The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1916)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, NOVEMBER, 1916 Andy Gets An Idea I don't know how it ever happened thet I had this "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula" thing when the parson's missus came in the day I'm talkin' about, but I did. When she gets herself sat down and all adjusted I tells her that I has a new record on the Amb'rola thet I would like her to hear. And I started it up. Ez soon ez she hears the first few notes she kind'a stiffens out like a cat with a fit. "That is one of them dance records, Mr. Simmons," she says. "I guess I won't listen much to that. You can put on something quiet and refined and sacred." Then I happened to have a bright i'dee. I had read somethin' in the Phonograph Monthly about Hawaiian music bein' old hymn tunes that was taken to Hawaii by missionaries and then taken by the natives to play on these here guitar-like things they play. I stopped the instrument. "That's Hawaiian music," I says, startin' to take off the record. "The tunes of most of the Hawaiian songs wuz tak'n from old Methodist hymns thet the sacrificin' missionaries took there years and years ago. The natives learned these gospel songs and they used to sing them at services the missionaries held. Then they began to play 'em on their guitars and make up songs in their own gibberish, and finally they made 'em into what most people now think is real Hawaiian music." Missus Larkin perked up considerable. "What did you say the name of thet song wuz?" she asked. "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula," I told her. "They don't sound like Scriptural characters," she said, with a kind'a puzzled look on her face. I bet she was runnin' over the Old Testament to find out if any of them wuz the sons of Jabeth or some of them other old-timers. "It's the music thet wuz taken from the old hymns," I says. "I don't know much about the words." "Well, you might start it again," she says in a kind'a unconcerned way. "If there is any hymn music in it, it must be good." Converted So pretty soon the strains of thet old Fox Trot song wuz comin' out in fine shape. As she heard them, she nodded her head up and down as though she was approvin' of it. "It sounds just like hymn music," she says at last. "I don't approve of them words exactly, but then you don't have to listen to them. I guess I'll take thet record. Have you any more of them Hawaiian hymn tunes?" I got out all the Hawaiian records I hed in stock and I'll be swanked if I didn't sell her every one of 'em. I could see thet she wuz just hungerin' fur somethin' new and when she got a'quainted with Hawaiian music from the right angle she got ez friendly with it as I am with Sim Davis. I met the parson next day — he saw me before I could get out'a his way. But he surprised me by tellin' me thet those were fine records that I hed sold Missus Larkin, though it wuz a shame to put such triflin' words to sacred tunes. But, when I wuz goin' past the pars'nage later in the day, I hears his solumn baritone voice floatin' out: "Ya-a-a — k-a-a H-u-u-u-la-a-a Hie — e-e-e-e Duu-u-u — 1-a-a," he wuz singin'. And I bet he wuz havin' the time of his life, even if he did feel a little bit wicked about it. And th' next Sunday, when I wuz just dozin' away comfortable in church, I hears the parson's voice say: "And Yaaka went over into the land of Hula — " I woke up with a start, in time to see the parson kind'a blush and check hisself and say: "The next hymn will be No. 244, 'On Thet Beautiful Island Over There.'" INDIANA DEALERS ENTHUSE OVER AMBEROLA LINE KR. MOSES, Amberola sales manager, was # among those who attended the convention of Edison dealers who are located in the zone of W. E. Kipp of Indianapolis, which was held in that city October 2-3. Mr. Moses attended the gathering for the purpose of determining the attitude that the dealers in the zone take toward the Amberola line and to give the Amberola dealers present the benefit of his wide experience with the Amberola line. Upon returning to Orange, Mr. Moses expressed himself as being greatly impressed with the rapidly growing esteem in which dealers are holding the Amberola line and with the increased attention that they are paying to the merchandising of it. "I wish it could have been possible for every Amberola dealer to attend this convention, so that they could have absorbed some of the optimism and enthusiasm that was manifested in connection with the Amberola line," he said in referring to the gathering. "In all of Mr. Kipp's zone I do not believe that there are more than twenty Edison dealers who do not handle the Amberola and the Blue Amberol records and, from the comments made by many of these, I believe that fully one-half of them will take on the line in the immediate future. The dealers in the zone who are handling the line have nothing but the most enthusiastic praise for it. "I have attended numerous conventions and I want to say that I never met a group of more energetic and enthusiastic dealers than I did at the recent gathering in Indianapolis." Miss Cecile Mistrot, an accomplished musician, has been secured to demonstrate Edison instruments by R. T. Dennis & Co., Amberola dealers of Waco, Texas.