Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-01-09
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
A Dealer Chats About the Latest Fads and
Other Interesting Matters.
The latest fad in musical instru-
ments that l know Of" said dealer,
is the ocarina-
at is not SO young either, having
been introduced over five years ago.
nor has society taken it up to any ex-
tent. 1t Is a mere fake, introduced
first by song and dance man proba-
bly,. It resembles a bagpipe without
the reeds and is made of iron in all
sizes. Each size is in different key.
It produces burlesque effects in ac-
compartments.
''There are signs Of decrease in the
popularity of the mandolin. The rea-
son is plain, think. It is charming
instrument, but only an artist can ex-
tract its lovely effects The young
people who took it up found this out
and many abandoned it in despair. The
banjo is e popular instrument yet in So
ciety. 1t can be learned by almost any
body. How many thousands and thou
sands of banjos were sold after society
elevated the instrument into its parlors
it is impossible to compute. Many
people have profted by that freak of
fashion. First the manufacturers, next
the instructors. They sprang up in
scores everywhere and reckoned their
pupils by the hundred. The leather,
wood and plush workers-most elegant
cases We're ordered by young ladies for
their beloved banjos-the jewelers.
the stems of costly instruments were
frequently incrusted with stones--the
tailors who made gowns for young
ladies to wear at their banjo recep-
tons, the florists who decorated their
parlors on those occasions-an profted
by the craze A fancy of fashion when
it is general lets loose money in differ
ent directions.
The number of Young ladies who
have taken up the violin seems to he
increasing, though the devotees to it
are changing. Some Of tie instructors
have as high as forty pupils. The
violin is the king of instruments It is
a ladies' instrument, artists will tell
you, and whispers to her touch more
softly, delicately and tenderly than it
responds TO a man, provided she is
mistress of it Our experience teaches
us that girls are more pluclzy than
young men in facing the difficulties of
learning the instrument, but that most
of them give it up after they marry"
How about the piano."
1T retains its position at the head of
home instruments Nothing ever will
rival it The sale of pianos is grow
ing all the time. There is hardly
family who have an income that leaves
a little surplus after their wants are
provided for who do not possess a
piano. Of course, the installment plan
Of payment and the enormous reduction
in the price c; instruments are ac-
countabte for this. Almost any work
er can afford the five dollars month
that will buy a really fine instrument.
DO we meet with losses in the in
stallment business? Yes, but not often.
The percentage of loss is small, taking
into consideration the different classes
of people We sell to. Most houses in
the business take mortgage On the
instrument, alt ough there are some
which sell on contract. Are attempts
made to beat us? o, yes. But they
are few. Occasionally a man or
woman-yes. the latter as often as the
former-moves a piano away, but we
generally trace it. The most preten-
tious attempt to beat the houses that I
know of was made by woman. She
visited number of firms, bought four
teen pianos, made the first payment
and shipped the lot to Milwaukee.
But one little error in her arrange
ments gave our man a suspicion, and
following it up he unraveled the
scheme 1t was easy enough to get
the goods back. - Chicago Tribune.