The Washington herald., 1909-01-24
INTRODUCING A NEW SONG.
Hard Work OF a Horse and Wagon
Outfit in the Streets.

Hard Work OF a Horse and Wagon
Outfit in the Streets.
There is a notion that the only way n
get new song introduced 10 the public
Is 10 get somebody 10 sing It on the stage
but how far wrong this impression Is
comes to YOU st-',-ingly when you see the
dossy work OF a song demonstrating az
gregation now touring Manhattan. ex-
plotting new song IN the public streets
says the New York Sun. You see ahead
a crowd on the sidewalk and you hear
Tie strains OF hand organ and find the
center OF attraction in the following OUT
Fl.
Standing IN the street by the curb YOU
see horse with a blanket on him hooked
TO light covered wagon within which
s hand organ. playing steadily. On
the side Of the wagon you see a pIacard
giving the name and description OF tho
cong being demonstrated. and on The
walk alongside the wagon and facing the
crowd stands three men. one the boss and
manager Of the outfit and the other two
the barke7s. all alert young men.
It's a good hand organ and they keen
It going all the time. while the two bark
ers on the sidewalk. each with a bunch
- copies Of the song. cry:
Here's the latest song"
The song that everybody's talking
about.-
The song you want 10 sing"
Take a copy with you. 10 cents-
Now and then the boss sings the song.
He has a pleasing light tenor voice. and
SS he sings he PAGES back and forth in
that little space on the Sidewalk between
the side OF the wagon and the barkers'
backs as on a little stage.
And do they sell some songs? A whole
lot. The people reach In from all around
TO buy them.
But it is hard work. and the harder
because the workers are perhaps not
accustomed to t. Particularly hard Is
the grinding OF the organ. which never
stops
Once when one Of the barkers stepped
around from the sidewalk to the tail OF
the wagon to set some more copies Of
the song the grinder, still grinding
steadily at the crank, looked up and said:
Many Lefty"
only about twenty" said the barker
as he reached over the taHboard and
picked up all the copies there were left
on the floor Of the wagon and started
back for the sidewalk; and II was easv to
imagine that the grinder was not sorry
to hear that
As the bankers were talking away The
last few copies left the boss, after sing
ing again a verse or two. winding I'D with
the swinging chorus. strOIled down the
curb TO the horses head for q moments
rest As he stood there a little to one
side and out OF the rush of the crowd a
bystander addressed him.
Great business" he said TO him eft
seems to me the best I ever saw. But
don't you think they'd go better stil If
you would sing a little more2"
The boss said he was singing all he
could. but his voice was pretty weH worn
now. that It was pretty hard work sing
Ing 80 long in the open air Il seems
that this outfit keeps the streets for six
hours at q stretch, from noon until 6
O'Clock. making under this constant high
pressure a big days work. though Il Is
not Improbable They have put I'd in
= day between 800 and 500 copies Of the
song. which wouldn't be a bad business in
itself; but the real object of the outfit.
the boss explain. is 70 introduce the
song. to create demand for it. to get #
into the stores and make people call for
It there.
Then the boss steps back to his tiny
Sidewalk stage again and again begins
to sing; and as you pass on clutching In
Touf hand the copy that you have bought
Of the song that everybOdy's singing"
you think to yourself as you hear the
organ grinding and the boss singing and
the barkers barking IN their last grand
rally to clean out the vagon-you think
to yourself that there are still left plenty
OF plums on the business tree for those
Who know how to pick them