The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1912)

10 EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY FOR JUNE, 1912 A MARVELOUS INSTRUMENT WITHOUT mentioning any private business enterprise, and in a most disinterested fashion, it may not come amiss to say a few words for the sound-reproducing machines that have brought music as it is sung and played by great artists into the homes of the people. Under whatever name they go, whether Phonograph, graphophone or talking machine, their development during the past few years has been marvelously beyond all possible expectations of a decade ago. In its experimental stage, the reproduction of the human voice by means of records resulted in little more than a caricature, and for that reason there are doubtless multitudes of people who do not realize what has since been accomplished by persistent, scientific experiment. As a matter of fact, and without exaggeration, it may be said that the records as they are made to-day represent the actual sound that they reproduce. Within their compass comes the human voice in all its wide range from the highest soprano to the lowest bass, the cornet and other brass instruments, the violin and other stringed instruments, the clarinet and other wood instruments. By them, and with the assistance of the perfected reproducing mechanism, the listener will hear in his own room to an almost complete illusion the music of the opera house, the_ concert hall and the theatre. He will not hear either mimicry, or a resembling sound; he will hear the actual voice of human being or instrument itself. It was of course prejudicial to the wide popularization of these instruments that they were put on the market long before they should have left the laboratory of the inventor and experimenter. But now that they have actually reached the goal of perfection, there is no reason why these prejudices should not be removed. They are no longer to be scoffed at and scorned as beneath the appreciation of devotees of high art. They are high art itself, and in their contribution to the pleasures of life they may be counted among the wonders of the age. There are many marvels of the twentieth century, and not the least of these is the sound-reproducing machine, no matter under what trade name it is manufactured and sold. — Boston Budget. INQUIRIES FROM CHILDREN EVERY little while we receive an expostulation from some Dealer to the effect that an inquiry forwarded to him for follow-up purposes proved to be written by a child. In the first place, that is not our fault as we have no means of compelling people to state their ages in making inquiries. We pass the letter on to the Dealer in all good faith and expect him to pursue the lead to the best of his ability. But even granting that some inquiries come from children, is that always cause for lamentation? The easiest way to approach a mother is through her child; if the child is interested enough to write us about the Edison, part of the Dealer's battle is already won for he has a persistent ally in that home — many will agree that "persistent'7 is putting it mildly. So, instead of giving up in diseust because the inquirer is youthful, cultivate the child and through it reach the parent. An enthusiastic youngster can do seme wonderful sales work for you in its home and we strongly advocate making a regular practice of gaining the children's interest in arousing their desire for the Edison. They can be made a great factor in your sales campaign, and should not be overlooked in the future. COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAPPEN TO ANY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS? John Toth, of Siegfried, bought a talking machine from J. A. W., the music dealer, of this city, on the installment plan. After making a few purchases Toth failed to come to time with the payments. Several demands failed to make him pay up, but finally he gave as the reason that he could get only one tune out of the machine and that when he desired the "Blue Danube "Waltz," "The Hungarian Rhapsody," or the Slavic dances the verdomt machine would continue grinding out the same old air. The explanation was given before Alderman Jones when the hearing in the charge of failing to pay was held. Toth was instructed to purchase the records of the pieces he wanted, the mechanism of the machine was explained and after receiving instruction in producing the canned music he paid the claim and the cost of the prosecution. — Allentown Chronicle IT does not seem possible that even a competitor's Dealer could be so ignorant of the first principles of salesmanship as to permit a machine to leave his store without instructing the purchaser thoroughly in every detail of its operation. But even admitting the fictitiousness of this item, it may be well to impress upon Dealers that they cannot be too painstaking in their explanations of the mechanical details of every Phonograph which they sell. In fact, it would be a highly desirable practice, in every case where the new purchaser can conveniently call at the Dealer's store, to insist upon his operating one of the Dealer's machines, in order that his lack, of skill may be readily corrected without any unnecessary experimenting at his home. If left to his own devices, the unskillful one may injure his new machine — and then a booster becomes a knocker. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the necessity of having every Phonograph in every home working at its very best ever} moment, for a poorly adjusted or damaged machine hurts both Record and Phonograph sales. It is an accepted truth in all cases that interest in any object ceases when that object fails to perform its proper function— and the Phonograph is by no means an exception to that rule. So make a little shop rule that no machine leaves the store unless the purchaser knows how to operate it, and then keep your eye on that machine (figuratively at least) to see that it is kept in good running condition.