The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-12-21
Centennial Awards.

From the New York Tribune, November -.
The newspapers have been lately teemng
with lngeniOusly wOrded advertisements re-
garding the awards. These publications have
been sklllfully prepared, so as 10 convey the
impression that this or that exhibitor has
really received the highest and best award.
Thus, instead Of informing the public as to the
true state Of affairs, they have simply confused
the readers. Visitors at the Centennial find
themselves bewildered by the adverse claims
to distinction which they find pIacarded on
every hand, and do not know which way
to turn to discover the truth. In no depart
ment has this system Of Misrepresentation
been carried to so great an extent ss that de-
voted to piano tOTtes. There has been "a war;
between piano exhibitors since the Exhi-
bitiOn opened, and a regular skirmish line Of
placards since the awards were officially an
nOunced. They have We'd with each other in
the use Of eTTavagant language to prove
their respective claims to distinction. The
most ingenious methods have been devised !;
disinterested correspondents, whose sole OBJ
ject was to instruct the ignorant public, have
volunteered their services for a cOnsidera-
ton; eX judges of awards, in the interest OF
certain piano manufacturers, have made pre-
tended revelations aOf the secrets of the Jury
room. for the sake of supporting the claims Of
their particular taVOrites, and lightning calcu-
ldtOrs have been appealed to and have found
convenient mathematical rules by which to
establish absolutely the supremacy Of their
ClientsOn the pretense Of the 80 much abused
maxim that figures cannot lie. All these
efforts, while ridiculous to those acquainted
with the subject, have been attempted to in
f1uence the uninitiated. In fact, the piano
men have left nothing undOne to mislead the
public and by their efforts have caused every
thing relating to pianos to be looked upon
with distrust, and have made themselves the
laughing stock the public BY these means
injustice is not only done to the public, but
! to those who are not only entitled to the lead
/ ing positions, but who were awarded it by the
Judges. Your correspondent has taken The
! trouble to submit all the various reports,
! whichare the basis Of the awards, to a careful
| scrutiny and comparison, and the result Is
| that the pianos of VIM. knabe * Co. are
/ found to head the list. This house, from the
commencement of the exhibition, relied solely
upon the merits of their instruments to secure
! them q just award and since the official an
| nouncemeut, although they were deCreed the
! highest honors in the Piano Department. they
I have mOdestIy remained in the background.
/ 1t is fortunate that the judges, in preparing
the knabe report, so framed it as to leave no
doubt about their pre-emineucc. They
especially commended all their four styles
Of pianos, concert grand, parlOr grand square
and upright, and accorded them the praise OF
uneQualed excellence in all the details OF per
feet instruments. The report is plain, straight,
forward and comprehensive specifying all the
. elements of merit which it is possible for the
best piano forte to posSeSs-power, richness
and singing quality Of tone, ease and elastici
" Of touch: effectiveness of action; S0lidity
. and originality reconstruction and excellence
OF Workmanship. BY comparing it with the
3 other reports in the same department., even
the most >kpptical will acknowledge that no
stronger hnguage could have been used 10
express the unanimous approval Of the
judges.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. II, 1915.