Digitized by tine Internet Arcliive in 2010 witli funding from CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Researcli Libraries in Illinois http://www.archive.org/details/patrickjosephheaOOIawr LAWRENCE J. GUTTER Collection of Chicogoono THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO The University Library PATRICK JOSEPH HEALY -' ' '^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 ■ 1 ^idi^H P'!Vi'!j[|i'!'i'ji;:':;:;:fflir'''??:' 1^ ,^f^S^;^^^:^d^J!^r;TtJi^j|^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^1 ^,^^^^^^^^^ Patrick Joseph Healy FOUNDER OF THE HOUSE OF LYON & HEALY An ApiJr^rtattnn ** There is something in business besides money.'' ^ CHICAGO 1907 n in:i :r CT. H- — ' C-. jD -a OQ 53 tt —1 1^' yo ^^1 1—' 1 — ' n vD 7s c^ ~^ r^. . C_ ^ ^ tn ^ to m a (-■ -0 •^ T3 :x ^ x) cs- c/i 3: • • m 3= I-' 1— ON -< 3 • • 'n i-h c 1-! P CI- 3 ro rt i-t H- CO / ^+^ f?' rt x) =r 1— ' ro 03 n :£ ro en C • w ft) I-h r ^ d (?- 3: ro £13 CT1 O Illustrations 6 Foreword 7 Patrick Joseph Healy - - - 9 Excerpts from Tributes - - - 83 3)UuBtratt0n0 Portrait at the age of 56 Portrait at the age of 1 8 Early Specimen of Mr. Portrait at the age of 33 A Letter of 1865 A Family Group Sketch from life in 189 1 Portrait at the age of 62 The Veteran Frontispiece Opposite p. 9 Healy's Writing Opposite p. 17 Opposite p. 23 Opposite p. 43 Opposite p. 61 Opposite p. 73 Opposite p. 79 Opposite p. 83 fovttootn THIS little book falls far short of what we should like to make it, but our beloved President carried modesty to such an ex- treme that he scrupulously avoided all occa- sions, all decorations, and all public honors. Moreover, he deprecated any appreciation of himself, and during his lifetime quietly defeated all efforts to give public utterance to the praise that was his just due. But even a very incomplete record of such a noble and useful life will serve two purposes : it will confer a benefit on him who reads it, and it will testify to the undying admiration with which we regard our beloved associate. Chicago, March 17, 1907. F. J. HEALY AT THE AGE OF i8 patrlcfe 31ojsep]^ i^ealt CHAPTER ONE PATRICK JOSEPH HEALY, the founder of the music house that bears his name, was born on a farm in Ireland, March 17, in the year 1840. His father's little house was situated about two miles from the town of Burnfort, in the county of Cork. This small farm differed in no way from hundreds of its neighbors. The usual round of monotonous duties engrossed the family, and of pleasures there were few. But little Patrick was some- times taken to market by his father on the jaunting-car of a Saturday, and so could count the weeks by that great event. His father and mother were both of the sturdiest type of the rural Irish, and he found himself rich in brothers and sisters, for he was the youngest of thirteen children. At the time of the child's burth, his father was seventy-five years old, or perhaps it might better be said seventy-five years young, for Healy, Sr., lived to be 103, and then fell asleep peacefully while sitting in the sunshine of his 9 ^atrtcft 9^0#epl) i^ealp Boston doorway. He had never known sick- ness, and only at the last had his activity di- minished. Yielding to the inevitable, the Healy family gave up the struggle to make headway amid the pretty but impoverished vales of Burn- fort, and when Patrick was ten years of age they planted his small feet in the classic city of Boston. He had already acquired a re- markable stock of knowledge for one so young, and his first day in school in America was signalized by a flying jump from the primary room into the highest grade of the grammar school. His spelling was a source of wonder- ment to the small Bostonians, and exceeding delight to the teacher. For, on the first spell- down, when he spelled "shew," and the class objected, the teacher smilingly remarked: "That's correct; that's the way Healy and I always spelled it when we were boys together." This teacher, William T. Adams, to whose dis- cernment and appreciation young Healy owed so much, was afterwards widely known as "Oliver Optic," the author of the widely known series of boys' books. In the neighborhood in which young Healy ID ^atticft ^o$tp^ !^ealp lived there was a struggling music teacher, Silas P. Bancroft, a man with a great heart and a desire to do good far beyond his slender means. He took a fancy to the bright, eager- faced school-boy, and employed him to blow the organ for him on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons and soon the spirit of the lad aroused Mr. Bancroft to seek an opening for him in the great world of business. One day that young Healy had spent the hours after school in bringing home wood in a wheelbarrow, from a neighboring yard, Mr. Bancroft marched in and announced that he had gotten a place for his proteg^. It was in a music store. The boy was now fourteen and his parents, with that ardent desire to give their youngest child the education that they themselves were denied be- cause of poverty in the old land, were prepared to make any sacrifice to enable the Joseph of the family to enter college, but young Healy's filial desire to make easy his parents' declining days, coupled with his passion for a commer- cial life, carried the day. So the morning of the next day, September 24, 1854, a full hour before Mr. George P. Reed, the music dealer, got down to business, the new errand-boy II ^atricft 3^o^epl) I^ealp sat on the stool nearest to the door, kicking his feet against the counter and ready to jump down at the entrance of any man who looked in the least as though he might own the store. Young Healy put in a year or two as errand- boy and stock-boy, and then was given the duties of a full-fledged clerk. Every music teacher in Boston came to know that the way to get what one wanted in Reed's (afterwards Tolman's) was to find young Healy. He knew the stock backwards and forwards, what they had, what they did n't have, and what they could send out for. He worked in this stock from early morning till night, saving only an hour for himself at noon in which to visit the reading- room of the Boston Public Library. He got tired sometimes; one summer he had to rest on the landings before he could drag himself up to the reading-room, but he never lost cour- age. Rowing upon the Charles River even- ings and on holidays, always brought back his native vigor. The house with which he was identified changed hands, but young Healy had found his life's work in the music business, and the changes made but little difference in his im- 12 ^atticft S^o^eplj i^ealp mediate duties. It did, however, open his eyes to the fact that if he would secure a solid foot- ing in the commercial world he must find a new field. About this time Oliver Ditson and John C. Haynes had sent John Church out West to take over the Cincinnati branch of their business, and the Ditson affairs with the Chicago connection, Smith & Nixon, were also approaching a crisis. But now the Civil War diverted men's lines of thought for a brief period, and new plans lagged while the country's life was in peril. Young Healy was one of the first to respond to the call for vol- unteers, Alas! his short stature and light weight caused his rejection with a promptness that was startling. He had to comfort him only the thought that even the greatest heroes would have come to naught if they could n't even get started. Recruiting officers from time immemorial have used charts, rather than brains, in enlisting men, and quantity, not quality, is what the charts provide for. In 1864, Oliver Ditson sent for Mr. Healy and his fellow-clerk, Mr. Lyon, and offered them a choice of cities, in which he would set them up in business so as to serve as an out- 13 ^atrich S^o^epf) I^ealp let for Ditson productions. St. Louis, Chicago, and San Francisco were available. Mr. Healy visited St. Louis, which was then larger than Chicago, and made a study of the latter place, but did not go to San Francisco. The far Western town seemed to be too great a distance from good old Boston. Mr. Healy, on his re- turn, reported that he had selected Chicago, showing thus early in his career his wonderful capacity for correctly reading the future. So in 1864, as the country emerged from scenes of bloodshed to a grateful peace, the new firm was launched upon the rising tide of business pros- perity. The firm name became Lyon & Healy inasmuch as Mr. Lyon was the senior by sev- eral years. High spirits! When Mr. Healy reached Chi- cago, in May, 1864, he felt like Alexander of old. Already he had conquered fortune. But when on closer acquaintance he found that city to be a muddy country town, part of it stagger- ing on stilts, and the rest reposing placidly on the bosom of a swamp, some of his enthu- siasm oozed away. Mr. Lyon, after going up and down many flights of stairs, which were a part of the sidewalk in a single block on 14 ^atticft S^o^epf) J^ealp the principal street, said: "Let's go back to Boston, where, at least, we won't break our necks." But P. J. Healy steadied himself on the rickety stairs, took a firmer grip on the hand-rail, and said: **No, I'll never go back." 15 D CHAPTER TWO GREAT success is not accomplished by the man who possesses a grand idea, but by him who is possessed by a nearby, definite purpose. It is the daily carrying out of small means toward