Presto
Issue: 1930 2250 - Page 3
MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents
1 Year ..
Copy
.$1.25
10 Months.. .$1.00
6 Months. . 75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., SEPTEMBER, 1930
Issued Monthly—
Fifteenth of Each Month
RESENTS LIBELLING OF THE PIANO
"thump-box pianos," that is probably older than him-
self, and that was likely bequeathed the owners as a
family heirloom too good to throw away, he will
change his opinion. The fact is the radio has helped
but not killed the piano industry. The piano is the
basic musical instrument of yesterday, today and to-
morrow. Our future great musical composers will
produce their masterpieces by its aid as in the past.
It speaks the universal language understood alike by
every race and creed—the language of the soul.
Good pianos are now in demand; over two-and-a-
half million children in America are learning to play
them; two hundred and forty thousand piano teachers
are instructing these children; our public schools in
many states have added piano instruction to their
curricula. The future of the piano industry looks
bright. In fairness to it, I ask you to publish this
letter. Inspector Jones jumped to a hasty and erro-
neous conclusion when he assumed that the piano is
becoming a "white elephant" amid the lares and
penates of any cultured New York home.
Erroneous Reports Against the Piano in New York Cause
Piano Men to Write Letters to Check False Impressions
The Piano Is Not a "White Elephant" in the Music World, Nor Is It Often a
"Peril" Left by Tenants Moving
The desire for sensationalism and something for a
readable story, misled a writer for the New York
Times into making a mountain out of a molehill and
creating a false impression about what tenants mov-
ing out of buildings think of their pianos and what
they do with them. Bungling (inadvertently per-
haps, but bungling just the same) he typed a lot of
false generalizations about pianos being "white ele-
phants"; that they became a fire hazard; that their
owners didn't appreciate them, and made other state-
ments equally wide of the truth.
To hoe out such weeds of untruth and give the
readers facts instead of fiction, several piano men of
New York, including C. Albert Jacob and John J.
Glynn of the Mathushek Piano Co., have taken up
the cudgel to do battle in favor of the facts.
C. Albert Jacob, Jr.'s, Letter.
C. Albert Jacob, Jr., vice-president of the Mathu-
shek Piano Manufacturing Co., sent the following
letter to the New York Times:
New York, Aug. 28, 1930.
Kditor, The New York Times,
Times Building, New York, N. Y.
Dear Sir: In the edition of The New York Times,
August 27, 1930, on Page B-21, there is a news item
referring to the recent drive on Tenement House Vio-
lations. This is brought forcibly to our attention ow-
ing to a headline, "Abandoned Pianos a Peril," and
subsequent copy tending to create the impression
that the populace of this city regard the piano simply
as a "white elephant," of no value, and in general a
liability to be discarded and abandoned.
It is probably true that in some isolated cases, ig-
norant people who have no appreciation of music, no
ability to play the piano, no culture and little love
of home and what homelife means, may have moved
ami left a piano in a vacant apartment. As a matter
of fact, they leave everything else that they regard
as worthless through being worn out, but the objec-
tion we take to your articles is that it would tend to
give your readers the impression that in New York
(the greatest city in our country) the piano is no
longer appreciated or wanted by the "Modern New
York Family."
We represent one firm of the many that are in this
industry. We are at this time, just as many other
industries, passing through a trying period of depres-
sion, and newspaper articles which tend to injure the
standing of our product strike a vital blow at our fu-
ture, and this we believe is not the intention of a
newspaper of the calibre of The New York Times.
We refer you to the article covering the same news
item as published in The New York Tribune. They
wrote up the same facts in a way that would not re-
flect unfavorably or cause unnecessary hardship to
the piano industry.
As a matter of fact, the ultimate outlook for the
piano industry is particularly encouraging. There are
and always will be sufficient people in this country
and in the world to appreciate the cultural advan-
tages of music and who desire their children to have
the benefits of those advantages through the study of
the piano. It is the basic musical instrument, and
while its vogue has been temporarily overshadowed
by the present volume purchasing of many other
commodities, nevertheless the manufacture of pianos
vill always remain a dignified and important part of
America's industries.
