The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-07-08
EXIT THE DRUM.

! LA11 LIE DhUMs
Has Just Been Abolished In the
French Army.
| Drummers and their drums are to be
eliminated from the French army by
the reforming zeal of Gen. Fare, and
that the infantry soldier will not march
better in consequence of this latest in
novation may be safely predicted, for
any attempt he may have made hither-
to to keep step has been mainly due to
the rataplan. Comparatively little i'm
portance, however, is attached in France
to regularity of step, though a regiment
which makes any show of it is invari-
ably the most cheered at reviews, this
being one of the inconsistencies preva-
lent here which it would be vain to at
tempt explaining. The minister of
war explained before the budget COM
mittee that his reason for adopting the
change is because drummers are not
combatants, so he proposes to replace
them by trumpeters. who do come
under the category. Like the white
leather aprons of the sappers, which
have disappeared for some time, the
little parchment-covered cylinders are
henceforth doomed. I do not know
whether the origin of the drum has
ever been traced by some patient in
quires. We have been told that it
comes to us from the east, and that the
Moors first brought it into Europe. Ger
tain is the fact that the most savage
races have always rejoiced in their tam
tams, and as the pleasure of making
noise is inherent in human nature, per-
haps the most effective way of creating
din was invented by Adams sons or
grandsons But the drum does not an
pear to have been used in the French
army until toward the close of the four
teenth century, and its introduction is
attributed to the English invasion under
Edward III. Its general adoption by
the infantry dates back to the time of
Louis XII, when the Swiss element was
largely infused into the royal forces.
The drum at that epoch was a shape
less instrument, and served more for
rallying the troops or for the convey
ance of the word of command than for
regulating the step, which was far from
being as measured as it is new. Each
capain had drummer in his private
livery, and he employed him to carry
his orders of his instructions as much
as for beating the word of command:
the drummer in those days appears to
have been a kind of aind-de-camp. The
covering was usually made from the
hide of some animal generally of an
ass-though if it be true that John
Zisca, the avenger of Huss, bequeathed
his skin to his gallant companions in
arms to form the covering Of drum,
which was to summon them in case of
danger, material more noble was at
least once made to serve the purpose.
The drum was not used for drilling in
fantry to keep step until the middle of
the eighteenth century, and the roll
such as we now know it was only regu-
lated some hundred years ogo. The
drummer's art then become more diff
cult, and to perfect it regimental
schools were established, the master of
which was the drum-ma jor, who in re-
cent times was still such a prominent
and popular parsonage in each French
regiment. The period of his greatest
glory was the first empire, when the
drum-major of the grenadiers of the
guard had rank as a captain and wore
uniform which cost Napoleon s12O.
Under the restoration and the mon
archy of July, drum-majors were given
to the regiments of fremen, and even
to those of the national guard, but CT
late years their prestige has diminished
in Il great extent, and also their stature;
they are no longer such imposing
clothes-horses, all lace and feathers,
towering above ordinary mortals; the
race has in fact been visibly deteriora-
ating. Such as they are, however, they
will now disappear from the head Of
French regiments with their drums.