a well-defined end that lays the foundation for the edifice that shall eventually tower toward the heavens and be- come the landmark for thousands. The guid- ing thought of P. J. Healy in the early days of the house that bears his name was that he must justify the trust reposed in him by his East- ern friends. He had been given charge over what was to him in those times a very large sum of money. It was his to fritter away in foolish or unwise business moves, to preserve intact by easy-going, spiritless merchandising, or to increase a hundred-fold by wide-awake and daring enterprise, coupled with unflinching attention to details. Day and night he had but the one thought, — to prove himself a faithful steward to those who had reposed confidence in him. He began each business day by per- sonally opening all the mail, making credits, and adjusting grievances with the rapidity of 17 ^atticfe S^o^ejjfj I^ealp an automatic machine. After a day crowded to the utmost with every conceivable form of business exertion, from engaging clerks to at- tending to the banking, he finished his labors close on to midnight in his own home by work upon statistics, etc. Such activity could not fail to bring results. Oliver Ditson had said, by way of encouragement : " If you have good luck, in ten years' time you will do a business of $100,000 per year." The new firm passed that figure before the first twelvemonth had ex- pired. Yet Mr. Healy found time to make a few friends, to give long and careful attention to the problems that needed it, and from the first to bestow kindnesses with an open hand upon all who asked either his advice or his assistance. In those days, one of the best known of Chi- cago's capitalists was a certain old gentleman, who chanced to be Lyon & Healy's first land- lord. One day, after the new firm had been established three or four years, he dropped in for a short chat. ''Healy," said he, "don't you want to borrow some money to help in- crease your business?" " I could n't afford to pay ten per cent," re- 18 ^atricft 3^a^epl) i^calp joined Mr. Healy; "and that's what the trade tell me they have to give you." ''Well," replied the old gentleman in a whis- per, and with his bony finger to his cautious lips, ''it won't cost you ten per cent." And this was probably as high a compHment as the old gentleman ever paid to any one. To Lyon & Healy's one day came a pale and worn man, carrying a violin under one arm and a roll of manuscript music in his hand. He was tired and discouraged, for his regular publishers would not advance him fur- ther royalties. He approached Silas G. Pratt (since so well known as a composer and conduc- tor, then a bright young salesman), and asked him if he could close a contract with Mr. Healy. Pratt said, "We have talked somewhat of get- ting out a new Sunday-school song book, and, if you like, I will ask Mr. Healy to give you an audience." As Mr. Healy came out from the ofl&ce into the store to hear some of the musician's ideas, he took in the situation at a glance. The del- icate, refined face of the musician, drawn with a deep anxiety, told its own story of financial distress, and of the thousand rebuffs that had 19 ^atricft S^o^epl) l^ealp broken the heart of one of the gentlest men that ever hved. When his music came to an end, the stranger asked anxiously: "How do you like it?" "That's all right," responded Mr. Healy, and he then and there contracted for a work to be known as "The Signet Ring." About a year afterwards people began com- ing in to ask for "The Signet Ring," and chiefly because of one certain song it contained. At first, no attention was paid to these indica- tions, but finally the song was printed separately, and edition after edition was published and sold. In the mean time, Pratt had gone to Europe to study. Three years passed, and he returned to New York City. "As the boat came up to the pier," he says, "the band was playing a simple tune that seemed familiar. As I alighted the porters were humming this same air, then when I reached the street the newsboys were whistling it. At the first corner a street mu- sician was singing it, and then it flashed over me all at once that this was the song that had made the success of Lyon & Healy's * Signet Ring.' It was, in short, the song that was to become one of the most popular ever written, 20 ^atricft ^o$epf^ i^ealp the song that, but for the great heart of Patrick J. Healy, might never have seen the light of day, "The Sweet By and By." Those were brave days in the *6o's, full of joyous business activity, and full, too, of the domestic happiness that rounds out a man's life, for in his bride, Mary Grifl&th, whom he married October 31, 1863, P. J. Healy found a companion worthy to share his high aims and his large ambition. She was a descendant of the Griffiths of Wales, the clan so well known in song and story; and to intellectual gifts of a high order she added an amount of practical common sense such as is given to few women. Self-denial was a part of her creed, and she ordered every- thing within her household with a single, steady view of enabling her husband to achieve the success upon which he had set his heart. Of the children sent to bless this happy union, three sons survived, James, Raymond, and Paul. Mr. Healy's home life was ideal, his business began to prosper beyond his fond- est dreams, the sky was without a cloud. 21 p. J. HEALV AT THE AGE OF CHAPTER THREE ON Sunday, September 4, 1870, in the af- ternoon of a bright Indian summer day, the fire bells clanged a call. The new and handsome Drake block, at Washington Street and Wabash Avenue, was in flames. When Mr. Healy arrived, a short time after the conflagation began, he found the beautiful store on the corner, to which Lyon & Healy had re- cently moved, and which had already become the Mecca for the music-loving people of the West, a pile of smoking ashes. But the energy and ability that could create a great institution from nothing was not to be balked by a catas- trophe of this kind. At an impromptu council, held while the flames were still smouldering, it was decided to go right ahead with the business. With the utmost vigor the task was under- taken of assembling the thousands and thou- sands of items that go to make up a general music stock. Within a short time, a perma- nent location was found at 150 South Clark Street, and these spacious quarters were crowded to the utmost with a splendid new stock. Then, when the pressure was over, Mr. Healy gave 23 ^atricft S^D^epI) i^ealp evidence of how severe had been the blow, coming, as it did, upon the top of exertions that for years had taxed his strength to the utmost. He was forced by nervous exhaus- tion to give up business entirely, and for some weeks the physicians held out small hopes of his recovery. Doubtless the months that he spent within the Valley of the Shadow of Death had much to do with his attitude ever after- ward toward the sick or suffering. His thought- fulness and tenderness for others from this time forward became one of his chief characteris- tics. Many a pale clerk owed his or her lease of life to Mr. Healy's watchful eye and princely generosity. In the spring of 187 1, Mr. Healy returned from a long trip through the West with health fully restored and energies once more at their best. Lyon & Healy now took over the piano business of Smith & Nixon, combining it with their original sheet-music and book business, and Mr. Healy had taken another step in his great project of building up an establishment that should contain "Everything Known in Music." Some years before, Mr. Healy had es- tablished a wholesale and retail small-instru- 24 ^atricft ^o$tpf^ 1$teAp ment department, and had already conceived his plans of world-wide advertising, and, as an earnest of his intentions, had started the "Little Bandmen" advertisement running in all the great newspapers of the day. This was the beginning of the persistent, logical advertising which was to carry the name of Lyon & Healy into the farthermost hamlets of America. About this time, it became evident to his clear judgment that certain of his employees had in them ability to ably second his efforts. They were the fine gold, so to speak, in the mass of clay with which he was working to perfect his organization, and we find him beginning to entrust a prominent part in the business cam- paign to his lieutenants. These young men he placed in the positions for which they seemed peculiarly fitted, and having given them a firm, unwavering example in the great underlying principles of business, he left them in matters of detail almost entirely to their own devices. The process of making all the younger men in Lyon & Healy' s strong by throwing them upon their own resources, letting them make mistakes and get out of them as best they could, is illustrated by one typical incident. 