The Washington times., 1921-07-03
Silk Stocking Craze,
Joy Rides and Jazz
Hurt Piano Business
Craving of Young for Endless
Animation, Plus Small Rooms.
Causes Lull in Sales.

Z Love a Piano--oids stun now.
Just as pckins dress suit into
the open mouth of Baby Grand
piano makes noise out of music. so
: has the advent of the silk stocking
hushed the business of selling
TOO many silk stockings and
! what goes with ems That's the
! trouble with the retail piano trade,
according to a well-known Wash
tngton- piano dealer.
PEOPLE WON'T STUDY. =
-The mind OF the country has
turned TO jazz music. moving pic
lures. automobiles and silk hosiery.
And while people think only in these
terms we can't sell pianos. People
haven't the patience to learn
music, to study, the classics. or even
good rag. It's a jazz age
Details of modern living have been
so arranged TO gradually kill on
Baby and Papa Grand. dealers de-
clare Bungalow construction does
not provide space. Apartments are
built for bed and a. place to open
canned food. When pianos are
crowded into the small rooms. they
are jsmmed against the wallf where
.
dwellers in the adjoining apartment
"Jazz cannibalistic noise without
beauty--is doing more to ruin the
national love for good music than
anything else" declared another
dealer, Ed Droop. OF e. +. Droop &
sohs.>
AUTOMOBILES FIGURE.
Hugo worch. Washington piano
dealer for forty years, has another
reason for the dscline on interest in
pianos.
1.-The tremendous sums the peopie
are spending on the upkeep-not the
purchase, but upkeep-of automobiles,
account largely fer the present slow
ness in the plano business. People
spend their leisure time riding in mo.
tors cars In the evening they go 10
the movies. On their vacations they
go to Atlantic City. The whole pro-
gram of young people today may be
expressed in one word, ''Hooray"
What time Is left for the study OF the
piano and the requirement of tas.e,
for good music wnen every one is ftll-
ed with the spirit of Lets go
and go-and COR
Droop, who, though realizing that
direct response from music weeks for
youngsters may net solve present diff.
iculties of the trade, nevertheless is
trustful of the future good results
from such artificlal stimulation.
'It will take a few years to feel the
results OF these arranged outbursss.
but we have planted the seed and IL
is bound to bear fruit IL a few years.
Children like musicI They will like
good music IL we show them the diff
ference between good music and jazz.
DEALERS MUST FIGHT.
Dealers everywhers must join in
the fight against jazz, or they will
suffer permanently. People tell me
jazz is merely a temporary tendency
Prohibition was a temporary ten-
dency' until 1t became a permanent
condition.
John Keyser, sales manager of the
Arthur Jordan Piano Company. doLs
not agree with Nr. Droop, however
on the fatality of jazz.
"The jazz tendency has been
great help in the present trade situa-
tion," he declared. "It has provided
business for dealers who might other
wise have been without any business
whatever. Jazz has afforded the
same support in the music business
as variety OF styles has provided for
the collar business. People have diff
ferent tastes and our business is to
cater to their respective tastes, re-
Rardless OF what our own individual
likes may be"
DIsAPPRoyEs OF JAZZ.
Another dealer joins Mr.. Droop in
his disapproval OF jazz, believing
that the public can gradually be
weaned from its love of the erratic
modern classification OF music.
through education directed by dealers
and their salesmen. More violent,
forced change was proposed by an
other dealer, who declared he was
contemplating a policy which would
entail the placing of a sign over his
door:
'we Don't Sell Jazzl"
n..- -l