The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

16 THE PHONOSCOPE October, 1898 ®ur {Tattler Samuel Johnson defined music as "the least disagreeable of noises." But he probablv never lived next door to a family whose hired girl sang, "On the banks of the Wabash." Among the recent shipments of phonographs may be noticed one to Havana. Among the records accompanying it were "Star Spangled Banner," ' 'America, ' ' and last but not least ' 'What did Dewey do to Them?" A bumptious citizen strolled down Broadwaypast Twenty-seventh Street recently and seeing the huge sign on the Columbia building "The Perfected Graphophone" vouchsafed information to his friend to this effect: "graph o-grapha-graphi oh yes, Bill, there's where they make the graphite that they use in lead-pencils." Wise man! Pirates in this business not only steal ideas but they steal entire records also. In no other business is it so difficult to reap the reward deserved. Inventive genius and hard work should bring fame and wealth but the man who discovered the machine for duplicating records from the original had neither, for his invention was bodily stolen from him. Dora's a bright girl." "Yes?" . "Yes. I started to propose to her the other night and she brought out a phonograph and made me repeat the proposal into the machine, and that isn't the worst of it, either." "No?" "No. After I got through she politely thanked me and said she was making a collection." One evening last week my good friend Mr. George J. Gaskin was standing in front of the National Phonograph Company's headquarters gazing up at Mr, Edison's illuminated autograph sign which is so prominent in the evening. George had a far-away look in his eyes. Realizing that the sign was not the object of his thoughts, I asked him what he was thinking about. "Well, old man," said he, "I was just thinking what a great fellow that guy Edison is ; if he hadn't invented that machine I'd have been at work now at my trade in Ireland. " "What trade, George?" said I. "The carpenter trade' ' replied the famous Irish tenor. I never suspected George of having learned to wield the carpenter's tools although I knew he was rather handy with the hammer. A eoneern in Switzerland manufactures alarmclocks which contain a phonograph and their apparatus causes the phonograph to say, at six o'clock (for instance,) "Six o'clock — time to get up!" No clock has yet been made, it is believed, which, in some five minutes more, will begin to swear at the reluctant riser, and call him an avalanche of abusive names. Yet this is the logic of the alarm-clock. The existence of the alarm-clock is a curious proof that something is wrong in the mental or moral make-up of the people who use it. Any person who needs an alarm-clock to wake him up at a certain hour is capable of sleeping through all the racket it can make. Generally an alarm-clock in a house wakes up everybody except the person whom it is intended to wake. One of the members of the pickaninny band in "Down in Dixie" is a very bright but superstitious little chap commonly known to the company as "Snowball. As "Snowball" is as black as the ace of spades, the aptness of the nickname is apparent. It so happened that "Snowball" had occasion to visit the offices of Davis & Keogh, proprietors of "Down in Dixie," the other day. "Snowball" was intensely interested in what was going on around him. He watched the actors, actresses, managers, agents and all kinds of visitors come and go with open;mouthed curiosity. While he was thus deeplyengrossed, an attache of the office went behind a curtain in one corner of the room, and after properly attaching the horn, started the mechanism of a large talking-machine. For an instant there was a confused whirring and scraping, after which the talking-machine began playing the "Ilobson March," which was composed for "Down in Dixie" by "Dave" Braham. The notes of the march were particularly loud and it seemed for all the world as if a big brass band had suddenly* struck up outside door, "Snowball" surprised every one in the room by leaping to his feet and crying in a startled voice : "Fo'-f-o-f-o' de lan's sake, where am dat ban'?" "Band? Band? said Mr. Davis: "Why, I don't hear any. Do you, Keogh?' ' "Why, no," replied Mr. Keogh. Just then the tones of the march broke out louder than ever. "Dar it is!" cried "Snowball." "You are dreaming," said one of the actors present. "There is no band playing around here." With a whoop like a Comanche Indian "Snowball" darted from the room. He sped down stairs into Broadway and did not stop until he reached the Star Theatre. There he told his story to Manager Burbridge. "Go home and go to bed, 'Snowball.' You are asleep and don't know it," cried Manager Burbridge. "Well, fo' de lan's sake! dat must a bin a speritban'. I'll never go into dem offices again so long's I'm in Noo Yawk." Cbtmes of T£rintt\> ( Selected. ) In a city grand and gay-, Where the mighty throng holds sway, . Stands a church whose spires point toward the sky, And down in that belfry tower 'Oft the chimes have tolled the hour : Many saddened hearts were charmed while passing by. Many millionaires and ladies fair, And noble men of state With outcasts from everyr land and monarchs grand and great All have whiled the hours away, Away down on old Broadway As they listened to the chimes of Trinity. Tolling for the outcasts, Tolling for the gay ; Tolling for