25 ^atricfe S^o^epl) i^ealp A certain seminary not far from Chicago had decided to put in a number of high-grade pianos, and one of the salesmen was sent to endeavor to sell them. Next day, this young man telegraphed Mr. Healy: "What shall I do for a starter?" Quick as a flash, Mr. Healy telegraphed back: "Start home." But if Mr. Healy sometimes used Spartan methods in building up the character of his younger associates, no man ever placed a higher estimate upon loyalty. Loyal himself in the highest degree to those who had given him his start in the business world, and to those constituting his business family, he could forgive and overlook almost anything in the man who was doggedly faithful to Lyon & Healy. One day a clerk reported that a certain red- headed stripling, who had grown up in the store, was impudent to him and must be discharged. "Very well," said Mr. Healy, "discharge him." Presently the clerk came back and said : ' 'I have discharged him, and he won't go. Won't you please sign a written order for his dis- missal?" 26 I^atricft ^o^tpl) i^ealp Mr. Healy signed the order with his custo- mary bold flourish. In a few moments the clerk returned again, in a high state of indignation, and blurted out: "He won't go. I gave him your written order, and he read it and tore it up, and then said. Oh, you go to blazes! '" "Well," replied Mr. Healy, turning to his correspondence, "since you've discharged him, and I've discharged him, and he won't go, I don't see what further can be done." 27 CHAPTER FOUR IN Chicago they have only two periods of time, — before the fire, and after. True, new-comers to that city often date things from the Fair, but your genuine Chicagoan be- gins his narration with, "It was about three years before the fire," etc. The Chicago fire, ranking, as it ever will, among the world's great catastrophes, wiped out substantial business enterprises by the thousand, and crippled every Chicago business house more than can possibly be deduced from a table of figures. For years afterward, firms that had apparently recov- ered from the blow collapsed almost in a night. The same thing is true of the business men of that period. The number of deaths indi- rectly caused by the fire can never be traced. To have the accumulations of a generation swept away in an hour before one's eyes is an experience which no man can go through with- out carrying the marks of it to the grave. The very shrewdest and most capable merchants were carried off their feet, and no blame could be attached to them. Take the case of those Chicagoans who had placed their insurance 29 ^atricft 2fo^epl) l^ealp in the Chicago fire insurance companies which were so big with promise in 1870. The day after the fire they were worse off than penniless, and only years of debt and strained credit remained before them. Then those mer- chants who were fortunate enough to have had their insurance in foreign companies awoke October loth to find their "bills receivable " in large part only a myth. The merchant who held the same position in the dry-goods trade that Mr. Healy did in the musical industry, a few days after the fire announced that he could see no hope. He remained in business because, in justice to others, he could not stop, but he frankly advised his Eastern connec- tions of the desperate plight of all Chicago business men. In viewing Mr. Healy' s atti- tude at the time of the fire, one can but marvel. If the Chicago fire annihilated larger firms, houses of long-established credit, doing business on their own capital, what chance was there for a young firm, barely eight years old, which had already within the year been wiped out by fire ? That Mr. Healy could go calmly ahead, almost as though nothing had hap- pened, shows the extraordinary strength of his 30 ^atricft So^tph i^^alp character. Truly, he was born to succeed, and nothing could keep him from his own. Fate might be said to have done her worst in his case, but he rose to each occasion forceful, alert, and with an eye to every chance. His personal attitude was reflected in the men with whom he had surrounded himself. For, after they had done what they could on the night of the fire to save books and papers, they dis- persed before the flames, firm in the knowledge that business would be continued somehow, somewhere, on the morrow. Mr. Healy's own words in regard to the fire itself, are as follows : "At the time of the great fire of '71, I lived on Peoria Street, near Van Buren. The Sunday evening of the fire I retired before eight o'clock, and, if my memory does not deceive me, I was not long in bed before an alarm of fire sound- ed, then a second, a third, and so on. I dressed myself in haste and went down town. Upon reaching the river, I concluded that the busi- ness district of Chicago was doomed, and press- ing forward, I arrived at our store at No. 150 Clark Street about ten o'clock. I opened the safe, took out all money, bills receivable, in- surance policies, and other valuable papers, 31 ^atricft S^o^epI) J^ealp and carried them home. I then immediately started to return to the store, but I had great difficulty in getting there on account of the ex- citement and crowded condition of the streets. But I finally succeeded in forcing my way, and, upon entering the store, I found there a number of our employees. They had all con- cluded that the business district of Chicago was doomed, and that we had no choice but to abandon our store and its contents. They advised me not to trust the ledger, cash-book, and journal to the safe. While I doubted my ability to get to the West Side in safety with the books, I nevertheless took their advice, and by the aid of two of our draymen managed to reach the West Side by Eighteenth Street, about two or three o'clock in the morning." Immediately after the fire Lyon & Healy occupied temporary quarters in a small store at 287 West Madison Street, afterwards securing warerooms in a little church building on Wabash Avenue, corner Sixteenth Street. Here the better part of a year was spent awaiting the rebuilding of the business center. So shrewdly had Mr. Healy placed his insurance that his house realized 85 per cent of the face 32 ^atricft SFo^epI) J^ealp of the insurance policies; but outside of this it may be said that naught but chaos re- mained. Mr. Healy was not slow to under- stand that a crisis in his house was at hand, and that much depended upon obtaining an advantageous lease. Finally, after difficult negotiations he secured the store building at 162 to 164 State Street, from Judge Otis, and in November, 1873, ^^^ again able to transact bus- iness in a permanent office. To the regard, admiration, and personal loyalty with which Mr. Healy never failed to inspire all his close asso- ciates, must be ascribed the readiness with which his Eastern friends faced the rebuilding of the business. In the case of almost any one else they would have abandoned a field so fruit- fiil of appalling disaster. As it was, they brought great pressure to bear upon him to make certain changes, but he stood firm. 'The house of Lyon & Healy must go on just as it is," were his words, uttered with a deter- mination that carried all before it. The new store was located right in the heart of the retail shopping district. The rent at that time seemed enormous, and signs of an approach- ing panic were not wanting. But somehow 33 ^atricfe S^D^epf) i^ealp during those troublous days of the early 'yo's, Mr. Healy managed not only to keep afloat, but to make some progress. In looking back, it is hard to realize the conditions of business in those days, and hard to understand that many things that are now a matter of course were then daring experiments. Mr. Healy did things. Older men in the trade shook their heads and presaged failure. He sold pianos for almost nominal payments down, gave long time on the balance, and scarcely ever repossessed a piano. "Men who want to steal," he said, "have no use for pianos." He sold sheet music at a heavy discount from list prices. C. A. Zoebisch, the leading small-in- strument importer of the time, in one of his early trips to New York, hunted him up and said: "Healy, I see you have gotten out a picture-book. I am sorry about it. You will surely ruin the business." And Mr. Zoebisch was considered the oldest, shrewdest, and wealthiest man in the musical importing trade. The "picture-book" to which he referred was an illustrated catalog, by far the most elaborate and expensive of the kind issued by a business house up to that time. Con- 34 ^atricft ^^o^eplj i^ealp trast this method of merchandising with the secret-cost and sales-from-samples-only style, and one sees why Lyon & Healy went for- ward by leaps and bounds. Later, the first catalog ever printed containing half-tone en- gravings of goods, and portraits of prominent artists recommending them, upon each page, was issued by Lyon & Healy. Newspaper advertising was handled by Mr. Healy in the same broad manner. His ideas were many years ahead of the times. From the first he had the true advertising instinct. "A good advertisement of a good thing, in a good paper, is a good investment," was one of his maxims. He would satisfy himself upon these three car- dinal points, and take no concern if the im- mediate returns were apparently far less than the cost. He was always building for the future. So undivided was his attention to his business affairs, that almost everything out- side of the Lyon & Healy sphere of activity was rejected without a moment's hesitation. Opportunities for speculation, for investment, for other business, were waved aside with scarce a moment's consideration. He would smile pleasantly at the enthusiastic promotor or 35 ^atricft 3^o^ept| 1$ta\p broker, and say, " Oh, take that to one of those smart fellows." With Mr. Healy, it was Lyon & Healy first, last, and