It is our desire to urge the publication in your edi-
torial column of a suitable article which would coun-
teract the impression created by the news item re-
ferred to above and would do justice to the impor-
tant part that the piano has played in the homelife
and industry of this country.
You probably did not realize in publishing the
original article the far-reaching effect it might have,
but this is most important to us, for your paper
travels in volume to every corner of this country and
in fact, the world; and your ideas help form the opin-
ions of your readers in every state and nation. You
have during the past many years since The New
York Times was established received hundreds of
thousands of dollars in advertising from piano manu-
facturers and piano merchants and owe it to them
not to needlessly publish anything which would in-
iure their business.
We hope that you will accept this letter in the
spirit that it is written and will co-operate with us
in our endeavor to rectify the situation.
Very truly yours,
MATHUSHEK PIANO MFG. CO.,
Albert Jacobs, Jr., Vice-President.
John J. Glynn's Letter.
August 28, 1930.
To The Editor of the New York Times:
On page 23 of The Times of August 27, under the
heading, "BLOCKED FIRE EXITS FOUND BY
THOUSAND," there is a sub-heading, "Abandoned
Pianos a Peril: Families Favoring Radio Leave
Other Instrument Behind on Moving, Deegan Men
Said!"
The story is based on an announcement purported
to be made by William C. Jones, chief inspector of
the Tenement House Department. 1 quote verbatim:
"Mr. Jones said the inspectors had found that the
radio was so popular that families looked upon their
pianos as 'white elephants.' In fact, rather than pay
$10 for moving them, he said, the modern New York
City family leaves 'the piano high and dry in the
old apartment for the landlord to worry over.'
"The old piano is then, virtually, 'thrown out'; it
is shoved into the hallway and there becomes a lire
menace. Inspectors in the Tenement House Depart-
ment have in several instances had to fight the 'piano
hazard,' he said. One such instance in Harlem was
cited. The piano had been seized by the owner of
the building when a tenant's rent was in arrears. The
incoming tenant, owning a radio, and having no use
for the piano, moved il into the hall, and the tene-
ment house inspectors had to remove it."
The writer has been active in the piano industry in
New York city for over thirty years and takes ex-
ception to and denies the truth of Inspector Jones'
statement when he says that the popularity of the
radio has made New York householders look upon
their Steinways and Matiuisheks and Knabes as
"white elephants." The writer denies that anybody
of common sense leaves a good piano of musical
worth behind him as junk in a vacated apartment.
Worthless pianos, like worthless automobiles, should
be "junked." Inspector Jones says the "piano hazard"
has to be met by his inspectors and cites one instance
in Harlem to prove, but which disproves, his con-
clusion.
It appears a landlord seized a piano owned by a
tenant who was unable to pay his rent. He evicted
that tenant. The landlord then left the piano in the
vacant apartment. The incoming tenant had no use
for the piano (he w r as probably unable to play it), he
had » radio; he moved the piano he did not own into
the jjtalhvay and the "tenement house inspectors had
to r^Viove it." One is disposed to ask why didn't In-
speJFor Jones' inspectors make the owner of the
house who seized that old piano remove it? Inspec-
tor Jones and his men made 2.538 house inspections.
Tliev, unquestionably, encountered other discarded
household impedimenta that were a menace in case of
lire, but of these no mention is made or prophecy in-
dulged in by the Chief Inspector. It would almost
appear he was hired to take a radio census and in-
dulge in radio propaganda.
If Inspector Jones has any musical ability and if
he will try to play upon one of these discarded
JOHN J. GLYNN,
Executive Vice-President, Mathushek Piano Co.,
former President of the New York Piano Mer-
chants Association.
^7 West 37th Street,
New York city.
These letters and others published in the New
York Times and other papers of New York will do
much to counteract false impressions that have been
spread about the present status of the piano. There
have been so many upsets of good old standardized
lines of business in the last two or three years that
the public is growing increasingly suspicious of both
the old and the new, so it behooves the space writers
to get hold of facts before they put up a story for the
reading public; it behooves them to consider the sig-
nificance of their writings with regard to the effect
of their words on the public mind and on commerce
—-to see to it that matters of potential importance to
the merchants are not handled flippantly.
