to bring announcement of at least one new piano
factory. It is estimated that Germany will produce
about 100,000 pianos this year.
* * *
France is having a prosperous piano year. Nearly
200,000 instruments will be this year's output, accord-
ing to an expert estimate, and French pianos are to be
found in the retail stores throughout England, and even
in many German cities.
* * *
The return of piano activities in the United States
is clearly evident. Retailers in many sections say that
they anticipate an unusually good fall and winter trade.
And some of the factories report orders in rapidly in-
creasing ratio.
* * *
Don't let the "dumps" rob you of business which may
be almost ready to knock at your door. A little more
pep where there is now only pip will do a lot this fall.
* * *
This is to be the farmer's year. All piano salesmen,
especially in the smaller cities and towns, know what
that means, and they will get busy.
30 YEARS AGO IN THE TRADE
From the Files of Presto
(August 29, 1895.)
The Chicago "Tribune" suggests that a noble
band-stand be erected in Lincoln Park to the mem-
ory of Geo. F. Root.
If the farmer has an old square to trade in, and
"it's just as good as the day I bought her forty years
ago," and "wants the same price that he paid for it,"
let him alone. He knows more about the business
than you do. Quit it and try your luck at farming.
It is understood there is a contract of long stand-
ing between the Weaver Organ company and the
Granger's State Executive committee of Pennsylva-
nia, under which grangers throughout the Keystone
state purchase Weaver organs in preference to all
others.
Mr. Linton Floyd Jones, son of Thomas Floyd
Jones, has lately composed a piece of music entitled
The Glentworth Two Step. It is dedicated to the
Haines Bros, pianos, the author being connected with
the Haines Bros, house at New York. We hear that
it is very catchy and reflects much credit upon its
author.
20 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(From Presto, August 31, 1905.)
When the music attachment for automobiles gets
into common use it will be easier for the poor pedes-
trians who may die to the music of soft pipes. It's
a sort of pipe-dream, in fact.
At the Put-in Bay Convention, when the National
Piano Travelers' Association was formed, following
were the officers nominated: J. C. Amie, President,
New York; H. O. Fox, first vice-president, Detroit;
W. S. Rich, second vice-president, Boston; D. D.
Luxton, third vice-president, Chicago; T. T. Fischer,
treasurer, New York; W. M. Plaisted, secretary, New
York. Executive board: J. C. Amie, T. T. Fischer,
W. M. Plaisted, P. J. Gildemeester, Nathan Ford.
Membership committee: J. C. Amie, T. T. Fischer,
Wm. Plaisted, Howard Hill, O. W. Williams, F. J.
Woodbury.
A country clergyman was visited recently by a
stranger, who introduced himself as a representative
for Bangem's Pills, and who stated that having de-
rived great benefit from his sermon he wished to
present a new set of hymn books to the choir. The
parson gladly accepted the gift, and the books came
and were distributed among the congregation. The
following Sunday the minister gave out Hymn 973,
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing." The organ pealed
forth, but the congregation on rising began to titter
instead of sing. The clergyman, with a vague sus-
picion that something was wrong, took up the book
to examine the hymn. It read thus:
Hark the herald angels sing,
Bangem's Pills are just the thing,
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
Two for a man and one for a child.
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