all the time. Naturally, his friends were those with whom he touched elbows in his daily affairs, but these friend- ships were stanch and lifelong. So when the smoke of the fire had fairly cleared away, we find Mr. Healy splendidly alive, and with the foundations ready upon which he was to build the greatest business of the kind the world had seen. 36 CHAPTER FIVE IN July, 1877, ^^- Healy was called upon to suffer the loss of his devoted wife. After a very brief illness, Mrs. Healy passed away, leaving James, George, Raymond, and Paul, four little children to accentuate her absence. The shock bore heavily upon him, and for a time he was completely prostrated. Then he resumed his business cares with an intensity that spoke all too plainly of a desolate fireside. A short time prior to the Chicago fire, the firm of Lyon 8i Healy had placed on sale the first upright pianos ever exhibited in Chicago. Everything up to that time had been either square or grand pianos. The innovation was not regarded with favor by the trade. One of Mr. Healy's competitors called to inspect the new claimants for public favor. He was quite an eloquent speaker upon certain topics, and after viewing the upright pianos, he delivered his opinion upon them, setting forth at length the various reasons why they could never suc- ceed. His reasons were as plentiful as cures for a cold. Mr. Healy heard him to the end, and then repHed in his most positive manner, "Mr. 37 ^atricft S^o^epf) i^calp -, inside of one year you will be proclaim- ing the merits of the upright piano in as strong terms as we are going to do from now on " ; and when he had bowed the gentleman out, Mr. Healy turned to his associates and said: " We '11 have a carload of upright pianos shipped to us at once." Lyon & Healy made a great gain in the piano department of their business by this accurate forecasting of public taste. The square piano was speedily relegated to second place, and the new kind of piano sold by Lyon & Healy became town talk. Mr. Healy had always been a devout church goer, and, in company with several other gentle- men, was now persuaded to serve on a com- mittee to conduct a series of church entertain- ments given for the purpose of raising funds for the purpose of building a new church struc- ture. He soon saw the bad features of raising church funds by such means. So to his pastor he made the proposition that he would be one of a number to guarantee the necessary funds, provided all entertainments of a secular nature be abandoned. To this the clergyman gladly agreed. Then Mr. Healy, by his forceful point- ing out of the waste of valuable time and effort 38 ^atricft ^o^cp^ i^ealp incident to entertainments and their lack of harmony with the character of a house of wor- ship, induced other members of the congrega- tion to join with him in Hberal voluntary contributions. Mr. Healy had a way of going on with por- tions of his business that were not very pros- perous which bespoke a patience of the larger sort as well as a grim determination. **When I put my foot forward I never like to take it back," he said time and again when urged to discontinue some branch of the house's affairs that seemed incapable of ever making an ade- quate return. Another and a greater indication of his pa- tience was his early determination to ''grow his own captains,'' as he sometimes tersely put it. It was his pride to point out that every man holding a position of high responsibility had entered the employ of Lyon & Healy at about the age of sixteen; and one of Mr. Healy's strongest points was his ability to bring out what was best in his subordinates. Men developed unsuspected powers when working under Mr. Healy's eye. As the years went by and these men grew in strength of purpose and 39 ^attith 3Foi6fept) i^ealp force of character, they came to feel for theu: chief a love and veneration that knew no bounds. He was fond of quoting Napoleon's saying to the effect that ** every French soldier carried in his knapsack a marshal's baton"; and in his own business organization he proved that it rested with the individual whether or not that individual might some day have a voice in the direction of the affairs of the firm. One day as Mr. Healy was signing the firm name, a small bit of the paper caught upon his broad gold pen, and, presto! the famous signature known of business men and bankers the world over was born. He at once saw the value of the trade-mark, and finding that he could produce it with an ordinary pen by means of a quick and peculiar dip of the wrist he never varied from it thereafter. From the above fac-simile of his writing, it will be seen that this original signature is re- markable from several standpoints. In the 40 ^attith S^o^epft i^ealp first place, it is one of the most difficult signa- tures to counterfeit or forge. It looks simple, but the thousands of people who have striven to make a copy of it, just for their own amusement, have found it wellnigh impossible to duplicate. In the next place, it is extremely striking and yet legible. Any one familiar with signa- tures current in financial circles knows that many of the most important ones are so in- volved and complicated as to be entirely un- readable. In fact, even some of the signatures upon the United States paper currency might almost as well be Chinese, as far as legibility is concerned. Mr. Healy always modestly ascribed his signature to two things — first, the lucky accident of the small wad of paper ; and second, the fact that, as a small boy, one of his duties in the first school he attended was to sharpen and care for the quill pens. So naturally much of the dashing quill-pen style of chirography clung to him after he took up with the modern pen. Mr. Healy's signature has been extensively pirated both in and out of the music business, and if imitation is the sincerest flattery, he could never complain that other firms whose names happened to begin 41 ^atricft '^o^tp^ i^ealp with the letter " L" did not appreciate his in- vention. His handwriting at this time was very pecuhar, but perfectly legible, as will be evident from the annexed example. 42 CHAPTER SIX IN September, 1882, Mr. Healy took his sec- ond wife, Miss Frances Hannan. She was a highly educated woman, the possessor of marked literary ability, and her prominence in church matters, where her sterling qualities were fully recognized, led to Mr. Healy's ac- quaintance with her. A woman of command- ing presence, her bearing was full of grace and dignity. It was a love-match in the best sense of the word, and during the happy years that fol- lowed, Mr. Healy and his brilliant wife were inseparable. The marriage ceremony was fol- lowed by a trip abroad, which was the first long vacation from business affairs that Mr. Healy had allowed himself. On his return the em- ployees of the house greeted him en masse, and the Lyon & Healy Military Band, which had now grown to be one of the leading musical organizations of Chicago, insisted upon sere- nading him, and would not be denied. Mr. Healy, always the most modest and retiring of men, said that while he thanked the members of the band from the bottom of his heart, he hoped the neighbors would understand that 43 ^atricfe ^c$tp^ i^ealp he had no part in planning a public reception. This trip of Mr. Healy's was the first of the long series in which he took such delight, and in which he cultivated the acquaintance of mu- sic dealers, large and small, until his personal friends became legion, and his friendly calls one of the institutions of the music trade. Daily, from this period on, plans of develop- ment were brought to him by his assistants. His method of declining those which seemed unsound to him, without discouraging the spon- sors, is interesting. He would listen carefully to the proposition, and if it had to do with de- tail, he would finally dispose of it by saying, *'Yes, it might do — but — it would take more clerks." If it were a proposition involving a radical move, whether sound or unsound, he would usually make a note of it on a slip torn from the edge of a newspaper, and remark, I '11 see what the others think." Mr. Healy was not given to framing sen- tences that might be quoted, in fact, he avoided everything of the kind as far as possible; yet many of his sayings, in spite of their modest delivery, were caught up and treasured by those who enjoyed his confidence. For instance, upon 44 ^atricft ^o^tpt^ i^ealp the subject of banking, he began: " Never defer borrowing from a bank until you actually need money." Upon the subject of giving notes, when the cash balance in the bank is so large as to make the practice not only unnecessary, but the care of the cash in itself somewhat of a burden, he said: "Bankers are crea- tures of habit. The paper that was all right yesterday is all right to-day. Therefore, have no cessation in the flow, no break in the se- quence. If you do, when you are forced to resume putting out paper, you will find that the whole army of bankers, who formerly took your paper as a matter of course, now set themselves up into so many living interrogation points who want to know ' Why ? ' and * Where- fore?' and all about it." In October, 1889, to Mr. Healy's great re- gret, the partnership of a quarter of a century was broken by the withdrawal of Mr. Lyon, who, at the time, was