the millionaires, And friends long passed away ; Oh ! my heart~is light and gay, As I stroll down old Broadway And I listen to the chimes of Trinity. Many stories have been told, Of the Christmas bells of old When the merry chimes rang out for sad and gav ; As the New Year's bells would ring, Sweetest melodies we'd sing, For we knew, like time, we all must pass awav. The friends that used to greet us then; They greet us now no more ; The chimes seem like their voices calling from that far off shore, As we while the hours away, Away down on old Broadway As we listen to the chimes of Trinity. Mr. Geo. E. Emerson, Jr., who is connected with the Columbia Phonograph Company, has recently received permission from the Corporation of Trinity Church, New York, to take records of the famous church chimes. There have been a great many "Trinity Chimes" advertised but it is a fact that this is the first and only instance where official permission has been given, thus making it possible to procure for the customers of the Columbia Phonograph Company the bona-fide article. Great preparations have been made to insure good results. Mr. Emerson will be assisted by Mr. August Willi and Mr. Adolph Heiser, employees of the Columbia Phonograph Company. The Polyphone is on exhibition at No. 36 West 27th Street. It can be attached to all phonographs and graphophones except the "Eagle." To introduce the new Manhattan soap to the people of Cambridge, Mass., Arthur H. Smith of the Manhattan market has been giving Gramophone concerts in his big store. October first he presented a Gramophone to the person who turned in the largest number of Manhattan soap wrappers. One corner of the great market was arranged for the instrument and the towering piles of whitewrapped soap, and a pretty picture was presented as a charming young lady handed out the bars, tuned up the machine and dilated on the merits of the goods. Wbere Zbev Mere Erbibtteb Xast flDontb "War-Graph Metzerott Hall, Washington D. C; First Church of Christ, Plainfield, N. J.; Armory, Passaic, N. J.; Opera Hou^e, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; Nelson Memorial Hall, Kingston. Pa.; Broadway Opera House, Nanticoke, Pa ; Nesbitt Theatre," Wilkesbarre. Pa.; Academy of Music, Newburgh, N. Y. ; Yeager Building, Allentown, Pa.; Opera House, Bristol, Conn. Projectoscope Central Baptist Church, Adelphia St., Brooklvn, N. Y. ; Irvington Hall, East Fifth St., Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Cedar Kevs. Fla.; Haynes Opera House, Rochester, N. Y,; G. A. R. Hall, Cleveland, O.; HalL, Bath, N.Y. ; Trinity Baptist Church, Brooklyn, Biograph Keith's Theatre, Providence, R. I ; Grand Opera House, St. Louis, Mo. ; Bijou Theatre, Washington, D. C; Wonderland Theatre, Detroit, Mich.;^The Leland. Albany, N. Y. ; Riesenberger's Hall, West New York; Keith's Theatre, New York City; Waldmann's Theatre, Newark, N. J.; St. Michael's Ly-ceutn. West Hoboken, N. J.; Bon Ton Theatre, Jersey City, N. J.; Theatre, New Orleans, La.; Hopkin's Theatre, Chicago, 111. ; Hay market, Theatre, Chicago, 111.; State Street Theatre, Chicago, 111.; Orpheum Theatre. San Francisco, Cal. ; Proctor's Pleasure Palace, New York Citv; Proctor's Twentythird Street Theatre, New York City. Animotoscope West Baptist Church, Wilkesbarre, Pa. ; A. O. A. M. Hall, Wilkesbarre, Pa ; Robbin's Opera House, Shenandoah, Pa.; M. E. Church, Pulteney, N. Y. ; Brick Church, Scranton, Pa. Vitagraph Association Hall, Summit, N. J.; Town Hall, Poughkeeprie, N. Y. Projecting Kinetoscope M. E. Church, Freehold, N. J. ; Christian Church, SyringQeld, 111. Cineograph German Lutheran Church, Bueyrus, O.; School Hall, Dalton, O. Cinematograph Musee Theatre, Pittsburg, Pa. ; Academy, Chicago, 111.; Eden Musee, New York City; Huber's Museum, New York City; Tent Meeting, Bartleti, 111. Exhibitions. Columbus, Ohio. — A Graphophone concert was given by A. L. Keever at the meeting of the Retail Grocer's Association, Oct. 19th. The ' Phone as usual made a "hit." Cohoes, N. Y.— Mr. J. P. Graham of Railroad Street, Northside, g ive a number of Phonograph parties to his friends last month. The ' 'Phonograph Party" is becoming quite popular here. Rome, N. Y. — Prof. C. W. Spencer of Utica gave a very creditable Graphophone concert last mouth at Glenmore Hall. The large audience was greatlypleased with the selections reproduced. Cleveland, Ohm. — Mrs. Herbert W. White of 54 White Avenue, is using her Phonograph to excellent advantage. She is giving exhibitions for charitable purposes. She gave the proceeds of one of her entertainments last month to the Willson Avenue Presbyterian Church. Wurtemburg, N. Y. — Mr. Scbert of Yonkers, N. Y., while visiting Mr. L. L. Marquetof this place, entertained the neighborhood each evening with his Phonograph. Mr. Marquet's neighbors pronounce Mr. Sebert's machine as ' -the real cheese." Although this comment is not strikingly classic it is no doubt a strong recommendation. Hudson, N. Y. — A Phonograph entertainment was given at the Mission Hall, corner of Warren and Fourth Streets, last mouth. In connection with the Phonograph exhibition a concert was given, consisting of vocal, humorous and dramatic selections. Although the human participants rendered their various numbers with skill, it is but fair to say that the mechanical participant, the Phonograph, furnished the redly novel and interesting portion of the entertainment.