PR£STO October 30, 1920.

PRESTOPUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT 407 SOUTH DEAR-BORN STREET, OLD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO, ILL.

which no piano house, however strong financially, can be contentto withstand.

Another case, as reported by a representative of this paper. Agentleman of capacity, intellectually, if not capitalistically, had occa-sion to call at the upstairs offices of one of the really great musichouses in a very great city. He wanted merely a little informationwhich was to be used to the benefit of the great music house. Hehad waited patiently for a considerable time when he caught the eyeof a young woman comfortably ensconced at a desk a few feet fromthe office railing. The caller made bold to motion to the heiress ina way to indicate that he was really there and waiting. Whereuponthe young lady spoke to an older suffragette, drawing attention tothe male biped at the outer gate. And then what? The keeper ofthe office dignity raised her right hand, palm out, and gave the signof outraged silence, intimating that no violation of her utter seclusionwas permissible. She must not be disturbed, not at all! And thecaller finally appealed to an office boy, who piloted him to some sourceof information higher up in authority but not so lofty in frigid self-importance.

It sometimes seems that- the big business houses that devotetime and money to purposes of the bodily and mental means of rec-reation of employees, might as well pay attention also to this matterof courtesy or the code of manners. The man of affairs who has, byyears of carefully applied enterprise and energy, built up a large busi-ness, is placed at a disadvantage by uncouth, uncivil and carelessemployees. It can not do very much for a force of workers, eitherin factory or office, to discourse sweet music, by orchestra, piano orvoice, to a lot of people who do not understand that one of the firstrequisites of success is the dispensation of a cheerful order of courtesy.

We do not agree, as Tolstoy said to Gorky, that "where youwant to have slaves, there you should have as much music as pos-sible." On the contrary, our custom and our convictions are tocommend music, and more music, always. But we do believe, withBovee, that "The small courtesies sweeten life," and that Lord Lyttonwas right when he said that "Courtesy is a duty public servants oweto the humblest members of the public." And if there is any placein the world where courtesy should be expected, it is in the establish-ment devoted to the things which, in their very nature, suggest re-finement—in the place where pianos and other musical things aredisplayed and sold.

The piano merchant who discovers that his business is endan-gered by the incivility of employees lacking in courtesy should re-move the disturbing element regardless of what place in the organi-zation the uncouth member sustains. His abilities may be great, butseldom so great as to justify his possibilities of evil.

And every piano salesman, or office worker, whose intuitivefaculties are so dull as to render possible the discourtesy of a blatantand metallic "What do you want?" should be promptly informed asto what it is that the house doesn't want.

EditorsC. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTTTelephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234. Private Phones to all De-

partments. Cable Address (Commercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.

Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the Post Office, Chicago. Illinois,under Act of March 3, 1879.

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Address all communications for the editorial or business departments to PRESTOPUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.

Advertising Rates:—Five dollars per inch (13 ems pica) for single insertions.Complete schedule of rates for standing cards and special displays will be furnishedon request. The Presto does not sell its editorial space. Payment Is not accepted forarticles of descriptive character or other matter appearing in the news columns. Busi-ness notices will be indicated by the word "advertisement" in accordance with theAct of August 24, 1912.

Rates for advertising in Presto Year Book Issue and Export Supplements ofPresto will be made known upon application. Presto Year Book and Export issueshave the most extensive circulation of any periodicals devoted to the musical in-strument trades and industries in all parts of the world, and reach completely andeffectually all the houses handling musical instruments of both the Eastern and West-ern hemispheres.

Presto Buyers' Guide is the only reliable index to the American Pianos andPlayer-Pianos, it analyzes all instruments, classifies them, gives accurate estimatesof their value and contains a directory of their manufacturers.