approaching seventy years of age, and for a long time past had been out of sympathy with the expansion of business taking place each year under Mr. Healy's aggressive management. When, there- fore, Mr. Lyon refused to permit the house to 4S ^atricft ^c^tpJi ]^ealp go on with necessary steps in its growth, and also declined all offers looking toward his retire- ment from active participation in the affairs of the house, although requested to occupy one of the chief offices for hfe, a sad but una- voidable break occurred. Mr. Healy arranged that Mr. Lyon should be paid a large sum for the use of his name, in addition to the price of his actual holdings, so that the firm might go on with title unchanged. About this time the factories established in a small way for the production of musical instruments had outgrown their dingy quarters, and Mr. Healy conceived the plan of building a huge factory opposite one of the Chicago parks. Such property hitherto had been used exclusively for apartment houses, and was, of course, much more expensive than land on some side street ; but from the first, Mr. Healy wished the keynote of the Lyon & Healy factories to be "Quality." It is doubtful if another fac- tory anywhere has the charming outlook en- joyed by the Lyon & Healy building, and surely few workmen look out from their daily tasks upon great beds of flowers and upon minia- ture lakes dotted with swans. The residents 46 ^attich 3^0iBfepl^ I^ealp of the neighborhood were naturally in arms at this innovation, but the first few months showed them that at least one factory could be a good neighbor. Along its walls radiant geraniums hail the passer-by, and the windows are assaulted by the venturesome ivy, which seeks every year to enter that it may learn whence come the sweet sounds. Mr. Healy made a careful study from year to year of the various plans tried in this and foreign countries to better the condition of the workman. His practical mind saw at once the flaw in all the co-operative and patriarchal insurance and benefit schemes. " Until I can find something better, I know of no other way than to pay a workman in full every week, and let him attend to his own insurance," was his verdict. How sound was his judgment is shown that in all the thousands of strikes and labor troubles in Chicago until the year 1904, the factory of Lyon & Healy was never in- volved. His platform was as follows: "Pay cash to the workman for everything he does. Do not attempt to spend money that is not yours to spend for the bettering of his condition. Pay him the highest market price 47 ^atritft 5o^epI) i^ealp and let him work out his own salvation. The moment you begin to handle trust funds or to build up benefits, the workman becomes sus- picious. Be your motives never so pure, they will be questioned. But as much cash as he can earn anywhere else, paid cheerfully and regularly, is something the workman can understand." Mr. Healy had long wished to do some signal thing in the world of music. In a general way, and in a thousand small ways, he had advanced the musical industry greatly; but he desired to put his personal impress upon the world of music, so that it would leave a well- nigh indelible mark. So a portion of the beau- tiful new factory was set aside in which to build the finest harp the world had ever seen. Skilled draftsmen were secured, and the under- taking was gone into with the thoroughness that insures ultimate success. The harp at that time had not been materially improved since the invention of Sebastian Erard, in 1812, a period of some seventy years. Indeed, it was a part of the traditions of the musical profession that the harp, like the violin, had reached perfection. But from the constant 48 ^atricfe So$tp^ l^ealp stream of out-of-repair harps that had been sent to him for years past, Mr. Healy knew better. "Let us build a harp," he said, "that will rank beside the American watch. Instead of each harp being a source of constant wor- riment to its player from its liability to get out of order, let us make a harp that will go around the world without loosening a screw." It took years to evolve such an instrument, and an expenditure of money entirely out of proportion to the cash returns in sight. But the labor was one of love. The new Lyon & Healy harp in its final form was born about 1886. Immediately, it started upon a tour of conquest unique in its way. One of the new Lyon & Healy harps was introduced into the Chicago Orchestra. At the first concert in which it was used every member of that grand organ- ization was aware that the harp tone had sud- denly assumed a depth and richness not here- tofore heard. The curiosity and adulation of the public is well enough in its way, but far more precious is the hushed attention of a body of trained critics. The simple inquiry from numerous brother players, "Where did you get your new harp?" meant more to the harpist 49 ^atricft ^tx0tpf^ l^ealp than a column of newspaper praise. So, on the recommendation of the harpist in the Chi- cago Orchestra, and later of the harpist in the Boston Orchestra, a Lyon & Healy harp was sent to Leipsic. There it was played in the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Shortly after came word that Siegfried Wagner had become enraptured of its tone-quality. In a few years, eight Lyon 8z Healy harps were bought by soloists in Berlin alone. In every German city the possession of a Lyon & Healy harp became the dream of the local harpist. "Can a harp come out of Chicago? " asked the London crit- ics. Aptommas played his new Lyon & Healy harp, and the question was answered. Then followed triumphs in England, France, Italy, South America, and Russia, until the Lyon & Healy harp became the recognized standard of the world. The Washburn guitars, mandolins, and ban- jos, in their less serious field, were also pushed to a degree of excellence hitherto unknown. An interesting side-light upon their quality is given by a letter from Shanghai, China, in which the local music dealer says, "At last we have a mandolin, 'The Washburn,' that will 50 ^atricft S^o^epl) i^calp not fall apart from the excessive dampness of this climate." The annual output of the Lyon & Healy factories by 1890 had reached 100,000 musical instruments, or, as Mr. Healy himself graph- ically put it, "a musical instrument every other working minute.'* 51 CHAPTER SEVEN THE decade from 1890 to 1900 was a peri- od of great activity and it was marked by the fruition of many of Mr. Healy's life- long dreams. In 1892 the nearest competi- tors of Lyon & Healy were left far behind in the volume of business done, and his house received universal recognition as the largest music house in the world. In 1893 came the World's Fair in Chicago, in which Lyon & Healy gave a display that surpassed anything of the kind theretofore, for a beautiful two- story building was erected, and concerts were given daily for six months. The public was invited, and a large register was filled with the names of distinguished visitors from all over the world. When the whole country, in 1893, plunged in a moment from the topmost wave of pros- perity to the lowest ebb of panic, the vast majority of business men were caught unpre- pared. Not so Mr. Healy. For a year he had been studying the financial skies, and all the blaze and glory of the World's Fair had not bUnded him. Six months before the crash 53 ^atricfe S^o^epft i^ealp came he had begun to take in sail, and when the critical moment arrived the affairs of the house were in such shape as to render it an object of admiration to any one at all convers- ant with the facts. His conduct of affairs was characterized by a great financier as marked by the most extreme good judgment. Never- theless, the long duration of the panic, besides making sad inroads in the profits, added greatly to Mr. Healy's personal cares and responsi- bilities ; for he extended aid to all the old custom- ers of the house, and, in spite of the endless demands, remained a bulwark in the trade. It was early in this decade that Mr. Healy, feeling the need of a place for recuperation, built a beautiful summer home at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He called it ^' Shamrock Cottage," and here his family spent the summers; here the little ones were taught to swim and to row and to sail and to enjoy outdoor life. Mr. Healy himself was a powerful swimmer, as might be expected of a man with his great deep chest, and Mrs. Healy was not a whit behind in love for the water. The children seemed to have no sense of fear, and to be as much at home in or on the lake as on the shore. 