The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1908)

The Talking Machine World Vol. 4. No. 5, New York, May 15, 1908. Price Ten Cents THE "TALKER" AS AN EDUCATOR. Editorial Writers in the Daily Papers Who First Made Light of the Talking Machine Are Now Commencing to Realize the Importance of This Machine — The Structure of the Great Symphonies Is Learned and a Better Understanding of Music Made Possible. The educational value of the talking machine, particularly in the domain of music, has been the subject of many articles in The Talking Machine World from time to time. Many of the musical writers in the daily papers who first made light of the talking machine and considered it a toy rather than a serious factor in the educational field, are now seeing the light of reason and are doing justice to the talker. Truly it is about time. Only recently the Portland Oregonian, in the course of a very well considered editorial on the musical season in that city, and the importance of an increased appreciation of the classical composers, had this to say: "Music is a language which expresses thought and emotion. Unless one knows its vocabulary and syntax he is as much at a loss to discern what the composer is driving at as he would be listening to a Greek tragedy. People of means who own musical instruments and have the skill to play them can, to a degree, overcome this difficulty. There is no good reason why they should not learn the language of music as they do French and go to hear recitals with full understanding of what is said by the singer or the violin or the piano. "The talking machines and self-playing pianos have made it possible for music to make a genuine appeal to a much wider audience than it could a generation ago. Say what one will about the defects of these instruments, their mechanical baldness, their lack of expression, nevertheless they use the language of music and use it correctly. A person can, with a talking machine or automatic piano, learn the structure of Beethoven's symphonies, memorize their massive sentences, gain some insight into the master's thought, and therefore prepare himself to listen with understanding and rational enjoyment to performances such as the Portland Symphony Orchestra or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra gives, where music appears not as a mere skeleton of rhythmic phrases, but clothed with the beauty of passionate life. "People in most European cities of a hundred thousand population are provided with opportunities to hear good music at public expense. We teach our children to read English and cipher out of tlie general treasury; we even make an effort, not very successful, to teach them to appreciate Shakespeare and Milton. But thus far we have not thought it worth while to elevate their musical taste above ragtime. Has the thought ever occurred to our pedagogical leaders that it is just as ruinous to the mind to dissipate with bad music as with bad literature? Plato thought it was worse. We have probably got beyond that strange conception of art in general which looks upon it as a species of amusement. There was a time in our national history when we thought a novel was a book designed to be read when a man was too weary dollar chasing to use his mind, or when a woman needed a little relaxation after the ravages of bridge wliist. The theater was deemed an excellent place to study anatomy, and music was created by Sebastian Bach and Wagner to lull one into refreshing dreams. What amusement is there in reading such a novel as 'The Turn of the Balance,' 'The Iron Heel' or 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles'? Who finds himself in any mood for slumber after seeing such a play as 'Mrs. Warren's Profession' or Hauptmann's 'Sunken Bell'? Is there any. thing funny about i'Paradise Lgst' or 'Lear'? I "Art is a serious matter. The great artists have appealed not at all to minds jaded and weary. Their creations are not designed to be pastimes for the frivolous or recreations for the exhausted money grabber. They call upon the intellect for its keenest insight and most wakeful energies. To go to a concert where the 'Messiah' is to be played expecting to take in the music without any effort of attention is fatuous. One who does so may make believe that he has understood and enjoyed the mighty thoughts of the great oratorio, but his pretense will be just as silly as if he should sit down and pretend to enjoy Virgil without first learning Latin. '.'Music is among the tilings which make life worth living, just as pictures are, and noble architecture. By proper education it would be as easy to teach the public to understand and enjoy good music as it is to create the taste for good books. Silly songs are as demoralizing as silly stories. People shake their heads after a concert where Wagner has been played or Schumann, and say, 'Very fine, no doubt, but it was above me.' They are mistaken. It was not above them. They were listening to a language which they had never taken pains to learn. That was the whole of the difficulty. When we have mastered municipal housekeeping somewhat better we shall probably perceive the utility of bringing the civilizing power of great music to bear upon the public, and shall find means to pay for it by what we can save from the claws of the grafters." SOMETHING WORTH "TRYING." A , Few Pointers Succinctly Put Which are Worth Consideration by Salesmen and Dealers Alike — Why the Slogan Should be "Try It." It is as easy to sell a good article as a poor one — try it. Enthusiasm is one of the most contagious things in this world; be reasonably enthusiastic about your goods and it will bring results sooner or later — try it. Know your goods and know them thoroughly — try to be an authority on your line. The salesman who knows his goods, how to talk them, when to talk them, and to whom to talk them, will surely sell goods — and high-priced, profitbearing goods, too — try it. Convince your customer that you are trying to serve his interest as well as your employer's — it makes a favorable and lasting impression, and your customer looks upon you as his friend — try it. Avoid misrepresentation; sell an article for just what it is — no more, no less. Sales made any other way are not well made; they don't pay either you or your employer. If you cannot make a sale on honest business principles — don't make it. Don't lose interest in your customer after he has purchased; make it your personal business to see that goods have been delivered in good condition and customer perfectly satisfied. This may take part of your noon hour, or perhaps a few moments during the evening — but in either case it is time well spent. It frequently gives you an opportunity to suggest other purchases, something the customer may have forgotten or overlooked; if not, your customer will appreciate such attention and when they want more goods they will surely come to you — try it. Remember that it is better to sell to one customer twice than to two customers once — try it. Be pleasant at all times, smile, look your customer (and everyone else) straight in the eye and smile — always smile — it is a good tonic, both for you and those with whom you come in contact— try it. Remember that your every word and action (out of the store weU ^5 in it) i§ an adver tisement for or against your employer. See to it that every move is favorable — ^try it. Remember that your employer's success is your success; by helping his interests, you help your own — try it. If one of these thoughts appeals to your judgment as good or practical, don't simply say, or think so — but try it. Look them over again and see if there is not at least one which can be put into practice to-day, now — try it. POULSEN'S WIRELESS TELEPHONY. The Inventor of the Telegraphone Discusses His Latest Invention in an Interesting Lecture Before the British Institution of London. Vladimir Poulsen, the inventor of the telegraphone (a talking machine which has been previously referred to in The World), and whose system of wireless telephony has been widely discussed, delivered a lecture recently before the British Institution in London, in which he explained the principles of his new wireless telephone invention. After detailing how he had succeeded in carrying the human voice through the air a distance of about 200 miles, that is to say, between Copenhagen and Berlin, Mr. Poulsen went on to say: "The essence of my discovery is its simplicity, and it resulted from another discovery I made several years ago that the rapid passage of electricity to and fro produces an effect known as the 'singing arc' This singing, I found, produced notes too low for the ear to hear and some that were too high to be understood; so, in order to make the notes understandable, I arranged an apparatus consisting of coils of wire, joined in a series to a condenser with leads to the source of the current, joined by two carbons in parallel. "I found that the current flowed rapidly in the arc between the carbons, oscillating to and fro, and that the oscillation was enormously improved by occupying the interval between the carbons with hydrogen gas. This resulted in continuous, undamped waves which can easily be tuned to any desired pitch, so that they will only influence those instruments which are arranged to correspond with the sending instrument." Coming to the pure telephone and efforts to establish wireless communication, Mr. Poulsen said that the waves that Bell had harnessed by the use of mirrors had proved to be without value, but with the undamped waves, each exactly like its predecessor, the problem had been solved. These regular waves transmitted sound perfectly, and by means of them it had been possible to telephone a tune, without wires, 290 miles, and to make a human voice recognizable at a receiving station 170 miles away from the person speaking. At the conclusion of Mr. Poulsen's lecture a messenger from Queen Alexandra obtained a copy of his remarks for her Majesty's perusal. Later the Queen sent Mr. Poulsen a congratulatory letter. E. F. DROOP & SON ENTERTAIN. The E. F. Droop & Sons Co., Washington, D. C, created quite a sensation during the annual convention of the Daughters of the American Revolution in that city, recently, by giving daily concerts in their new Victor hall. The Auxetophone and Victor Victrola were used to great advantage at the concerts in playing records by Tetrazzini, Caruso and other operatic stars. Droop & Sons Co. also made a hit during the week the Metropolitan Opera Co. was in the city by giving a series of Victor concerts, using records made by artists appearing with the opera cpjnpany. All t-heir cpjicerts paclj the }iall,