However, the piano itself need have no fear of los-
ing any of its power to charm and educate; no fear
of losing its place as the center of the home circle.
Anybody who has an ear for music thinks of the
piano as the master instrument of music, and as
thoughts of things are not different from the things
themselves, the piano will continue to be interpreted
and its trade enlarged by the perceptions and experi-
ences of mankind.
WOOD INDUSTRIES MEETING
AT NEW YORK IN OCTOBER
The fifth national meeting of the Wood Industries
Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neers is to be held in New York at the Pennsylvania
Hotel on October 16 and 17.
Among the speeches interesting to piano manufac-
turers will be an address by Thomas D. Perry, of the
New Albany, I ml., Veneering Co., on "Curved and
Bent Plywood"; explanations about "Abrasive Stand-
ards for Woodworking Operations," by Elmer C.
Schacht, Troy, N. V.; "Shrinkage in Wood, with Par-
ticular Emphasis on Longitudinal Shrinkage," by
Arthur Koehler, Madison, Wis.; "Relation of Density
to Strength of Timbers," by Snyder W. Erickson,
Washington, D. C.
Several modern and interesting woodworking plants
in the vicinity of New York will be open for inspec-
tion, and special trips will be made to the plants. A
luncheon conference will be held on the research and
investigation of tropical woods.
The last national conference was held in October
of last year at Rockford. 111., and was attended by
nearly 300 o; "who's who" in technical and manage-
ment progress in the wood industries.
FINANCIAL REPORT OF QRS-DEVRY CORP.
The QRS-DeYry Corp., Chicago, made the follow-
ing report for the year ended June 30: Net loss after
charges, $677,482, contrasted with profit, after charges
but before Federal taxes, of $205,063 in the previous
fiscal year. Balance sheet, June 30: Current assets,
$1,462,087, and current liabilities, $615,188, compared
with $1,857,556 and $269,085 last year. Profit and loss
deficit, June 30: $682,357, contrasted with profit and
loss surplus of $126,393 last year.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents
1 Year ..
Copy
.$1.25
10 Months.. .$1.00
6 Months. . 75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., SEPTEMBER, 1930
Issued Monthly—
Fifteenth of Each Month
RESENTS LIBELLING OF THE PIANO
"thump-box pianos," that is probably older than him-
self, and that was likely bequeathed the owners as a
family heirloom too good to throw away, he will
change his opinion. The fact is the radio has helped
but not killed the piano industry. The piano is the
basic musical instrument of yesterday, today and to-
morrow. Our future great musical composers will
produce their masterpieces by its aid as in the past.
It speaks the universal language understood alike by
every race and creed—the language of the soul.
Good pianos are now in demand; over two-and-a-
half million children in America are learning to play
them; two hundred and forty thousand piano teachers
are instructing these children; our public schools in
many states have added piano instruction to their
curricula. The future of the piano industry looks
bright. In fairness to it, I ask you to publish this
letter. Inspector Jones jumped to a hasty and erro-
neous conclusion when he assumed that the piano is
becoming a "white elephant" amid the lares and
penates of any cultured New York home.
Erroneous Reports Against the Piano in New York Cause
Piano Men to Write Letters to Check False Impressions
The Piano Is Not a "White Elephant" in the Music World, Nor Is It Often a
"Peril" Left by Tenants Moving
The desire for sensationalism and something for a
readable story, misled a writer for the New York
Times into making a mountain out of a molehill and
creating a false impression about what tenants mov-
ing out of buildings think of their pianos and what
they do with them. Bungling (inadvertently per-
haps, but bungling just the same) he typed a lot of
false generalizations about pianos being "white ele-
phants"; that they became a fire hazard; that their
owners didn't appreciate them, and made other state-
ments equally wide of the truth.
To hoe out such weeds of untruth and give the
readers facts instead of fiction, several piano men of
New York, including C. Albert Jacob and John J.
Glynn of the Mathushek Piano Co., have taken up
the cudgel to do battle in favor of the facts.