54 ^atticft 2ro^epft i^ealp Another of his ambitions to be realized about this time was the covering of prac- tically the entire civilized globe with emis- saries from Lyon & Healy. All the princi- pal cities of Europe for many years had been visited regularly by representatives of the house, and salesmen were continually traveling the length and breadth of the United States and Canada, but now able men were dispatched to Australia, China, and Japan, and to the countries of South America. In every city of importance a representative for the goods made by the Lyon & Healy factories was secured. It is worthy of note that even in places farthest away, the fame of Lyon & Healy had spread to such an extent that business was secured with very little difficulty. A point at which his business touched very close to Art was in the department of Fine Violins. Mr. Healy was never carried away by unreasoning enthusiasm, but he pos- sessed a steady confidence in the American pub- lic which inspired him to do things deliberately that other men could do only under stimulus, so when the connoisseur of old violins em- ployed by Lyon & Healy succeeded in finding 55 ^atricfe S^D^epf) i^calp a genuine specimen of Stradivarius, Guarnerius, Amati, Bergonzi, Lupot, or some other great master, and was staggered by the price demand- ed, he would refer the matter to Mr. Healy. Mr. Healy would reply, " Buy it." Thus was build- ed up the greatest collection of fine violins in the world, with, perhaps, one exception. Finally, an opportunity occurred to buy the Hawley collection of twelve masterpieces, valued at $50,000. Mr. Healy, as usual, said, "Buy it "; and Lyon & Healy's forthwith, as the home of the King Joseph Guarnerius and other almost priceless instruments, became a world-shrine for lovers of the violin. About this time, also, was undertaken the building of pipe organs. This appealed to Mr. Healy on sentimental grounds, for he regarded the field as an uninviting one for profit. Like all men who are religious in the broadest sense, he found sweetness and light in everything connected with worship. A Roman Catholic and strong in his own religious faith, he was tolerant of every man's belief, and never forced his creed upon any one. If a man were only sincere, that was enough for him, but insincerity in any form he abominated. In 56 ^atricft S^o^epl) l^ealp dealings with churches he found much to interest him, and not a little to amuse. To clergymen who wished to buy pipe organs pretty nearly all on faith, he used to say, "We sell organs on time, but not on eternity." One experience that he had in the early days of Lyon & Healy's church-organ building never failed to make his eyes twinkle w^hen he recalled it, and for years he could never tell of it without a fit of merri- ment. At the invitation of a friend, he visited a church, not of an orthodox creed, with a view to installing a pipe organ; it happened to be on a Wednesday evening and an " experience " meeting was in progress. The friend, who was a clear-cut business man, and not a whit behind Mr. Healy in religious toleration, waited for a moment that Mr. Healy might hear what the old-timers were saying. An old gentleman arose, very feeble and very lean. He looked as though he had n't had a good meal in a half a century. ''And now," said the leader of the meeting, "Brother Borum will tell us what he has to be thankful for." Brother Borum steadied himself and quaked out, "I have many things for which I praise God, but the thing I am most thankful for is that 57 ^atticft S^o^epl) i^ealp I was not born a Roman Catholic." Mr. Healy says his friend made a bee-line for the door, dragging him after him, and never stopped until they reached the open air. Mr. Healy, to further the joke, waved all explanations aside, and ever afterward, when he met his friend, used to ask him how Brother Borum was flour- ishing. To Mr. Healy and his second wife were born eight children, all but one of whom survived the period of infancy. They were Mark, Mary, Vincent, Frances, Anita, Columbus, and Au- gustine, the third child, John, dying when less than a year of age. Mrs. Healy took the keen- est delight in her family, and Mr. Healy was never happier than when he had one of the little ones by the hand. A caller at the Healy home one evening, after exhibiting signs of extreme restlessness, said to Mr. Healy, " Does n't the noise disturb you ? " Mr. Healy replied in per- fect good faith, " What noise? " When Mr. Healy was told, in 1898, that Mrs. Healy had but a few months to live, he was literally stunned by the impending blow. To see his idolized wife slipping away, and to be unable to do aught to save her, engulfed him 58 in an abyss of misery too deep for words. The services of the most eminent surgeons were en- gaged, and day and night the devoted husband kept a tireless vigil. But there was no hope; Mrs. Healy died November 6, 1899. The beautiful garden at Geneva that she loved was thenceforth to be regarded by him only with eyes brimming over with tears. When he resumed his place in business, his kindness to those around him, always great, was redoubled. It became his delight to seek out the unfortunate, to mingle with those who had but little joy. This characteristic was once commented upon to him; he was asked if he knew that the gentleman he had taken to his club had failed three times in business, and had a far from enviable reputation. His re- ply was: "If you had failed three times in business and had a far from enviable reputa- tion, perhaps you would be glad of an invitation to dinner, too." 59 CHAPTER EIGHT FROM the year 1900, Mr. Healy was the beloved Nestor of the music trade. Al- though still a comparatively young man in years, his active experience in his chosen busi- ness, reaching close to half a century, made of him an oracle whose utterances were listened to with the keenest interest. Naturally possessed of a prodigious memory, the passage of time seemed but to increase his powers in this respect. Every incident in his long ca- reer must have been indelibly registered in some powerful brain-cell, for at will he could sup- ply facts and figures long forgotten by others. But, unlike the majority of elderly men, he abhorred exaggeration. Certain tables of figures he always carried with him in a fa- mous black note-book, but he used them only for corroboration. He understood the value of a moderate statement, for one of his max- ims was: " Be conservative in your speech, and eventually your opinion will receive credence where the claims of a boastful man will be passed by.'' His judgment, always excellent, and now 61 ^atricfe S^OiSfepl) i^ealp ripened by a business career such as falls to but a few men, was regarded as nearly infalli- ble. The splendid balance with which he viewed things was recognized not only through- out the music trade, but in business circles generally. One unique testimonial to his re- markable character took place in the year 1900, when two business men, partners, having fallen out, called upon him with the request that he arbitrate their differences. These two men, in the course of their business partner- ship of twenty-five years, had accumulated a business and real estate to the extent of very nearly one million dollars. Then the sons of one partner entering the con- cern, discord grew apace, until the situation became unbearable. Lawyers were called in and steps were taken to wind up the affairs, to the great loss of all concerned. At this junc- ture one partner said he would be willing to abide by the decision of P. J. Healy, and to this the other partner instantly agreed. And they came, these gray-headed men of wealth, almost like school-boys, to this modern Solomon. He heard their story, and replied: "I will give you a written opinion of what you should do, if you 62 I^atncft ^Fo^ept) i^ealp insist, but only on one condition, and that is that you both bind yourselves to agree to fol- low out my advice, and that my opinion shall be final." To this they demurred. Then Mr. Healy continued: ''Very good, I am glad to be rid of the responsibility, for I should have pleased neither of you, and very likely should have lost two friends." But the next day they came again and agreed to his condition. Then he wrote out what each one should do, asking of each marked concessions. Before the two men left Mr. Healy' s presence they shook hands, and one of them said: "I feel twenty- five years younger than when I entered your office." To revert for a moment to Mr. Healy' s ex- traordinary memory, perhaps a good example of it is the following list of firms in the music business in Chicago that had either gone out of business or changed the title of their firm since the establishment of Lyon & Healy. This list was given off-hand in answer to a simple in- quiry, without consulting any book of reference: H. M. Higgins J. W. Truby Ziegfeld, Gerard & Co. W. M. Madden De Motte Bros. P. Osborne & Co. 63 ^attitfe 3^a^epl) i^ealp Meinhold & Co. John Preston Strauss Music Co. Chandler & Curtiss C. H. Fest & Co. McDonald & Newton Co J. A. Norris & Co. G. D. Draper & Co. Clausenius & Co. R. Burdett & Co. Story & Camp Wilson & Crane Howe & Grant C. A. Ceroid E. G. Newell & Co. R. Shoninger & Co. Geo. Woods & Co. Smith & Nixon Baker, Graves & Co. J. Howard Foote Gage & Hunt T. J. Ehnore & Co. G. C. Knopf el & Co. Thos. J. Finney Paterson & Wayman R. W. Cross & Co. N. Goold N. Goold & Son Engel, Goold & Schaff C. A. Smith & Co. Geo. A. Prince & Co. Klein & Conrad J. G. Earhuff T. W. Martin Baker & Havens Rice Hinze Piano Co. . Moore Organ Co. Sterling Organ Co. F. C. Lighte & Co. Hallet & Davis Co. J. Estey & Co. Stone Bros. Strong & Leimert Russell & Lane Co. Goldsmith & Co. Lewis, Newell & Gibbs N. A. Cross & Co. Dahlgren & Steger J. Engel & Co. H. W. Foote & Co. Russell & Evans Co. Kleinschmidt & Co. Fuchs & Co. Yarwood & Lyon Anderson Bros. Safford & Sons Colby Piano Co. A. Reed & Sons J. L. Mahan H. C. Schomacker & Co. Pelton & Pomeroy Cross & Day 64 ^atrtcft S^o^epf) i^ealp Merrill & Brennan H. L. Story & Co. Schomacker Piano