The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1908)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 15 TALKER AS A VOTE MAKER. Much in Use in Political Campaigns in England as It Was Used Recently in the Gubernatorial Contest in New York State — Used With Magic Lantern in the Streets of London by Conservative Orators. Talking machines as political spellbinders became familiar to the people of this country during a recent campaign for governor of New York State and other ofHcials throughout the country. It is interesting therefore to know how the idea was adopted in England not long ago when the gramophone was used. A recent dispatch from London described the matter as follows: North and south from Westminster bridge one day recently streamed one of the most novel political processions ever seen in England. It was composed of eighteen specially built single-horse vans, each manned by three tory campaigners, equipped with magic lanterns, gramophones, posters, placards and collapsible platforms. The sides of the vans were gay with campaign paper suggesting the bills of a circus. The principal member ■ of the trio on each wagon was a workingman orator of tory convictions; the others were respectively the o-perator of the magic lantern and gramophone and the driver. These smartly decked horse vans will travel all about the country until April, holding meetings at the gates of mills and factories at the noon hour and in halls in the evening. The traveling orators will be assisted by local tory campaigners and the gospel of tariff reform will be poured into the ears of people of all classes in all districts. The van men will eat and sleep in luxurious hotels when possible, but in the wayside inns of the remoter rural districts when necessary. The speakers are cockneys, Lancashire men, Yorkshire men, Midlanders, west country men, carpenters, joiners, painters, miners and railway employes. The main gramophone records contain speeches by Balfour, Chamberlain, Bonar, Law and Chaplin, together with catchy tory sayings and music. On the backs of the vans will be thrown lantern views, while the orators and instrument operators stand on the fold-up platforms fastened to the sides of the vehicles. The vehicle meetings began on the outskirts of London. They attracted immense crowds and stirred up the "hooligans" who flock to the suburbs of the city for carol singing toward Christmas time. The campaign will be whole-heartedly protectionist. Balfour has drawn steadily nearer to Chamberlain for several years, going gradually in order to carry at least a majority of the tory party with him. His latest speeches show that he feels protectionism can be more candidly avowed now without driving the unionists asunder. Hence the fight between the protectionists and free traders at once will become open and fierce. SURPRISING THE SURPRISERS. The Talking Machine Fittingly Responds to a Presentation Address. The making of set speeches by the talking machine, which if delivered orally would be described as extemporaneous, is one of the latest of the achievements of this versatile machine. The Minneapolis Journal relates an incident which occurred in that city not long ago wherein the "talker" was the chief spokesman upon the occasion of a large gathering of the employes of a large manufacturing firm assembled to present their employer with a diamond ring. The gentleman thus honored received intimation of the proposed presentation, which was intended to be a complete surprise. Not to be outdone in the matter of surprises he formulated a speech expressing his thanks for the gift, his good wishes to the donors and his assurance that the firm was largely indebted for its success to the loyal support of its employes. The appointed day came, the workers as Recommended as Best By those Who Know Best Every dealer who would like to add to his business a feature that will increase it from 10 to 30 per cent, should give his consideration to the following recommendation. *'The undersigned E. E. and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty, the King of Spain, to the United States, has much pleasure in stating that the words for the study of the Spanish language as prepared by the International Correspondence Schools, of Scranton, Pa., which I have carefully listened to, are the most perfect rendering of the pure Castilian pronunciation. I consider them invaluable to the student of our language, and cannot too much praise their efficiency and convenience." EMILIO DE OJEDA. This official endorsement is the highest possible recommendation for the efficiency and accuracy of the 1. C. S. Spanish Course, and plainly tells the characteristics of ICS. lANGUAGESYSTEM PHONOGF^APH This system of language instruction is in use at the U. S. Government War College at Washington, and the phonograph system has been lately adopted by tlie University of Chicago, and everyvirhere it is being recognized as the coming method of language instruction. Phonograph dealers all over the country have been very successful in handling the language feature in connection with their other business. There is no reason why you cannot do the same — • there is no reason why you should not do it next month, only because of your own indifference and negligence to write now asking for further particulars. Don't you think it worth while to find out more about such a feasible means of increasing your business ? Write us a postal to-day. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS, SCRA.1NTOIV, PA. sembled in a large room in the factory, their spokesman rattled off his presentation speech in parrot-like fashion, the gift was handed to the head of the concern and there was a pause, during which the proprietor was supposed to he recovering from his surprise and maldng heavy drafts upon his gray matter in the effort to put together a suitable reply. But he did nothing of the kind. Instead, he turned to a graphophone stationad near him and set it in motion. Then there, was a surprise, but it wasn't on the part of the owner. From the great horn attached to the machine issued the well-known tones of the proprietor's voice fluently delivering in well chosen words, the speech which the employes expected to hear pronounced in a halting manner and in a voice trembling with suppressed emotion. The employes were astonished, and, as the revolving cylinder of the machine waxed more eloquent, their expressions of amazement gave way to exclamations of pleasure and appreciation. SUCCEEDINQ^REET ORGAN. The Talking Machine Now Has Found a New Field That of Furnishing Street Music. The prospects are that the talking machine will succeed the barrel organ as a means of producing street music in Berlin, Germany, one enterprising music-producer at least having adopted the former. Tlie man referred to purchased an ordinary talker, mounted it upon a TAI.KKU I Shli UN STIICET. small carriage and equipped it with a large horn that would carry the sound for a good distance. The scheme proved an instant success and bids fair to make the originator a wealthy man. It is said the other owners of barrel organs, observing how popular the talking machine is, have decided to sell their organs and invest in the modern machine. As an aid to record sales the new innovation should prove of decided value inasmuch as any one owning a machine and hearing the street "talk" playing a record that appealed to them would very likely buy the record to add to their collection. We illustrate on this page the first of these talking machines which gives an excellent idea of the manner in which the scheme is worked. A PROGRESSIVE SAVANNAH HOUSE. One of the strongest factors in the talking machine trade of the South is the department conducted by W. H. Oppenheimer in the store of Youmans & Leete, Savannah, Ga. Started only twelve years ago this house, until very recently found it necessary to conduct five branch stores in different parts of the city. These stores, however, have been discontinued, owing to the fact that the company decided that they could best serve the interests of the many dealers buying through them, if they discontinued their retail ibusiness and devoted themselves exclusively to the wholesale. They now, therefore, wholesale direct from headquarters, where they occupy all the upper floors of a building at the corner of Barnard ana State streets. The outside business of this concern has also grown to tremendous proportion until at the present time they have a well established trade in several of the neighboring states, including Florida, North and South Carolina, and Alabama.