St. Paul daily globe., 1894-05-06
PAYING ORGAN GRINDING.
EVERYTHING IN THE SELECTION OF
THE TUNES.
THE GRINDERS PERIpATETIc.

The Player Who Can Touch His
Hearers Hearts Makes Money
|n -Instruments Fitted for the
q North and South Differ Some
!, what - Street Org ans Some.
Iu times High.Priced.
New York Sun.
In a factory on the south side of
Chatham square four men were looking
fRt curious machine that looked in
some respects like musical instru-
lneDt. but that, from Its solid build,
might have been target for The dyna-
/ mite guns down the bay. Its sides were
made Of thick. heavy planking. and all
its interior works were packed tight and
mounted on rubber bearings.
"What is it?" reporter asked.
''lt's an elephant iiand-organ," one of
the men answered, and the other three
laughed.
"That's what it is," said the owner of
the factory, coming up at the moment.
s.Doi't you think all elephant would
attract more pennies in the street than
an Italian? But this organ is not to be
played in the street. We are making it
for circus.
s.lt's the third we have made for
them, and this one. think, will last
longer than either of its predecessors,
for it is much stronger. They have an
elephant. you know. that plays hand
organ in the ring. and for some time
that elephant was one of our best
patrons.
''He was taught on an ordinary hand
organ. but that soon became too ex-
pensive, for he developed habit when
anything displeased him of picking the
organ up and throwing it about the
ring. Ordinary organs, you understand,
are not made for that kind of exercise.
and he averaged about one wrecked
organ week.
1--WE soon had to make special in
strument for him, but he broke that,
The second one lasted nearly year,
and this one, which goes off this after
noon. is SO strong that think lie can
| use it for a football if he likes"
''But why" he was asked. ''are you
making organs at this time of year,
when the hand organ season is over?"
1.-The hand organ season Is never
over" replied the speaker.
"DO not let your soul grow sad De-
cause the sweet strains of the organ
have nearly vanished for the season
| from the streets of Nsw York. The
hand organ is migratory instrument.
''Where do you think all the New
York organs are in winter2 Stored up
in tenement houses and damp base
ments2
"Oh, no! There would not be any
money in that. About this time they
are in Philadelphia and Baltimore-the
bulk of the New York instruments.
Before the end of the year they will
have made themselves heard In Rich
mond, Charleston, Savannah, Jackson
vile and intermediate towns. 4
Il mention these Places" he contln-
ued, ''lnerely for examples. They are
| just as likely to go down the Mississippi
valley or into the extreme Southwest.
But this is only hearsay to me. l make
and sell the organs, and after that am
not supposed to know where they go.
But speaking of seasons do not know
that one season is much better In this
business than another. 1t used to be.
Oh, yes; in the olden times before the
war the fall of the year used to be our
best season."
. before the war;" he was asked:
"What had the war to do with the hand
organ business"
$50 much" he replied, ''that it cut
off nearly half the business we were
then doing. The Southern planters
were among our best customers, and
planting and harvesting the cotton.
There was hardly plantation in the
South of any consequence but had its
hand organ to make the slaves happy.
"The planters were glad to buy them.
for the music not only kept the hands
contented. but made them work faster.
While they picked cotton some picKa-
ninny ground the organ ard they sang.
After dark they danced 10 the same
music. But the war put an end to all
that.
1.-THE plantation organs" he went
ON. ''Were made TO play plantation
tunes. of course. Sometimes two
cylinders were ordered-one of planta.
tion tunes, the other of operas and
popular airS.l never made any Inquiries,
but always imagined that the planter
had fancy for the music himself and
sometimes took the organ into the
house. All sorts. of tunes? or course;
we have to make organs to suit our
customers.
Take it year or so after the war
say ~ oo vi oo. Hae w you thihh
would have happened then to a hand
organ in Charleston or New Orleans
that played the tar-Spangled Ban
ner' or the Red, W hite and Blue or.
for that matter. to one i'll New York
that played the Bonnie Blue Flag?'
We always put in whatever tunes the
customer orders. The day of fitting an
organ with two cylinders, one for the
North and one for the South, has gone
by.
There is still difference. slight
difference, between the instruments
fitted for use in the North and those for
the South. This is not so much diff
ference of taste as matter OF policy,
for it IS the business of the organ
grinder, you know, to touch the public
heart.
His music or his apparent poverty
may bring him a penny, but If he is
lucky enough to touch the heart Of the
passer-by, he is more likely to strike
quarter.
"The organ grinders, as you know,
are nearly all foreigners, who nave no
more feeling for Northern OF Southern
tune than they have for long meter
doXolOgy, but many of them nave sense
enough to know that the old war tunes,
whether Of North or South, are more
likely than any others to awaken mem-
Ories OF auld lang syne. Even When
johnny Comes Marching Home is not
dead yet, for there are great many
people still waiting for theis johnny to
come marching home.
{''You see. organ-grinding is more of
an art than you would Imagine. And
the Organmaker must be an artist, too,
and give his assistance to the grinder.
Touching tunes. sad tuEes that set you
IN iniy yiytr
that is. of dimes and nickelS.
"But all organ that played sad tunes
only would soon become nuisance.
There must he some mirlh to set off the
sadness to its best advantage. Some
grinders are very skillful at this. and
give excellent directions about the tunes
they will have put on cylinder and
lrow they shall be arranged, but in gen.