Manu- Mason &HamlinOrgan Co. facturing Co. Ayres & Wygant Pelton, Pomeroy & Cross Haines-Whitney Co. Cross & Ambuhl Knauer Bros. Haines Bros. E. J. Cubley Derrick, Felgemaker & Co. W. F. Shaw Lyon, Potter & Co. John Molter C. J. Whitney E. A. Benson W. T. Reid Butterfield & Co. F. S. Chandler & Co. J. W. Kennicott J. W. Pepper Horace Branch Molter & WurHtzer G. Schaff & Bro. D. P. Faulds Carlestedt Bros. V. C. Taylor Hardnian, Peck & Co. J. H. Wolcott R. H. Rodda Schafif Bros. Piano Co. Root & Sons Music Co. R. T. Martin Root & Cady Rintleman & Co. Geo. F. Root & Sons Curtiss & Mayer Root & Lewis Benjamin Franklin said, '' Three removes are as bad as a fire," and Mr. Healy subscribed to this most heartily, and added, "A change of firm name should be avoided at almost any cost, for such a change causes confusion, pro- duces friction, and, worst of all, tends to un- settle public confidence." In his later years, perhaps the fact in regard to Lyon & Healy that pleased him more than any other, and cer- 65 ^atrich ^t^^tpf^ i^ealp tainly the one fact that he was most fond of giving out in the course of a conversation, was that no savings bank in Chicago was as long established as the house of Lyon 8z: Healy. This fact was first called to his attention by the receipt of a letter in which some far-away stranger said that as a result of a voting con- test, Lyon & Healy were credited with being the oldest established firm in the West. Mr. Healy possessed the true newspaper in- stinct: he knew what was news. Also, it goes without saying, he knew how to keep his counsel, so there was never an important act upon the music-trade fstage that he was not behind the scenes. The various news- paper and trade paper men were sure of a courteous reception from him, and, on proper occasion, of his active assistance. No per- sonal labor was too great for him when called upon by a representative of a public print, yet he pressed modesty to such an extent that the condition of his aid was always, "And leave out all reference to me." His kindly attitude toward competitors has already been spoken of, and as the years passed by he sought with increasing diligence to smooth 66 ^atritfe S^o^epl) i^ealp the path of unfortunate business friends. On one occasion, while in New York, hearing that a Western music house had been destroyed and the business badly crippled, he at once telegraphed, placing the entire resources of his house, men, money, and stock, at the disposal of the unlucky firm. A prominent Eastern piano dealer, witnessing this action, asked, " Why do you do this ? They are not customers of yours." Mr. Healy replied, ''There is something in business besides money." "I wish," said an eminent judge, "that we had more men like P. J. Healy, men who do not hesitate to say, and to show daily by their actions, that they are in business for purposes other than simply to amass wealth." His regard for the "other things than money," as he called them, built up within his business a splendid mental atmosphere, for while every clerk knew that keen, wide-awake busi- ness moves were always in demand, every clerk also knew that short cuts to riches or methods savoring of the sweat-shop were not wanted. Schemes for jobbery of any kind would not be listened to by him for a moment. 67 ^atricft g^o^epJ) i^ealp Of the love and veneration in which Mr. Healy was held by the trade, a striking incident was given in the convention of the National Piano Manufacturers' Association, and the National Association of Piano Dealers, in Buf- falo, N. Y., in 1893, when, at the mention of his name, the three hundred delegates broke into long-continued cheers. One of his great delights was in making social calls upon members of the trade in Chi- cago and distant cities. His sense of humor used to prompt him sometimes to have himself announced as Mr. Breeze, of Windy City, 111. On one occasion, in Brooklyn, when the clerk brought back word that the proprietor ex- pected a call from Mr. Healy of Chicago, and therefore could n't see Mr. Breeze, his de- light knew no bounds. As Mr. Healy grew in years his shyness became so extreme as to become a source of great discomfort to him. He regretted this characteristic exceedingly, for the false impres- sion often conveyed to those who did not know of his supersensitiveness. The evil of insom- nia also gave him much trouble, so that some- times for weeks at a time his life was one long 68 ^^atricft ^o^tpf^ 1$ca\p martyrdom. "And yet," he used to say, with a smile, " I get no sympathy because my complex- ion is ruddy." In fact, he often appeared in the pink of condition when in reality he was almost beside himself from sleepless nights. At the dinner given by Lyon & Healy in 1901, in the Chicago Athletic Club, to the delegates to the Piano Manufacturers' Convention, at which nearly two hundred gentlemen were the guests and Mr. Healy was the host, he was forced to entrust the address of welcome to one of his junior partners. He said afterwards: "I could not for the life of me get on my feet and say even a few words, though never did I so desire to put in good strong language what my heart felt." Yet few or none of the guests at that mem- orable dinner left Chicago without being made to feel what a pleasure his presence had been to Mr. Healy. His ideas were sought upon the greatest range of subjects. In fact, nothing touch- ing the wide periphery of the wheel of busi- ness seemed to have been overlooked by him. In every direction, his practice was character- ized by the most advanced thought. The line 69 ^atritfe S^D^cpl) i^ealp of action laid down by him, if followed, led ever toward the substantial upbuilding of a business edifice. Upon the subject of dishon- est employees, he used to say, "Let him go. Always give a poor devil another chance." Upon the subject of inventory, he would say, "Never mind what it cost, what is it worth (if any- thing) under the hammer ? " And the inflec- tion upon the "if anything" was delicious. Upon the subject of buying real estate and kindred moves: "One business is enough for one man to attend to." On seeking favors of any kind, he agreed precisely with Emerson: "Pay at the beginning, for pay you must in the long run." On the ever-recurring idea of discharging unpromising clerks and filling their places: "It is better to shake hands with the devil you know than the devil you don't." Of truthfulness in advertising, he said: "I was seldom more pleased than when an old Scotch- man, who happened to be in our store, said to me, ' I see ye advertise ye sell Everything Known in Music. I'd like to see a pair o' bag- pipes,' and I could turn to a clerk and direct him to bring down those Edinburgh bagpipes that had been appearing in our in- 70 ^atticft S^o^epfi i^ealp ventory for heaven knows how many years." On judging abihty: "Judge by results. Many a man holds his peace to good purpose." 71 p. J. HEALV Sketch hy ■"The Music Trades. CHAPTER NINE DURING the last decade of Mr. Healy's life his appearance in either business or social gatherings was always enthusias- tically greeted, for his presence in a group was a signal for genial, whole-souled pleasantness. Stories and anecdotes of the various personages he had met were his chief happiness, for his fund of humor was inexhaustible. Newspaper men sought him constantly, knowing that his memory was a mine, and that his point of view would at once appeal to the sane, wide-awake reader. His recollections of his boyhood's teacher, the celebrated Oliver Optic, were eagerly pub- lished, and many anecdotes of men prom- inent either in music or in business were first given publicity by him. But if Mr. Healy showed the keenest inter- est in the notable actions and sayings of his confreres, he was himself the subject of many an interesting story. No effort was made to record these anecdotes, unfortunately, though, as is so often the case, trifles light as air were more characteristic than the noteworthy actions lingering in the memory. 73 ^atricft S^o^epl) i^ealp Mr. Healy's favorite story was David Harum, and his favorite play, Joe Jefferson's *'Rip Van Winkle," both reproductions of every-day life, enjoying their vitality by reason of their perfect reflection of the lovable strength and equally lovable weakness of human nature. Truly they are typical of his own outlook upon all mankind. In speaking of Mr. Healy, the Chicago Rec- ord-Herald related this characteristic incident: "His charity was wide and practical. Re- cently his secretary was asked why a certain charity committee was closeted with him, as the same committee had been there a few morn- ings before. "Well," the secretary said, "Mr. Healy gave them a carriage the last time they were here, and to-day they came for the horses." An anecdote of the early days that made an indelible impression upon one young man: One day one of the young men of the house was sent to a small town in Illinois to get the settlement of an account of some seven hundred dollars which was owing by a firm that gave evidence of a shaky financial con- dition. This young man went to the town, 74 ^atricfe S^o^epl^ i^ealp was met by the debtor, and spent a very pleasant day driving about seeing the country, meeting prominent citizens, dining with the family, etc., etc. The debtor assured him that Lyon & Healy had no cause for uneasiness, that everything was all right, and at five o'clock sent the young man home well pleased with his day's work. Next morning when telling of his adventures to Mr. Healy, the young man said, "Somehow the story had a kind of hollow sound." Mr. Healy walked up and down while it was being recited, swinging his pen in his left hand, as was his habit. At the conclusion of the report, he quietly remarked: "The King of France and forty thousand men, Marched up the hill, and then marched down again." And without another word retired to his pri- vate office. The next day came news of the failure of the Illinois firm. A month later this same young man was sent out on a simUar quest to a small town in Wisconsin. The following morning he re- turned, and without comment handed to Mr. Healy cash to the amount of the claim. About three days later Mr. Healy came out of his 75 ^atricft ^o^tp^ !