C. Albert Jacob, Jr.'s, Letter.
C. Albert Jacob, Jr., vice-president of the Mathu-
shek Piano Manufacturing Co., sent the following
letter to the New York Times:
New York, Aug. 28, 1930.
Kditor, The New York Times,
Times Building, New York, N. Y.
Dear Sir: In the edition of The New York Times,
August 27, 1930, on Page B-21, there is a news item
referring to the recent drive on Tenement House Vio-
lations. This is brought forcibly to our attention ow-
ing to a headline, "Abandoned Pianos a Peril," and
subsequent copy tending to create the impression
that the populace of this city regard the piano simply
as a "white elephant," of no value, and in general a
liability to be discarded and abandoned.
It is probably true that in some isolated cases, ig-
norant people who have no appreciation of music, no
ability to play the piano, no culture and little love
of home and what homelife means, may have moved
ami left a piano in a vacant apartment. As a matter
of fact, they leave everything else that they regard
as worthless through being worn out, but the objec-
tion we take to your articles is that it would tend to
give your readers the impression that in New York
(the greatest city in our country) the piano is no
longer appreciated or wanted by the "Modern New
York Family."
We represent one firm of the many that are in this
industry. We are at this time, just as many other
industries, passing through a trying period of depres-
sion, and newspaper articles which tend to injure the
standing of our product strike a vital blow at our fu-
ture, and this we believe is not the intention of a
newspaper of the calibre of The New York Times.
We refer you to the article covering the same news
item as published in The New York Tribune. They
wrote up the same facts in a way that would not re-
flect unfavorably or cause unnecessary hardship to
the piano industry.
As a matter of fact, the ultimate outlook for the
piano industry is particularly encouraging. There are
and always will be sufficient people in this country
and in the world to appreciate the cultural advan-
tages of music and who desire their children to have
the benefits of those advantages through the study of
the piano. It is the basic musical instrument, and
while its vogue has been temporarily overshadowed
by the present volume purchasing of many other
commodities, nevertheless the manufacture of pianos
vill always remain a dignified and important part of
America's industries.
It is our desire to urge the publication in your edi-
torial column of a suitable article which would coun-
teract the impression created by the news item re-
ferred to above and would do justice to the impor-
tant part that the piano has played in the homelife
and industry of this country.
You probably did not realize in publishing the
original article the far-reaching effect it might have,
but this is most important to us, for your paper
travels in volume to every corner of this country and
in fact, the world; and your ideas help form the opin-
ions of your readers in every state and nation. You
have during the past many years since The New
York Times was established received hundreds of
thousands of dollars in advertising from piano manu-
facturers and piano merchants and owe it to them
not to needlessly publish anything which would in-
iure their business.
We hope that you will accept this letter in the
spirit that it is written and will co-operate with us
in our endeavor to rectify the situation.
Very truly yours,
MATHUSHEK PIANO MFG. CO.,
Albert Jacobs, Jr., Vice-President.
John J. Glynn's Letter.
August 28, 1930.
To The Editor of the New York Times:
On page 23 of The Times of August 27, under the
heading, "BLOCKED FIRE EXITS FOUND BY
THOUSAND," there is a sub-heading, "Abandoned
Pianos a Peril: Families Favoring Radio Leave
Other Instrument Behind on Moving, Deegan Men
Said!"
The story is based on an announcement purported
to be made by William C. Jones, chief inspector of
the Tenement House Department. 1 quote verbatim:
"Mr. Jones said the inspectors had found that the
radio was so popular that families looked upon their
pianos as 'white elephants.' In fact, rather than pay
$10 for moving them, he said, the modern New York
City family leaves 'the piano high and dry in the
old apartment for the landlord to worry over.'
"The old piano is then, virtually, 'thrown out'; it
is shoved into the hallway and there becomes a lire
menace. Inspectors in the Tenement House Depart-
ment have in several instances had to fight the 'piano
hazard,' he said. One such instance in Harlem was
cited. The piano had been seized by the owner of
the building when a tenant's rent was in arrears. The
incoming tenant, owning a radio, and having no use
for the piano, moved il into the hall, and the tene-
ment house inspectors had to remove it."