Items of news and other matter of general interest to the music trades are in-vited and when accepted will be paid for. All communications should be addressed toPresto Publishing Co., 407 So. Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1920.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.PRESTO IS ALWAYS GLAD TO RECEIVE NEWS OF THE

TRADE—ALL KINDS OF NEWS EXCEPT PERSONAL SLANDERAND STORIES OF PETTY MISDEEDS BY INDIVIDUALS. PRESTOWILL PRINT THE NAMES OF CORRESPONDENTS WHO SEND IN"GOOD STUFF" OR ARE ON THE REGULAR STAFF. DON'T SENDANY PRETTY SKETCHES, LITERARY ARTICLES OR "PEN-PIC-TURES." JUST PLAIN NEWS ABOUT THE TRADE—NOT ABOUTCONCERTS OR AMATEUR MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENTS, BUTABOUT THE MEN WHO MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ANDTHOSE WHO SELL THEM. REPORTS OF NEW STORES ANDTHE MEN WHO MAKE RECORDS AS SALESMEN ARE GOOD. OF-TEN THE PIANO SALESMEN ARE THE BEST CORRESPONDENTSBECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE TO READ AND HAVETHE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FINDING OUT WHAT IS "DOING" INTHE TRADE IN THEIR VICINITY. SEND IN THE NEWS-ALL YOU CAN GET OF IT—E&PECIALLY ABOUT YOUR OWNBUSINESS.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?There is one subject which, more than most others, will bear

repeated discussion. It affects every man in business, whether hehappens to be the head of the house, a top-notcher of a salesman orthe genius who dusts the counters and keeps the front door-knobbright. The subject is courtesy. It is one of such deep interest that,if neglected in practice as in the average day's programme, no verysmall proportion of failures may be traced back to its utter neglect.We believe that twenty per cent of the piano sales lost by the averageotherwise well-equipped piano house are due to the lack of courtesysomewhere along the line.

The other day a man of decent appearance, but very mild inmanner, entered a large piano store in a great city. The salesmanin charge happened to be at the moment engaged in an animated dis-cussion of the comparative values of some automobiles a visitingsalesman in that line was trying to describe, with catalogue in hand.The piano manager signalled to his assistant, pointing with his thumbto the mild-mannered caller just inside the door. The assistantmoved leisurely toward the stranger and, when within firing distance,said: "Well, what do you want?"

The stranger's mild eyes opened wide and he evidently resentedthe manner of the challenge. And this is precisely what he said inreply: "I did want to buy a piano I was looking at here yesterday,but I have just decided I'd better look around first." And he leftbefore the crackle-brained salesman could sufficiently gather hiswits to interpose an apology. This incident is not imaginary. Thewriter happened to be an eye and ear witness to it.

And what of it? From a purely business point of view, perhapsthe house lost only a single sale. The manager probably learnedsomething about automobiles . and his assistant couldn't have hadwit enough to realize that drawing his salary for such work is worsethan theft. So that is one illustration of our statement that lackof courtesy means loss of trade and the endangering of local prestige

MANDOLIN "ATTACHMENTS"A practical piano tuner has something to say on another page

this week about the butchery of some of the so-called "mandolinattachments." It is perhaps natural that a good many people wantsomething that jingles in connection with their rag-time perform-ances, but in supplying that particular demand the dealers and theirtuners owe something to the manufacturers and the individual own-ers of the pianos. And many of the mandolin "attachments" are socrude in construction, and so utterly harmful to the instrument, asto call for something more than a mild protest.

The tuner whose letter appears this week has sent to this papera sample of the mandolin "attachment" which aroused his righteousanger. It is about as bungling a piece of vandalism as has ever cometo notice since the old time device of the tuner who gouged holes inhammer-heads for the insertion of hard rubber tubing, to bring backthe elasticity of the felts and recreate a "beautiful tone." No doubtthere are more such mandolin "attachments" being nailed upon thehammer rails of good pianos. Perhaps as this is written more thanone resourceful but reckless piano tuner is ruining fine uprights withthe salf-made outrageously awkward noise makers, the application ofwhich may leave the piano irrevocably ruined.

Is there nothing in this that calls for a warning? Is the ownerof a valuable piano entitled to any protection from the vandal whoin search of an extra fee, ruthlessly nails a piece of coarse oil-cloth,into which have been inserted a series of large brass discs—stationers'pins—and calls his destructive appliance a "mandolin attachment"?The average piano owner has little idea of the delicate parts of hisinstrument. He wants something and he doesn't stop to study themeans by which he is supplied with it. He hears the jangle of the

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