^ealp office and said to him: "Mr. Blank," mention- ing the name of the head of the Wisconsin firm , "has just been in my office and told me of your treatment of him three days ago. He said that in order to raise that money he had to mortgage everything even down to his chickens. Don't you think you were altogether too severe?" The young man said: "Well, I don't know about that, but I don't 'march up the hill and down again' — not more than once." Soon after Mr. Healy gave that young man greater author- ity in business matters. One incident will serve to show Mr. Healy's boundless confidence in advertising. In the early days of his house, about 1876, he made a single contract with an advertising agency to advertise band instruments to the amount of fifteen thousand dollars. This was a very large sum thirty odd years ago to the young house, and Mr. Healy said it completely stag- gered some of his associates when he reported his action. "Did it pay?" he was asked in the year 1901, twenty-five years later. "Well," he replied, "the returns are not all in yet." There is more than a bit of pleasantry here. 76 For Lyon & Healy have done the largest band- instrument business in America for a generation. Why? Because, no doubt, of that very contract other equally daring moves were made in the early days. "What do you think of the effort of Blank to make an artistic piano?" he was once asked. Quick as a flash he replied: "He will change a first-class second-class piano into a second-class first-class piano." Mr. Healy amassed a fine library. His taste for reading naturally ran along extremely solid lines, and his knowledge of the world's his- tory was gleaned from a hundred sources. For Thomas Babington Macaulay's narratives and style he had great admiration. No detail was too small to interest him when he undertook to read up on a subject, no speculation too great to discourage him in following the master minds of literature. As in everything else, he had his bon mot in connection with his reading. " Of all my books," he said, " Gibbon's ' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' is the most valu- able. It usually puts me to sleep." No pen-picture of P. J. Healy would be complete without a mention of his famous little 77 ^atricft g^o^epl) i^ealp black-covered pocket memorandum-books . One of these books was his constant compan- ion, and before answering any question per- taining to his business it was his wont to refer to it. Each of these books, and there were some forty in all, was filled with the smallest, finest writing and figures imaginable. Each book contained a resume of preceding years, and complex tables exhibiting an account in detail of the current year's transactions. To examine one was a liberal education in the upbuilding of a great mercantile business. But the labor was almost incredible. Mr. Healy was asked how he found time to compile these books. "All done," he said, with great sadness in his voice, "by candle-light. While others amused themselves I labored." 78 p. I. HEALY AT THE ACE OE b2 CHAPTER TEN F^ J. HEALY died April 3, 1905, a few , days after he had completed his sixty- fifth year. His busy life came to an end in Chicago, in his home in the Kenwood Hotel. For two years his health had been failing and an attack of pneumonia when in California hastening the progress of the un- favorable conditions which had begun to make themselves evident in 1903. His death was a peaceful one. After months of keen mental anguish over his inability to continue at his life's work he became resigned, and putting his affairs in order, he awaited the end with calmness. His family had been summoned, and, together with all his close friends and lifelong associates, were with him during the last few days. The funeral services were held in Holy Angels' Church, in Oakwood Boulevard, and that immense edifice was crowded to the doors. The manifestations of grief were truly remark- able; the outpouring was one that will never be forgotten by any of those present. Young 79 ^atticft S^o^epf) i^ealp men and old men, women and children, all mourned a true friend. The Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Bishop Muldoon and the deeply impressive words of Father Cox's oration were no mere matters of ceremony, but such a heartfelt, per- sonal farewell as all wished to say. The honorary pall bearers were John C. Haynes, Charles H. Steinway, William Knabe, W. H. Currier, M. J. Corboy, E. S. Votey, Piatt P. Gibbs, Thomas Cratty, W. J. Onahan, and John R. Walsh. The active pall-bearers were: Charles N. Post, Robert B. Gregory (by proxy), J. P. Byrne, James F. Bowers, George E. Griswold, A. J. Keefe, Benjamin H. Jefferson, T. F. MuUaney, and W. H. Leckie. The interment at Calvary was in accordance with Mr. Healy's wishes. A granite mauso- leum marks the spot for the years to come. So a noble spirit passed on. * * * * The seeds P. J. Healy planted were Integrity, Industry, and Kindness, and the world of affairs owes more to him than can be computed. For here was a man who, beginning with 80 ^jccerptg from €n6uteg nothing but his strong right hand and clear brain, built up the greatest business of its kind in the world; a man who early in life tasted of the sweetness of success, and yet remained un- spoiled and unsullied; a man who carried honesty to that rare degree that he scorned to have his money work for him in enterprises in which he could not personally sanction every move; a man who was loyal to every trust and to every friend. His name will endure when names of mere for- tune builders, mere amassers of wealth, shall have been forgotten. Far greater than the traits of shrewdness and business ability he displayed was his example of stern virtue in affairs both private and public. He was not clever in con- cealing things, but wise in having nothing to conceal, and his spotless character will illume the pages of Chicago's history for all time. 8i oBjccerpt^ from Crifiute^ ^OLiAN Co. (Board of Directors) — (New York City) — " Mr. Healy was a man of rare qualities, steadfast, courageous, gentle, and of extraordinary ability. To his generous spirit, his clear vision, his kind heart, and abounding energy is due, in great measure, the individual and collective success of the men he had chosen to carry on with him his life-work." Alexander, William A. (Chicago) — "I have never known a more lovable, gentle man, in business or out of it. He was the one man in all Chicago with whom I had business dealing that when I met him for the purpose of trans- acting business I felt immediately that I was doing business with a man whose every word was truth, without insinuation or mental reser- vation; in fact, he was so gentle, so kind, so fair, that a business relation became a personal pleasure and a matter of fellowship, and it seemed a pity to mar the conversation by being compelled to talk of business problems." American Art Journal (New York City) — " The social side of P. J. Healy was as well developed as his ordinary business side, and he impressed all who came in contact with him as a remarkably well-balanced man, with an in- born touch of wit and a touch of humanity that were distinctively his own." 83 (Qxttvpt^ from Znhntt^ Armstrong, George Buchanan (Piano Trade, Chicago) — " He commanded not only my regard, but my reverence, for he was one of the noble souls who stood apart from the mass, and inspired feelings of admiration and pro- found respect. I had a genuine affection for this good man, and mourn that he was so soon taken away from us. " His life was an inspiration, a model, a dem- onstration of the practical value of right liv- ing, a sermon to all in its symmetrical and natural charm." Associate, A Lifelong — ''I feel the loss of P. J. Healy as keenly as though my own father had died. I consider myself a successful man now, but I feel that by his taking me into his employ thirty-nine years ago Mr. Healy not only gave me a start in life, but also gave me an opportunity of developing into a business man under the most admirable tuition and guidance any man could have had. "I was seventeen years old when I entered his service. He employed only seven men at that time. I was with him through adversity, and also through many successful epochs. " How did he make his great success ? Well, his integrity vied with his far-sightedness, and his remarkable understanding of human nature also accounts for the result. Another impor- tant factor in his success is the fact that as soon 84