The writer has been active in the piano industry in
New York city for over thirty years and takes ex-
ception to and denies the truth of Inspector Jones'
statement when he says that the popularity of the
radio has made New York householders look upon
their Steinways and Matiuisheks and Knabes as
"white elephants." The writer denies that anybody
of common sense leaves a good piano of musical
worth behind him as junk in a vacated apartment.
Worthless pianos, like worthless automobiles, should
be "junked." Inspector Jones says the "piano hazard"
has to be met by his inspectors and cites one instance
in Harlem to prove, but which disproves, his con-
clusion.
It appears a landlord seized a piano owned by a
tenant who was unable to pay his rent. He evicted
that tenant. The landlord then left the piano in the
vacant apartment. The incoming tenant had no use
for the piano (he w r as probably unable to play it), he
had » radio; he moved the piano he did not own into
the jjtalhvay and the "tenement house inspectors had
to r^Viove it." One is disposed to ask why didn't In-
speJFor Jones' inspectors make the owner of the
house who seized that old piano remove it? Inspec-
tor Jones and his men made 2.538 house inspections.
Tliev, unquestionably, encountered other discarded
household impedimenta that were a menace in case of
lire, but of these no mention is made or prophecy in-
dulged in by the Chief Inspector. It would almost
appear he was hired to take a radio census and in-
dulge in radio propaganda.
If Inspector Jones has any musical ability and if
he will try to play upon one of these discarded
JOHN J. GLYNN,
Executive Vice-President, Mathushek Piano Co.,
former President of the New York Piano Mer-
chants Association.
^7 West 37th Street,
New York city.
These letters and others published in the New
York Times and other papers of New York will do
much to counteract false impressions that have been
spread about the present status of the piano. There
have been so many upsets of good old standardized
lines of business in the last two or three years that
the public is growing increasingly suspicious of both
the old and the new, so it behooves the space writers
to get hold of facts before they put up a story for the
reading public; it behooves them to consider the sig-
nificance of their writings with regard to the effect
of their words on the public mind and on commerce
—-to see to it that matters of potential importance to
the merchants are not handled flippantly.
However, the piano itself need have no fear of los-
ing any of its power to charm and educate; no fear
of losing its place as the center of the home circle.
Anybody who has an ear for music thinks of the
piano as the master instrument of music, and as
thoughts of things are not different from the things
themselves, the piano will continue to be interpreted
and its trade enlarged by the perceptions and experi-
ences of mankind.
WOOD INDUSTRIES MEETING
AT NEW YORK IN OCTOBER
The fifth national meeting of the Wood Industries
Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neers is to be held in New York at the Pennsylvania
Hotel on October 16 and 17.
Among the speeches interesting to piano manufac-
turers will be an address by Thomas D. Perry, of the
New Albany, I ml., Veneering Co., on "Curved and
Bent Plywood"; explanations about "Abrasive Stand-
ards for Woodworking Operations," by Elmer C.
Schacht, Troy, N. V.; "Shrinkage in Wood, with Par-
ticular Emphasis on Longitudinal Shrinkage," by
Arthur Koehler, Madison, Wis.; "Relation of Density
to Strength of Timbers," by Snyder W. Erickson,
Washington, D. C.
Several modern and interesting woodworking plants
in the vicinity of New York will be open for inspec-
tion, and special trips will be made to the plants. A
luncheon conference will be held on the research and
investigation of tropical woods.
The last national conference was held in October
of last year at Rockford. 111., and was attended by
nearly 300 o; "who's who" in technical and manage-
ment progress in the wood industries.
FINANCIAL REPORT OF QRS-DEVRY CORP.
The QRS-DeYry Corp., Chicago, made the follow-
ing report for the year ended June 30: Net loss after
charges, $677,482, contrasted with profit, after charges
but before Federal taxes, of $205,063 in the previous
fiscal year. Balance sheet, June 30: Current assets,
$1,462,087, and current liabilities, $615,188, compared
with $1,857,556 and $269,085 last year. Profit and loss
deficit, June 30: $682,357, contrasted with profit and
loss surplus of $126,393 last year.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).