The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 39 out last month. It has proved to he one of the most attractive specialties ever introduced by the company. General Manager A. D. Geissler says that March was not only far ahead of the corresponding month last year but was within 2 per cent, of 1907, the largest March in their history. L. & H. "Co-operation." Lyon & Healy offer the services of their advertising department, one of the best organized and most efficient in the country, to their dealers. Not only -will they send free of cost proofs of remarkably clever and result-bringing advertisements used in their own retail business, together with the cuts used in them, if desired, at the bare cost of making the electros, but they will be glad to furnish copy for advertisements for special occasions when requested. In fact they desire to co-operate with their dealers in every way to their mutual advantage. NEW SEEBURG ART CATALOG. Handsome Volume Shows Various Styles of Coin-Operated Pianos and Explains the Seeburg Selling System — The Seeburg Factory Working Overtime. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Chicago, 111., April 7, 1910. The J. P. Seeburg Piano Co., of this city, manufacturers of coin-controlled electric pianos, have just brought forth a handsome "Art" catalog showing cuts of the various styles and explaining in detail the celebrated Seeburg selling system. Inside an attractive cover of Quaker gray on a specially designed page is shown the strong points embodied in the Seeburg product — "Tone," "Art," "Unique Case Designs" and "Per-, feet Player Mechanism." The top of ,the page bears the following inscription: "It is a poor piano that knoweth not its own master. Every Seeburg piano bears the name of the maker and carries the maker's guarantee." Pertinent and instructive matter is featured in chapters on "The Seeburg Constructional System," "The Player Construction," "The Acme of Convenience," "The Case" and "The Price." The factory, located at 1276-1282 Clybourn avenue, has been working overtime to supply the demand for the Seeburg electric coin-con trolled pianos; in fact, to such an extent that the company have acquired an additional floor, thus facilitating the output to a considerable degree. However, there is seemingly no let up in the demand since the acquisition and the trade are beginning to realize that the Seeburg instruments are destined to fill a long felt want in the coin-controled electric field. BETRAYED BY SUSPENDERS. H. R. Arris Writes of This Most Essential Article of Man's Dress — How a Richly Embroidered Pair Spelled the Ruin of Jones' Plans to Keep a Talking Machine Free. In the Chicago Tribune the other day, H. R. Arris discoursed in a learned way on that most essential concomitant to man's happiness — suspenders. He said: "A man will go and buy trousers, neckties, shirts, handkerchiefs, and all his other wearing apparel in any number Imaginable, but never would think of possessing more than one pair of suspenders at a time. Any more than this number would seem to be a useless luxury. When the old pair begins to wear he will make use of all kinds of makeshifts to patch them up rather than buy new ones. Wire, string and rope are used indiscriminately for repair work on the broken galluses until one scarcely can tell where the original leaves off and the patchwork starts. No matter what the financial standing of the man with the broken suspenders, no matter how careful he is of his clothing in other ways, he will neglect this article longer and more consistently than any other part of his dress. "A pair of fancy embroidered suspenders played an important part in a small comedy of domestic life some time ago. A man who re joiced in the possession of such a fancy homemade article, but who rejoiced in the possession of scarcely anything else, had bought a talking machine on the Instalment plan. Although at the time the purchase was made he was able and willing to pay for the machine, a run of hard luck befell him soon after and he fell behind in his payments. "The future seemed to indicate a change in the run of hard luck so that the buyer hoped that he soon would be in a position to take up all the back-payments and go on with the future ones. But while he was thus rosily planning how he would pay up, the company was planning how they would get the money. "Many collectors were sent around to see the purchaser who didn't wish to see them. He was afraid that his promise of future payments would not be sufficient and that they would take the talking machine away from him. Whenever, therefore, a collector hove to in the offlng the buyer would fade away on the distant horizon. "After making a number of such attempts to see the man who owned, or rather possessed, the machine, the collectors thought it was time for decisive action. One of them was therefore sent around with instructions to get the money or get the machine. "With determination in his heart he hunted up the house of the purchaser and by the ill luck of the hunted found the man who had bought the machine. Being a new collector, he was not known to the buyer nor did he know him, so that although he managed to meet the man at the door before he had time to disap pear as usual, he did not know to whom he was talking. "The purchaser immediately saw that he was unknown and when a request was made for Mr. Jones he replied that Jones was out of town and wouldn't be back for several weeks. The collector wanted to know if any one of the family was at home, but was told that the man to whom he was talking was merely a boarder and that all of the family had gone for several weeks. Thus baffled in his search, the collector started down the steps, but turned to ask one more question. The owner was going into the house and, being in his shirt sleeves, his suspenders were exposed to the view of all who wished to enjoy their embroidered loveliness. But what caught the eye of the collector was that on the back of these works of art was plainly worked out by a loving sister the Initials and name of 'J. W. Jones,' the man he was seeking, and thus the canned music was heard no more in that household. "Incidentally it might be added that the next ragman who visited the Jones' residence carried away with him a pair of hand embroidered suspenders." PANAMA PACIFIC EXPOSITION Planned for 1915, to Celebrate the Completion of the Panama Canal and the Centennial of the Discovery of the Pacific Ocean — To be Held in San Francisco. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) San Francisco, Cat, April 5, 1910. Plans are already being discussed in the various cities on the Coast for the holding of a World's Fair in this city in 1915 to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. The title of the celebration will be the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and it has already been advertised considerably, though no definite arrangements have been made at the present time. Efforts will be made to make the celebration one of the most elaborate ever held in this country, for besides marking the completion of the Panama Canal, the occasion will be taken advantage of to celebrate the fifth centennial of the discovery of the Pacific Ocean by Balboa in 1513 and the rebuilding of San Francisco. The man who simply does daily duties as they arise will in time achieve the power to meet any emergency. SUGGESTION VS. ARGUMENT. Each Have Their Place in Salesmanship — Where Too Much Argument Lost a Big Sale. Mr. Dealer, do you ever put yourself in the customer's place when you are trying to sell an outfit? Do you stop to realize that salesmanship consists just as much in ascertaining the wants of the customer and meeting them as in persuading him to purchase something he does not want? A certain dealer not far from New York lost a sale that amounted in all to nearly $350 because he tried too hard to persuade the customer that a mahogany-cased machine would fit into a room of mahogany furniture though the prospect had set his mind on a Circassian walnut case. The dealer urged about the eternal fitness of things until the prospect got tired of the discussion and bought the outfit from another house. True, it was an extreme case, and the dealer was right in theory and according to decorative standards, but the situation was one where suggestion and not argument was needed. The customer is the one who is spending the money, and when he is perfectly satisfied it means an excellent advertisement for the store. PHONOGRAPH IN PIANO. A New Development Noted by a Writer in a Philadelphia Paper. We occasionally find some extraordinary items in our contemporaries of the daily press. For instance, the following from a Philadelphia paper informs us that a local inventor with an eye to the economy of space and dollars "has perfected an arrangement whereby a piano and a phonograph can both be nicely housed in one case. Where space is at a premium, which is distinctly the case in flats, this invention will be found most desirable. The top of the piano is divided into three compartments. In one of the end compartments the turntable of the phonograph is located, the crank extending from the sides; in the other compartments the records are kepi and they are open in front so that the discs can be easily removed or replaced. When the lid of the piano is down the caller would not suspect that any other instrument was concealed within, unless he wondered what the crank was for. When the lid is raised, however, the talking machine and its records are disclosed to view. The record is inserted, the lid closed down and the tone passes below either through a panel in front or at the side." Next! ASKED FOR MONEY, PROBABLY. Mrs. Hoyle — They say that the tones of the voice have color. Mrs. Doyle — Shouldn't wonder; I know I have said things which made my husband get purple in the face. THIS IS THE FAMOUS WE WANT EVERY DEALER TO HANDLE THIS FAST SELLING ARTICLE. PRICE 50 CENTS. Regular Discount to the Trade. Send for descriptive Circular and printed List of Jobbers who keep " T1Z-1T " in stock. If your Jobber does not handle this Connection yet we will supply you. One dozen lots, prepaid, $3.60 Free sample to Jobbers Manufactured by KREILING & COMPANY 1 504 North 40th Avenue Cragin Station Chicago, III.